Magazine

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) announced its official list of the top landscape design trends for 2016. As the voice of the landscape industry, NALP crafts its annual forecast based on current consumer demands and lifestyle trends, in addition to considering broader horticultural, architectural and design factors. “The latest trends reflect the desire to bring the indoors out — to create comfortable landscapes that are both functional and beautiful,” says Missy Henriksen, NALP vice president of public affairs. “At the same time, we’re seeing a shift toward sustainable landscapes that reflect a renewed sense of mindfulness for the Earth and its ecosystems.” Specifically, NALP anticipates increased consumer interest in and adoption of the following six trends: 1. Fully customized outdoor living spaces. As more and more homeowners entertain outdoors and make the most of time spent outside, landscapes have become extensions of interior spaces, complete with furniture and appliances. Beyond basic decks and patios, more landscapes this year will be transformed into full-service kitchens with brick ovens and grills, comfortable living and dining rooms featuring fireplaces and firepits, and romantic canopy bedrooms. Themed spaces, such as yoga gardens or bocce fields, further personalize outdoor retreats to fit homeowners’ interests. 2. Lighted and high-tech landscapes. A natural extension of the outdoor living trend is equipping these landscapes with creative and functional lighting and technological enhancements. Dramatic and boldly colored lights, twinkling accent lighting in walkways, backyard Wi-Fi and TV installations are just some of the ways gardens are getting ...

One of the biggest competitors landscape professionals face is the do-it-yourself movement. Any time a homeowner chooses to install their own patio or create their own landscape bed, a landscape professional, essentially, loses that potential job. Unfortunately, there is a renewed interest in the DIY movement, sparking trends in the home improvement arena. Websites like Pinterest that share creative ideas along with helpful how-to steps don’t help. So while the industry can’t fight the DIY movement, we can pay attention to the trends to find out where consumers are choosing to do it themselves and where they still might favor do-it-for-me options. Here are the latest trends the National Hardware Show and the North American Retail Hardware Association are reporting. 1. Home automation. Tech-savvy homeowners are increasingly demanding products to make their homes more secure, efficient and comfortable. The newest products on the market are plug-and-play, with little to no installation needed and simple-to-connect software applications that allow users to access home systems and appliances via their smartphones, turning on and off landscape lighting, for instance. These systems give homeowners the ability to customize their homes to fit their lifestyles, as well as control utility usage, which can help save money. 2. Back to the land movement. Conservation and reclamation, along with the modern back-to-the-land movement, sprang from the larger environmentalism trends that have been gaining strength over the past decade. As more consumers are concerned about food sourcing, some are taking it further by installing gardens, raising small livestock ...

Retaining walls serve an invaluable function of stopping erosion and holding soil in place. But they also have the ability to contribute to the property’s natural aesthetic value. With the increasing availability of materials, coupled with good design, a retaining wall can be much more than a functional addition to a property. There was a time when retaining walls were considered a “necessary evil” and the entire focus was on hiding them, says John Peterson, design and sales manager for Exscape Designs in Chesterland, Ohio. But things have come a long way since then. “Now, walls are being designed as integral parts of landscape concepts and actually becoming features or focal points,” Peterson says. “The biggest trend we’re seeing in retaining walls is trying to incorporate them into overall landscapes as features.” Materials matter The increasing number of available material options has made it easier to build attractive walls that suit the property. As more options become available, landscapers are designing and building walls that are much more customized to the properties they’re working on. “Many years ago, we were using wood timbers and natural stone, and only a few manufactured options were even available to choose from,” Peterson says. “Now there is an explosion of material options when it comes to designing and installing retaining walls. This makes it much more attractive to incorporate a retaining wall as a feature.” While there is always room for personal preference, the trend seems to be going toward more natural, earth tone ...

Google “great gardens” and click the images tab next time you want a little psychic lift. You’ll find plenty of pretty pictures with lots of colorful blooms and emerald-green lawns. But if you look closely, you’ll see that many of these images are formal gardens with precisely manicured hedges, golf-style turf and fussy flowers deadheaded that very day. In other words, they are high-maintenance, intensely staged scenarios rather than a place to relax and enjoy nature. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course—in the proper setting. But what makes a great botanical garden can be completely different from a client’s backyard refuge or a commercial landscape. A great landscape designer can tackle any of the above and end up with a garden that makes the client, the observer and whoever maintains it happy and appreciative. But what exactly makes up a great landscape? If you ask “the man on the street” that question, aesthetics will probably take center stage. The first thing that pops into mind is beauty. But, as the old saying goes, that can be in the eye of the beholder. Going pro The Association of Professional Landscape Designers celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014 and is an excellent source of inspiration for great gardens by great designers. The organization has chapters throughout the U.S. and offers its members advocacy, networking and an awards program. “You can create the most beautiful environment in the world, but if it doesn’t meet the clients’ needs they won’t use it,” says ...