Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Sometimes it is good to take a pause and look at things currently happening (or not happening) in landscaping. In this column, let’s look at some of the ideas I think are worthy of mention.

Homeowners are making maximum use of their space, and personalizing it. Folks are staying put in their existing home at this time, except for some that are relocating for jobs or for retirement purposes. And instead of concentrating on things that add the most value or help a home sell faster, owners instead are making their space fit their needs and personalities. Higher interest rates have curbed home buying; folks are making their present home more livable.

Bold materials and bold colors are trendy. For 2023, the ‘color of the year’ is “Viva Magenta.” Steel, stone, fire, water, black and grey, eco-friendly and low-maintenance are in demand. 

According to plant giant Monrovia, raised beds and gardening in pots are being replaced with mixing ornamentals and edibles among trees and shrubs in the overall landscape. Additionally, it’s trendy to have larger plants indoors—and more of them. Bringing the lawn and patio furniture to an indoor location is increasingly a thing.

Taking the indoors outside is still popular though. The kitchen, the fireplace, the eating table or seating around a firepit have definitely not gone out of style.

Building costs so much more than it used to. Prefabricated sheds have grown in popularity, both due to competitive pricing and to many custom options and purposes. It’s not just garden tool sheds and gazebos—it could be a garage for the car or ATV, or a greenhouse/potting shed. Could be a ‘tiny home’ or guest cottage. Instant gratification in this area is growing.

Defining your space is important. Walls, partitions, bed edging, small personal patios or outdoor rooms—these are things in demand. Yet, the formal garden with its immaculate patterns and plants is not popular with the new homeowner these days. Cottage gardens that require less organization or maintenance are gaining in that space.

Built-in seating, such as a bench, flat rock or large stones to sit on are trending, too. In other words, going to a big box store and bringing in the ready-to-set-up table, umbrella and chairs isn’t as popular as it has been in recent years.

A blank slate may not be in your best interest in landscaping a new home. A list of trendy landscaping cues and tips could be much longer, for sure. With inflation as high as it is, homeowners can get creative to create the landscaping of their dreams while staying with the times

The author is a landscaper. Feedback welcome: rockcastles@gmail.com