4 key garden design trends for 2019
Garden design is something that evolves over time, taking account of current tastes and styles, as well as factors like pressure on space and changing weather patterns.
At Compass Garden & Landscape Design, we specialise in creating beautiful gardens in Bath, Bristol, and the South of England which feel exciting and contemporary now, but are also designed to be ‘future-proof’; to retain their exciting feel for many years.
Here we look at four current trends which are predicted to grow in popularity during 2019.
Outdoor Rooms
Partly because of limited indoor space and partly as a result of longer, hotter summers, gardens are increasingly being seen as an extension of a home’s interior. Outdoor living space can include a patio or decking with attractive seating, and perhaps a stylish pergola to give cover from the sun and wind. Patio lighting and heating can help to make your garden somewhere to linger into the evening, enjoying good company.
We can help you to choose which area of the garden is best for eating and entertaining. This means considering a whole range of factors, such as which parts of your outdoor space get the most sun and light, whether you are overlooked by neighbours, if there is an existing view to enhance or reveal, and what existing garden features you may wish to incorporate.
There are various ways to screen off an area of the garden, such as using trellis, fences, walls or hedges. Choosing materials with different colours, such as textured paving and coloured stones, can also add a warm note and help to reflect your personal taste.
Growing Your Own
A fast-growing trend which is likely to become even more widespread in 2019 is growing your own fruit and vegetables. Of course, a traditional kitchen garden with beds for different crops is great if you have enough space, as is an orchard.
However, gardeners are also increasingly using their imaginations and growing more unusual crops. These include a range of herbs – including rosemary, which is popular to add to cocktails – and miniature fruit bushes, also known as patio fruits. If you enjoy an afternoon cup of tea, you may even want to think about growing your own tea plants, something which is predicted to become more popular in the year ahead.
Unusual pots and containers are ideal for growing some crops, or you could include raised beds in your design. We can advise you on which areas of your garden are best for growing produce. Including a greenhouse in your garden can also further expand the range of vegetables and fruits that you can raise successfully. We are also seeing a large increase in enquiries about ‘vertical gardens’ to cover existing walls – these are a fantastic way to both maximise the use of space and bring a blank space to life.
Eco-Friendly Gardens
Growing your own produce ties in with another current trend: to make gardens more sustainable, eco-friendly and generally green, in every sense of the word!
This can include using recycled and locally-produced materials within your garden design, and designing with water conservation in mind. It is also helpful to choose shrubs and plants which are naturally hardy and do not require a lot of watering, but will still look great. Choosing native plants which help to attract bees and butterflies is another way of helping the environment. We are true believers in the ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ philosophy made famous by Beth Chatto, and using this approach enables us to create beautiful planting schemes in any location.
We offer a planting design service, which means we will look at your garden and discuss with you which plants will look good, thrive in your soil and meet your taste. We then source the plants and arrange for them to be delivered and planted.
Asymmetrical Landscaping
As part of a trend for more natural-looking gardens, experts are predicting that, in 2019, there will be a greater demand for asymmetrical landscape design. This means creating a less formal and structured look, with areas of planting being used to soften the look of hard landscaping elements, while trees and shrubs can complement each other without their placement necessarily matching exactly.
Compass Garden Design Services
At Compass we take an interest in the latest landscape design trends, but we also work closely with you to ensure your garden fits your personality and tastes and the time you have available for gardening. We will create an individual design that makes the most of your space, whether it is a small urban garden or a large country garden, and help you to source high quality contractors to carry out the work.
We offer garden design services in areas including Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset and across the South of England. Click here to contact us, and arrange an initial consultation.
