Oct. 19, 2018 – Terra Nova Landscaping of St. Albert, Alta. (https://terranovaalberta.ca/) has put together its top eight landscaping trends for 2018, noting among the hottest trends are outdoor seating and yoga spaces, native plants, mood lighting and drip irrigation.

Every industry witnesses a change in their prevailing trends as the year shifts. This is equally true for the landscaping industry too. In 2018, outdoor seating and yoga spaces, native plants, mood lighting, and drip irrigation are some of the hot trends in the landscaping field.

Fireplaces, water features, colorful patterns of pots and plants are other prevailing elements when it comes to popular landscaping trends. Not to mention, admiration for drought-tolerant plants, native plants, and eco-friendly, low-maintenance landscapes is on the rise.

Let’s dive deeper into these landscaping trends of 2018.

1. Increased preference for outdoor dining

Love for Alfresco dining has shot to popularity. Folks prefer getting some fresh air while they gather for meals in their backyard. Outdoor dining has been prominent for quite some time now. However, the present year has noted a shift in the trend.

Individuals prefer to eat their meals as far away from the hustle and bustle of their homes and kitchens as possible. Previously, landscaping clients typically leaned in favor of dining outdoors but close to their kitchen. In 2018, the seating for open-air eating is being preferred at a good distance from the kitchen.

2. Climate-cognizant landscaping

For those in the turfgrass industry, this landscaping trend is of particular interest. Yards are being designed by taking into consideration all the four seasons of the year so that the design is compatible with the changing weather.

For instance, adding bright-toned and different textured conifer foliage helps the landscape design stand out in the spring. However, this addition will help maintain a colorful yard throughout the winters too. Therefore, landscape designing in 2018 entails taking into account the changing weathers in St. Alberta and Canada and planning accordingly.

3. Fondness for native plants of St. Albert

Respect for nature has taken a top slot in the current year, which brings us to using local plants as landscaping elements. Local plants are increasingly adapting to the local soil and weather conditions.

This is making them more resilient, granting them a position among prevailing landscaping trends. Since such plants are accustomed to the climate in Edmonton, they don’t demand extensive care or water, which is a gardening bonus point that helps in landscape maintenance too.

4. Mood lighting

Another important trend in landscape planning and designing is mood lighting. This element can quickly polish a garden’s look by adding outdoor lamps, solar lanterns, garden spikes, bulbs, and so on.

It is an inexpensive means of updating outdoor spaces. You can offer multiple options to your clients in this context alongside numerous lighting options. For example, you can offer subtle backlighting for patios or stairs or suggest highlighting key features with lighting.

5. Forest bathing landscaping trend

Landscaping in 2018 is also noting an increase in forest bathing. The name comes from Japan and denotes walking into a forest or wooded area. In this context, cities are punctuated with skyscrapers, taking over the place initially occupied by trees.

To make up for it, forest bathing has come to the fore in garden designing. To this end, flowers, trees, and shrubs are planted along a path to replicate forest-like scenery in the yard. The look can be polished further with stone footpaths and bridges.

6. Water features

Water features have gained immense popularity. There is a broad array of options that can be offered to customers including stone-on-stone water pieces, showcase fountains, and pipe-shaped fountains among others.

You can also design a backyard pool with spillway linings as per client choices. This landscaping element can sync with any budget and design ideas. What’s more, it can go with any size of outdoor space. For instance, you can include a water feature with the irrigation system if you’re working on a small space.

7. Small gardens and divided outdoor spaces

In 2018, the landscaping realm is all about small garden spaces and getting cozy. So, if you are preparing a design outline for any landscape ranging between a small patio to a large outdoor setting, keep in mind that small gardens are trending.

In the case of large areas, break them down into different sections by employing arbor, vines, planters, plant beds, stone walls, and so on. These can assist you in dividing the space into multiple seating areas such as an area near the firepit and another dedicated to dining.

8. Asymmetrical designs over geometrical lines

Presently, landscaping trends have given up geometric shapes and patterns. Alternatively, asymmetrical design approach has grown more prominently. Therefore, planning to make the design look more natural is a trend that is appealing to homeowners.

In this regard, unstructured edges, curvy stone paths, and so on are common. These may appear simple to the eye, but to an expert, these require careful planning of design and material.

Wrap up

St. Alberta’s landscaping trends for 2018 give you a lot of design flexibility. Consequently, you can offer a plethora of options to your clients.