Trends come and go in garden design as they do for the interior of the home. Rattan Direct walk us through the six big trends we can expect to make an impact on the garden in the coming year:
If you like to keep your garden looking lush, lovely and stylish, what trends will be making an impact this year?
#1 Wabi-Sabi
Not a flavouring for Chinese cooking but a Japanese inspired gardening technique that will suit most of us down to the ground. Inspiring it may be, but we love it for the fact that it is a hands-off form of gardening that has been around in Japanese culture since the 5th century.
It embraces the circle of life – growth, decay, death and re-growth – and is about embracing nature, sitting back and loving all of nature, imperfections included. Often described as the perfectly imperfect garden, take a look at how to create a Wabi-Sabi garden.
#2 Al-Fresco living
On one hand, we battle with the unpredictable British weather and yet, more of us are embracing living al-fresco.
With new gadgets and garden furniture suitable for the great British weather coming to the market, a growing number of us are choosing to live outdoors as much as possible. But what does this mean?
· Invest in a garden dining set that will last in the long term – ditch the wonky plastic table and chairs and say hello to rattan or hardwood dining tables, coffee table and more.
· Invest in fire pits and bowls – gentler flickering light and heat for the dining table in the shape of a fire bowl and heat from a fire-pit make your garden accessible no matter what the temperature.
· Semi-permanent gazebos – with wooden or metal frames, anchor the gazebo down, fling the fabric tent over the top and shelter from all kinds of weather in the garden.
#3 Potty about purple
Pantone colour schemes are not just for the interior of a home but for the exterior too and so if there is one colour you should opt for in the garden this year is it purple. Or, if you want to be right on trend, opt for Pantone’s Verdue palette.
From plants to accessories, purple in various shades and hues will be just perfect.
#4 Growing your own
We are becoming increasingly aware of where our food is coming from and as a result, more and more of us are choosing to grow our own fruit and veggies.
Companion planting is expected to be a bit hit in the garden this year. So, start mixing your broccoli with your rose and your carrots with the dahlias. But beware, there are some plants that just don’t get along in the flower border…
If 2018 is the year you are going to get serious about self-sufficiency, then there is no doubt that investing in a greenhouse (the top end of your budget) or a polytunnel (cheaper and versatile as they can be moved easier) will be a top priority. Consider a fruit cage too to prevent birds from pinching your fruit.
#5 Healing houseplants
Stepping indoors from the garden – but only for a moment – we can’t let this list go by without the mentioning the growing trend of using houseplants in interior design.
For a short time, we fell out of love with houseplants. Seen as old-fashioned and dust-magnets (as well as great places for spiders!), the houseplant has largely been absent from the home for many years.
But we always knew that a plants ability to soak up ‘our’ carbon dioxide was a good thing and with concerns over pollution and other air-borne problems, the answer to balancing the interior of our homes lay in houseplants. They add colour too!
#6 Relax and de-stress
Being ‘in the moment’ is increasingly difficult in the technology-laden and busy lives we lead today but the garden can help us to disconnect.
It will be the singular most influential factor in garden design in 2018. With a welcome return to the sensory capacity of a garden – from the gentle trickle of water to the rustling of grasses in the breeze – consider how all the elements combine in your garden to create an outdoor space that soothes and relaxes the stressed and inflamed soul of the modern human being.
What changes will you be making to your garden this year?
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