Backyard Landscaping Trends of 2019 Year

1. KEEPING IT LOW MAINTENANCE
More mess equals more stress is a saying that is not limited to the indoors, which is why a disheveled garden can leave homeowners feeling overwhelmed. Considering the busy world we live in, gardeners will be looking for ways to simplify their gardens in 2019.

• Include mostly perennial plants that will come back each year and group them together based on their watering needs. For plant suggestions, talk to a master gardener in your community or attend a local garden tour to get ideas.
• Consider removing messy trees or shrubs that don’t provide any ecological benefits. (For example, a tree that drops leaves into your pond or pool; a shrub that creeps into an oft-used pathway.)
• Invest in an irrigation system that can do the dirty work for you while you’re away.
• Do your research when selecting hardscaping materials. Choose quality stones that won’t require repair after a short amount of time or pavers that don’t need to be cleaned constantly. Contain gravel pathways with robust edging.

Low-maintenance gardens, drought-tolerant plants and less turfgrass have become the norm in landscape design. Homeowners now assume sustainable design will be a major part of the plan — both for economic and environmental reasons. In this design plants were chosen not only for their gorgeous cottage-garden beauty but also for their tolerance of dry summers and wet winters.

2. INCLUDING FOOD IN LANDSCAPES OF ALL SIZES
Although growing food is by no means a new trend, it seems that now more than ever consumers have a vested interested in where their food comes from and how it’s being grown. And the ability to grow your own food is not limited to people with acres of land. Gardeners are finding that they can grow a surprising amount of food in limited space.
If you’re looking to try your hand at growing food but don’t think you have the room, consider:

• Adding a pot on your front or back porch to start
• Researching ornamental edibles that you can incorporate into your current planting design (get some ideas here)
• Hanging planters from your home’s eaves or in front of a kitchen window
• Growing herbs on your walls with a vertical planter, such as the Algreen Garden View, that can be mounted indoors or out

​3. MAKING BACKYARD STRUCTURES FOCAL POINTS
Some structures in the garden are necessary—sheds, walls, pool equipment boxes, etc. Since these are things you’ll see every day, why not make them beautiful? More gardeners will choose to make eye-catching structures the focal points of their gardens, rather than eyesores.
Try these creative ideas:

• Use salvaged materials, such as rough barn wood and antique iron gates, to create a rustic pool house
• Repurpose an existing structure, like an old stable, into an outdoor dining pavilion
• Take inspiration from a local landmark by mimicking its design or using similar materials
• Use a kit, such as this Amish-crafted Colonial Gable Greenhouse, to build the garden structure of your dreams