The Indiana dreary winter months are a popular time for homeowners to dream about creating the perfect outdoor space to enjoy the eventual warm weather. To help with those plans, we offer the 2019 landscape design trends we have observed.
Vegetable/Herb Gardens
Homeowners are embracing on the health and environmental trend of growing your own vegetables. Instead of having a pile of dirt in a sunny part of the yard, these plants are being incorporated into the overall landscape. Options include large, attractive pots near the house for a few tomato and basil plants, to setting aside a part of the design to sow and harvest. We also see how many of our clients use a garden as a great way to educate their kids or grandkids about healthy living.
Outdoor Lighting
Creating outdoor spaces that feel as comfortable as indoor spaces has been around for a while now. Landscape lighting is a key element to achieving this ambiance. Natural lighting from fireplaces and firepits, uplights on trees and the home, and pathway and patio lighting all create a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere. Many homeowners do not realize the impact lighting can have on their outdoor areas. It can truly transform the functionality and aesthetics of a landscape design.
Hosting Spaces
As mentioned above, outdoor living spaces are not a new trend, rather a lasting one. Homeowners want their yard to serve as a place to comfortably host people. Regardless of whether this design means having a patio right out the back door, or a floating space in the yard, the goal is to make the area functional and welcoming. Using available space wisely is an important factor in these designs, ensuring there is enough seating and a natural focal point. Many of our outdoor living spaces include fire as a central space, either portable or permanent. We also recommend not only relying on a table and chairs for seating, but adding a built-in seating wall for more flexibility.
Outdoor Kitchens
The ultimate way to bring the indoors outside is through an outdoor kitchen. It definitely allows homeowners to entertain in their yard the way they do in their home! Designs can be as simple as a built-in grill, fridge and workspace, all the way to a full kitchen with a pizza oven and adjacent outdoor living room. However, it is important to note that just like inside the home, an outdoor kitchen can end up being the most expensive part of an outdoor living space.
Water Features
We are happy to see that including water in outdoor spaces is a growing trend because we are big fans. Water adds another sense to a landscape; the sound of moving water draws people outside to listen to it. We feel there is little that soothes one’s soul more than the ambiance water provides. Even a small bubbling rock can elevate the enjoyment of an outdoor space
Use of Containers
Another emerging landscape design trend is bringing containers into a planted landscape or patio area. The additional textures, shapes and sizes of the pots and their contents add personality to the space. They are also a great way to add some of the homeowner’s personality to the landscape through their container and plant choices. Planting annuals for each season brings in a new spot of color, and adding indoor plants to the outdoor landscape can offer a different texture. Succulents add a totally different feel to our Indiana back yards and we love seeing them brought out in the warmer weather months. Remember that indoor plants may need some extra care when they are outside; succulents will need to be brought in if we have a week of rain, and other varieties may need more water during the hot spells. Pots also add visual interest to a winter landscape – just make sure they are empty of dirt which can freeze and crack the container.
Planting to Support Local Wildlife
For many homeowners, deer are the bane of their landscape. However, we have to remember that we are in their habitat, as well as other species. Supporting the local wildlife community goes back to the first trend of bringing healthy living into the landscape. A great way to start is to add beneficial plants; berry bushes and sunflowers for seeds offer another food source for birds and squirrels. Daylilies and other flowering plants support hummingbirds and honeybees. We suggest that if the deer have chosen your yard to feed upon, embrace it. There is really is no such thing as a deer-proof plant. If the deer are hungry, they will eat anything!
Low Maintenance Landscapes
As life seems to get busier for every generation, a main goal for many landscape designs is low maintenance. Plant choice, quality materials and good craftsmanship are they keys here. At Eagleson Landscape, we choose plants that are robust, tolerating drought and the wild ups and downs of Indiana weather as best they can. We design a basic plant palette, perhaps choosing just 5 varieties rather than 10. The more species, the more care information the homeowner has to remember! We also place plants to promote resilience, giving them the best chance to survive if they are being ignored for a little while. Boulders are the low maintenance landscape’s secret weapon, requiring no maintenance and adding fabulous visual interest. Finally, using high quality materials and installing them well means elements like patios, pergolas and fireplaces need little repair over the years.
Quality Over Quantity
Our commitment to high quality design and materials has served us well over time, but especially now. As investments in their house has been stretched thin, homeowners are looking for long-lasting, high-quality projects. Often this commitment means they do less than they expected or complete their project over phases. As we lead our clients through the design process, we uncover what they truly want and need, and provide designs that suit them perfectly. For example, a homeowner may feel they want a huge outdoor fireplace, but after talking through how they want to use their space, they discover that what they really want is a portable fire pit. Creating a high-quality outdoor experience is what homeowners are after, something personalized to them and that will suit their needs into the future. This attitude goes beyond craftsmanship and design; quality is more than an object, it’s a happy customer at the end.
Have you noticed any other design trends emerging in your local back yards? Leave us a comment below.
