From outdoor living to the colour of the year being ‘Peach Fuzz’, come with us as we share the top trends that you can expect to see popping up at the end of this year throughout contemporary landscaping and garden design.
1. Kitchen gardens
There isn’t a better feeling and taste than being able to serve your family and friends a meal filled with homegrown fruit, vegetables and herbs. Kitchen gardens are a great statement piece; from raised beds to hanging pots, any space can be optimised! However, many green thumbs will know the difficulty in protecting produce from pesky slugs so here are a few ideas of what you can grow to take that worry away…
A much loved ingredient throughout the nation, the tomato plant can be grown without attracting slugs at all. This ripened fruit may attract the crawling creatures, so it’s best to pick quickly for your home garden salads, pasta sauces and even a your ‘bloody Mary’ cocktails!
Another popular garden favourite are leeks. While the gliding animals do show a particular interest in the seedlings and early stages of growth, as the plant matures it begins to produce a chemical called ‘Allicin’ which is toxic to slugs. Another selection of plants that similarly produce this chemical and originate from the ‘allium family’ are onions, garlic and chives.
Herbs are a true favourite of the aromatic plant range and while some of the softer leaved herbs like basil and coriander may attract slugs, the harder and stronger flavoured herbs like mint, rosemary and thyme can not only offer a pleasant aroma but can also help to deter pests. These herbs can also be used in many homemade cooking recipes too!
2. Growing your own flowers
Produce isn’t the only thing that you can share. Why not try planting your own bouquet of flowers for your kitchen table and guest room? Not only is this cheaper than buying supermarket flowers, but home grown blooms also tend to have a much longer vase life. Below are a couple ideas…
A traditional florist pick due to their tall, strong stems and bright colours is the Gladioli. They should be planted in spring time (March to May) for them to bloom in June through to October. They can grow to a height of 1.5m tall and look elegant in a tall slim vase. The perfect time to cut is when the bottom flower on the stem has opened. The gladioli will decorate your desired space with a vase life of 7-10 days.
One of the best value cut flowers you can grow is cosmos; the more flowers you cut the more it will produce. While a vase life of 4-6 days doesn’t sound inspiring, one flower will bloom after the other so the chances are you won’t be short of it! You rarely find this bloom in florists as the flower doesn’t store or travel well so instead try growing it yourself and enjoy it’s long blooming time from June to October.
3. Outdoor kitchen
It’s never a surprise to see this trend reel on from year to year, however reverting away from the simple outdoor sink and grill, now is the time to upgrade or build your ultimate outdoor kitchen!
Some great new additions have proven popular to bring a European twist to our outdoor living spaces; a pizza oven to bring a slice of Italy, fridges to chill your French wine and an alfresco dining area so we can dine late like the Spanish! An established firepits area is also high in demand to produce heat for those chilly evenings all year round and the cooking of marshmallows.
These are great areas to use for hosting as you can socialise and cook at the same time!
4. Bringing the indoors, outside
Many new homeowners, understandably, spend a lot of time designing and creating their inside space as an area of their favourite fabrics, colours and styles. So why not extend that and mirror your style into your garden?
A top trend this year is ‘blurring the lines’ between the inside and outside of your property. This can be done in multiple ways; whether this is introducing bi-folding doors to encourage natural light in, or using the same colour scheme in your outdoor furniture. A popular choice, using the same styled tiling indoors as on your patio to create a seamless flow through from your front door to your outdoor living space is another beautiful technique to achieve this aesthetic
5. Why not add a wildflower lawn?
An exciting day out this summer has been to local lavender or wildflower fields to take in the views, the glory of the flowers and of course some wonderful photos!
A wildflower lawn is not only a beautiful site but also has multiple advantages with only one being its low maintenance costs! It also provides a great source for bees and pollinators, and creates biodiversity with the vast variety of flowers planted as well as supplying you with a variety of some wonderful filled vases. With sustainability taking a strong stride in the world of design, this is a great place to start.
6. Recycle, reuse, reclaim sleepers!
Using reclaimed sleeper has become a prominent trend in landscaping as they bring a weathered wooden element into the garden as well as adding a bit of character. There are so many things you can do with them all on a budget.
Raised flower beds and planters have proven very popular as a more practical way to grow, care and harvest your plants. Similarly they have been often used to create an attractive edge to border either flower beds or patios. If you are looking for a rustic chic look, they make great shelves to hold plant pots, containers and bottles as well cupboards for full storage of all your gardening hoses, gloves and forks!
7. Meet the colour of the year: Peach Fuzz
With autumn fast approaching, the colour of the year is about to enter into its own and you can start preparing for it now!
The English rose is a rustic flower that blooms all the way through to November and is a wonderful autumn pick that not only brightens up your garden as the evenings drawn in earlier but also offers the wonderful autumn colours of orange, apricot and peach! In terms of a harvest, they bring a wonderful smell and delicate beauty to a vase.
Do you want to stay on trend with one of these contemporary design ideas? Talk to our award-winning garden designers today to find out how we could help.
