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The Impatient Gardener

Containers, Edibles, Garden, Garden design

Garden trends on track for 2018

January 3, 2018

Colorful garden

When I’m brainstorming ideas for almost any renovation or project in or out of the house, I first head to Houzz and Pinterest to collect ideas that I then go back and do some sifting and winnowing to see which ideas really stick. I’m not the only one who uses these tools like that, which is why they can be pretty good indications of what’s popular at the moment.

As I’ve said in the past, garden trends are more difficult to spot, because gardens don’t change as frequently or dramatically as interior spaces do, but you can at least get an idea of what the public is craving in terms of garden design. So I’m using some of the most popular photos on Houzz along with my crystal ball to go out on a limb and offer a few garden trends for 2018.

GARDEN DESTINATIONS

This next photo appears to be one of the most popular landscaping photos on all of Houzz. I can’t tell you how sad that makes me. This random stone fire pit with rocks that apparently fell conveniently from the sky is such a missed opportunity. Imagine what something like this would look like with some plants around it, and a meandering path that allowed for a bit of mystery and anticipation. But the popularity of this photo tells us one thing: People love fire pits. Actually, what I think people are really attracted to is a reason to gather in the yard, and a fire pit seems to be the most popular reason.

 

Photo by Ketron Custom Builders
 
Look for highly useable spaces to entertain and gather to be popular in 2018. I just think that the average homeowner has to have a better reason than “pretty” to spend the money on a landscaping improvement. This next photo is the most popular landscaping photo of all time on Houzz and you can see why: a great path through a garden that leads to a perfect patio destination.
 
 
Photo by SURROUNDS Landscape Architecture + Construction 
 
EDIBLE REVOLUTION

Since I’ve been doing these trend prediction stories, there has always been an edible gardening component and there’s a good reason for that. I continue to believe that more people get into gardening today to grow edibles and then stick around for the pretty stuff. This simple raised-bed vegetable garden photo was popular in 2017 and I think it’s an indication that the trend will continue.

 
Photo by Joanne Winn Garden Design
 
COLOR IS BACK (AGAIN)
 
Last year I predicted that color would be returning to gardens, just like color is returning to kitchens, slowly but surely. I hope the popularity of the next two photos is an indication that not only was I right, but that that will continue. Too many homeowners seem to equate a limited color palette to low maintenance and I think that’s rarely the case. Anyway, I think gardens will be more colorful in 2018 and beyond.
 
 
Photo by Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC 
 
Photo by Deborah Silver and Co Inc
 
CALLING IN THE PROS
 
I don’t have a lot to base this next “trend” on other than a hunch, but I think that more people are going to seek professional help to design landscapes in coming  years. That’s not to say that they won’t install new outdoor spaces themselves, but I think homeowners are starting to realize the value of professional advice in the design stage. I can see that being particularly helpful when it comes the next trend I’ll talk about: lower maintenance gardens. Plant selection and layout is absolutely key to have a good looking landscape that doesn’t demand a lot of time.
 
LOWER MAINTENANCE LANDSCAPES ARE KING
 
I’ll be the first one to tell you that the idea of a no-maintenance landscape is a marketing strategy founded on an impossible idea. But lower-maintenance landscapes are possible and will continue to be popular.
 
Photo by Windsor Companies
 
DESIGNERS RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF GARDENS
 
Landscaping will become more popular amongst design types. That’s a strange way to phrase it, but I think designers are no longer going to look at landscaping as money taken out of their budgets that could be spent on marble countertops, but an important part of designing a home. That love affair that design bloggers had with the fiddleleaf fig will transfer outside where I predict they will look to very clean boxwood-heavy landscapes. Of course high-end homes have always (well, usually) had proper landscaping, but I think that has trickled down to more average builds as well. Imagine the home below if there were no plants. I can guarantee you there would be no feature photos of the exterior.
 
Photo by Tiek Built Homes
 
CONTAINERS KICK OFF AN INTEREST IN GARDENING
 
Containers will be king. Interesting new plants and the ease of availability means that more people will enter gardening through container gardening. Not only is it something that anyone can do regardless of whether they own or rent, it’s also inexpensive, easy to do and the quickest way to add interest to an exterior. Even non-gardeners will be catching the container gardening bug.
 
Photo by Casa Smith Designs, LLC 
 
Curious as to how my past predictions have gone? Me too! I purposely avoided rereading them until after I wrote this so I wouldn’t be influenced by what I wrote in other years. Size up my predictions for 2017 and 2016 and see how you think I did. What do you think gardens will look like in 2018?
 
Garden trends to watch
garden trends
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
9 Comments

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Comments

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says: January 4, 2018 at 6:09 am

    Ahhh yes, the fire pit. Love em. The one in the second picture reminds me of my childhood. My Dad built a big bar b q pit in the back yard. A lot of fond memories around that pit. It looked more like the first picture as we just walked out to it at the far end of the garden. Not much was around it. Plenty of room for family and friends to set up their lawn chairs to watch dinner cook.
    I sure hope more color comes into the gardens. That is my goal for this summer. I want more color during that lull that seems to happen after the spring flush and before the autumn color.
    As we drove through the country side doing the Christmas Bird Count we came upon a huge newly built house. It had been there long enough to have grass growing all around it but not a shrub, tree or any other type of growing plant. Made me really curious. I will be driving by in a few months to see if they plant anything being the nosy person that I am.
    Hiring a designer is well worth the money. Most will charge just for the designing and turn you loose if you chose that way. It makes it quite affordable.
    I enjoy your predictions. Let the leaves fall as you know they will.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: January 7, 2018 at 9:27 pm

      I hope that house you saw does have something. I think I would go mad in even the world’s most amazing house if outside of it there was nothing but a patchy lawn.

      Reply
  2. Nikki Gwin says: January 4, 2018 at 10:11 am

    My next garden goal is a fire pit. I’ve had a store bought stand type for nearly 10 years now and I am ready for something bigger and prettier. I hope my back holds out…
    🙂 gwingal

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: January 7, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      It’s good to have projects on tap! Good luck.

      Reply
  3. Ellie's friend from Canada says: January 4, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    My next project will be to use the historic bricks that are piled up on my driveway. I will make a sidewalk and a little sitting area. I like the herringbone pattern in one of your photos. Also, I have gone on a massive restocking and expansion of perennial beds so I feel I am almost done. Now to sit back and see what thrives and what doesn’t. I have one small area to put back together again as a dry stream with a few built-in bird bathes. And my bugbear: how to get everything well-staged in the various flowerbeds. It would be nice to have something in bloom spring, summer and fall. We have gradually converted most things to low maintenance and perennials. At the moment, I have beds that are seasonal (a spring bed, a summer bed,etc) but few beds that are three seasons.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: January 7, 2018 at 9:29 pm

      I love a herringbone path! Go for it. As for all-season garden, it’s something I still have to work for, but I’m getting better at it (although looking around in winter, it’s pretty bleak).

      Reply
  4. Linda from Each Little World says: January 4, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    Had to laugh at the fire pit. Definitely need some plants out there and they need to set those giant rocks a bit below grade so they look more natural. But I wonder why you need a fire pit when the house has that great stone fireplace and covered area? The lavenders in the color in the garden image is swoon-worthy. The area where I am adding color is lilies. Reds, oranges, yellows. Somehow I can take their intense color in my garden in a way that seems to work with everything else. I still do love to lose myself in Pinterest. Currently looking for ideas to turn the guest bedroom into my studio. My niece is coming for the bed as soon as it warms up a bit. Happy New Year to you two and your companions!

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: January 7, 2018 at 9:39 pm

      I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, but that fire pit is not my thing and the rock are certainly the most prominent feature. Good luck with the guest bedroom and happy new year to you!

      Reply
  5. Misti says: January 8, 2018 at 10:23 am

    Edible gardening and indoor gardening/houseplants seem to be the biggest trends I see. Everyone and their dog is buying a succulent it seems. I would love to be able to find more general flower gardeners but it is hard to filter through all the edibles and pothos.

    we have a fire pit but it is mostly utilitarian—burn the extra crap around the yard. I’d love to put some of that into better use, like a woody compost pile but hub likes to burrrrrrn. We have some extra stones from around a flower bed we redesigned that were saved for this purpose but it has never been implemented. Maybe next year??

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Pen These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Penhill Watermelon (first picture) and Penhill Dark Monarch are the best two HUGE dahlias that I grow. They share slightly twisty petals (Watermelon more so) and, when you look closely, subtle striations that add a beautiful depth of color. Watermelon grows taller than Dark Monarch (7 feet tall or more sometimes) and they both need serious staking, but it’s worth it because they produce a lot of flowers for a large-flowering dahlia. 

I like them both but if I was forced to choose (and who would make me do that?) I’d give the edge to Dark Monarch because it’s a little easier to manage size-wise, produces more flowers and has a bigger variation in flower color so it’s always interesting. 

Which do you like better?
I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But w I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But when there’s only one tool that does that one thing really well, I’m here for it. This pottery/container knife from Sneeboer makes it possible to actually get plants out of pots without breaking or damaging the pot. It’s also really expensive. 😀
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My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love tryi My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love trying out new varieties and I feel like they just work so well in my garden from both a design standpoint and a cultural standpoint (they are happy here). Because I grow so many, the ones that self sow can be surprises. 

All of these self-sown Nicotiana are probably at least partly the children of the F1 hybrid Perfume series, which grow to be about 24” tall or so. Last year I grew purple, pink, white and lime versions and these are likely new variations on those. 

Picture 3 is, in my opinion, a good example of how these self sown second-year hybrids can go wrong. I’ll probably rip that one out. 😀

And the last photo is of my favorite colorway, lime, popping up amongst the Zinnias. I find these self-sown Nicotiana popping up all summer, so there’s always a fresh-blooming supply. 

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