4 Future Trends in Landscape Architecture That Will Be Huge in 2018.

Welcome to 2018!

Everyone here at Lane’s Landscaping Supplies hopes your New Year’s celebration was safe and enjoyable.

And we also wish you nothing but the best for the upcoming year.

Speaking of which, even though it’s the middle of winter, it’s never too early to set a landscaping budget and think about bringing some future trends in landscape architecture into your outdoor living spaces.

Already know what you want to do? Great! Contact us now and you can get a head-start.

Not sure what you want to do? Why not bring these hot new landscaping industry trends into your backyard this year?

Future trend in landscape architecture: More focus on water

For years, the default water feature everyone brought into their home (aside from swimming pools) was either ponds or waterfalls.

While they’re not expected to go away anytime soon, they’ll be added by other water-centric future landscaping trends and products:

• Reflecting pools: Very shallow pools of water designed to reflect light and brighten any outdoor space.
• Rain barrels: Rustic or hand-crafted tanks which all you to capture and reuse rain water throughout your garden.
• Backyard streams: For big or long yards, homeowners are breaking them up with tasteful streams or babbling brooks (and even building natural stone bridges to cross them).

Not only is the appearance of water going to be popular this spring and summer; elements which enhance the sound it makes will also be in vogue.

Landscaping industry trend: Low maintenance plants

Think back to last year.

If you recall, last spring and summer felt like a perpetual rainstorm.

This year, according to the Canadian Farmers Almanac, spring and summer 2018 around these parts is expected to be:

…hotter than normal, with rainfall below normal in Southwest Ontario…The hottest periods will be in early and late June, early July, and mid- to late August. September and October will be warmer and slightly drier than normal.

Plenty of heat. Not a lot of precipitation.

That’s why this year, many homeowners are thinking of adding easy-to-care for plants and flowers into their garden beds.

This landscaping industry trend lends itself to the following plants:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Ornamental grass
• Old gold Juniper
• Most perennial plants

These plants and flowers won’t require much care (or water; if the Almanac’s prediction is to be believed) to stay beautiful all season long.

Future trend in landscape architecture: Using the middle of the backyard as a focal point

In the past, homeowners and landscape design contractors plan and build projects from the back of the house leading into the backyard.

After all, you probably enter your backyard patio and outdoor living spaces from the back door.

In 2018, the future trend in landscape architecture is expected to shift.

Whether it’s a dining area, fire pit or something else, the centre of the backyard is where the action and entertaining takes place.

Imagine you have a stone BBQ as the focal point of your backyard.

Now imagine lighted paths leading from that stone BBQ to:

• A cozy dining area in one corner
• A quiet reading bench in another
• A backyard waterfall where you can enjoy your meal with the soothing sounds of water

Instead of designing from the back out, projects will start in the middle the yard and extend to all corners.

This spring and summer, when you’re dreaming of your landscaping projects, walk out to the middle of your backyard and imagine what you’d like to see from that vantage point.

Landscaping industry trend: Fire pits and/or tables

When backyard fire pits or tables first gained popularity, it seemed that only luxury homeowners could afford and enjoy this landscaping industry trend.

That’s no longer the case.

Just like having nice grass, fire pits will be seen as an essential, must-have item this spring and summer.

Here’s why:

• They come in all shapes, sizes and price points
• Fire pits are multi-functional (they generate heat, produce light, can be a source of cooking fuel)
• They can be used early in spring until late in fall

One more thing: As many families opt for “staycations”, a fire pit can create that campfire type ambiance without having to pack up the tents and drive for hours on end.

Ready for spring and summer? So are we.

Yes, it’s the middle of winter.

But before you know it, spring and summer will soon be here.

So if you already know what you want to do – and the materials you need to do it – why wait?

Contact us with your questions or for a FREE product quote. We’ll get back to you ASAP with the information and answers you need.