Beyond Dawlish

Are you planning on renovating your home’s exterior design this year? If you are, you’re not alone, as a recent survey reported by BizJournals.com found that 57% of homeowners plan on doing some type of renovation, and of these aspiring renovators, nearly half (43%) will be doing some type of outdoor remodel, including updating or adding a deck or patio and upgrading landscaping.

Garden Design magazine recently reported the hottest trends in 2015. Janet Loughrey interviewed gardening speaker and writer Stephanie Cohen to find out what updates homeowners should think about making this year.
 

Edible gardening coming to the fore

“Edible gardening is becoming a bigger part of outdoor living spaces,” said Cohen, who attends many trade shows around the country where the newest outdoor design trends are constantly being introduced. “I saw a patio table at a trade show with a built-in pocket at the center planted with lettuce and herbs.” Imagine being able to harvest your own salad right from the dinner table!

Gardening in small spaces

This type of gardening is especially attractive to urban gardeners, for whom space is a premium. Another trend for those with little space but a penchant for fresh produce is the variety of miniature fruit bushes on the market. For instance, BrazelBerries has come up with a mini version of blueberries and raspberries that grow and thrive in small containers.

No more food plots

Troy Marden, a landscape designer, has seen similar trends in larger landscapes. Instead of having separate plots for food-producing plants and traditional landscaping, however, Marden says homeowners are choosing to blur the line and now mesh the two together. It is now kosher to plant blueberries and bamboo right next to each other.
He credits young homeowners with the rise of this trend, saying, “With an increased awareness of industrial farming practices, these young adults are more conscious of where their food comes from.” He went on, “Growing fresh food is becoming part of an everyday lifestyle.”

Emphasis on low-maintenance plants

With many parts of the country suffering from or threatened by drought, plants that are low-maintenance and have low water requirements are also more popular. Billy Goodnick, a landscape designer out of California, said a lot of these drought-resistant plants are native to South Africa, Australia, and California and “with good design, you can use water-wise plants and sstill get any style and look that you want.”

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Source: gardendesign.com/ideas/what-s-hot-gardening-trends-for-2015

Tags: landscaping trends, 2015, exterior design, home design, hottest trends, outdoor living, outdoor design, urban garden, landscape designer