Top 10 Trends In Garden Design For 2017

While many gardens once they have been created remain more or less the same from year to year, there are gradual changes in fashion and taste that occur over time. Plants that were once considered most desirable are now no longer wanted and new ideas on design replace what was once thought to be height of perfection. The top ten trends are those forecast by designers and retailers across the country and are described in an article by Pam Penick which I found on the Garden Design Magazine website.

Dubbed the slowest of the performing arts, gardening can seem trend proof. After all, you can?t hurry an oak?s progress from acorn to shade tree, and making a garden isn?t like buying a new throw rug for your home but rather stitching a few glimmering threads of your own into nature?s rich tapestry. And yet tastes do change in gardening, as your once-obsessed African violet-growing parents or grandparents could tell you. Those who work with the buying public are especially attuned to what?s hot and what?s not. With that in mind, we asked designers and retailers across the country to share the biggest trends they anticipate for 2017. Here are 10 trends they say we?ll be seeing more of.
Natural Materials
After years of minimalist dominance in hardscaping materials, furniture, and decor, designers are noticing renewed interest in natural materials and a less geometric style. Designer Julie Blakeslee at Big Red Sun in Austin, Texas, says, ?Rather than clean and modern, clients are asking for a more old-fashioned, more DIY look in their gardens. We?ve been using railway ties, free-form decks, smaller outdoor furniture, and swing seating. I think clients are looking for something more authentic and real. The Dwell look has been replicated so many times. People may be yearning for something more organic in their gardens.?

An ipe swing bench and curvy chairs along a winding gravel path make inviting spots for relaxation. Project by Hoerr Schaudt in Chicago, Il. Photo by: Scott Shigley.

Richard Hartlage of Seattle-based Land Morphology also sees a heightened interest in natural, tactile materials like wood and stone for the built elements of a garden. ?People are moving away from concrete unless it?s an ultra-modern, minimalist garden,? he says.