No. 1: CONSIDER YOUR GARDEN AS AN ADDITIONAL ROOM
“There is a clear trend of treating gardens as green living rooms. This can be seen in the decorative items used in them. For example, the use of outdoor rugs, daybeds, decking and ceramic tiles to extend the home outdoors has been seen in previous years but has become ever more popular. What’s more, ceramic tiles are increasingly seen as an alternative to natural stone tiles. As for screening elements, these can ensure that privacy is maintained even in smaller gardens.”
No. 2: COOKING AL FRESCO, WITH HOME GROWN PRODUCE
“Outdoor kitchens, barbecue areas and large braziers are being seen more often, therefore intensifying the use of the garden as an additional room- a particularly open plan kitchen/dining room.
A pride in home-grown vegetables, herbs, fruit and berries and generally becoming more self-sufficient is a definite new trend/skill set we have seen develop. Keeping free-range chickens has also grown in popularity, where I’m told the breakfast eggs taste “all the better!” So, produce harvested from your own plot is a great sustainable trend and encourages a more natural and healthy lifestyle- not to mention convenient, as is instantly available to prepare with any meal in your outside kitchen.
In terms of accessibility, raised beds can sidestep some of the backache caused by gardening, so opens up to a wider mobility of Homeowners enjoying working in their garden.”
No. 3: TREAT YOUR GARDEN AS A NATURE RESERVE
“In view of the increasing threat to biodiversity, many people feel duty-bound to give something back to nature. Refuges for Wildlife can be created in many ways: Insect hotels, Bird boxes, Bat boxes, piles of sticks, dead wood or leaves for Hedgehogs are just some of the ways in which you can make your garden wildlife-friendly, and are luckily very easy to create.
Although decorative for us, many shrubs and perennials are valued as a great source of food for birds, just as flowers are for bees and other insects. So by creating your aesthetically pleasing garden, you are also creating a suitable and sustainablegarden for nature and for the future.”
No. 4: MODERNISE YOUR GARDEN
“In today’s technical world, even gardens can benefit from digitalisation. Owners that are busy Families, with busy careers or just not that “Green Fingered” are more often relying on “smartgardening” techniques, such as robot lawnmowers, automated watering systems and various lighting automations that all operate by automatic timers, rain sensors, or apps. These self-sufficient gardens allow owners their dream, low-maintenance garden which can be enjoyed in leisure time, of which there will be more of.“
No. 5: ENJOY A GREEN AND PLEASANT FUTURE
“In general, we see today’s home-owners having their gardens designed in very professional ways. Instantly visible gardens are preferred without the wait for shrubs and green lawns to grow. Rolledturf lawns remain popular, while Grasses continue their popularity in bed planting. Larger, established shrubs will always be popular in any garden, although introducing an already established shrub is a more expensive option, it is an investment and one you will get joy from for years.
As a rule of thumb, any plant that wins the title of “Plant of the Year” will always have a big influence on our planting trends. For instance, in 2020 the Bogbean (a marshland plant that flowers in May and June) holds that title and honour in Germany and so we look forward to seeing more of that this Spring”
