As we look ahead to 2024, there are some exciting new trends in garden and yard design that you might want to consider. While your garden may be out of sight during the winter, either dead or under a blanket of snow, spring will come again and everything will be in bloom once more. Instead of doing the same thing next year, consider these trends predicted by experts to refresh your outdoor green space.
Pollinator Plantings
“As threats to monarch butterflies and other pollinators become widely known, many homeowners are interested in planting pollinator gardens,” says a master gardener and director of brand marketing at a smart yard company. Consider plants like milkweed, butterfly weed, and borage for your garden or yard. Even a small space like a curb strip or flower box can contribute to the pollinator corridor.
Smart Yard Technology
Smart yard technology will help more gardens conserve water in 2024. Smart sprinkler controllers use real-time weather data to water plants only when needed. Mobile apps also allow users to adjust and monitor watering schedules, saving both water and money.
Meadows and Eco Lawns
Rather than traditional grass lawns that require a lot of water and upkeep, gardeners are looking for alternatives that are easier to maintain and better for the environment. Eco lawns replace grass with clovers, herbaceous plants, and other drought-tolerant and disease-resistant plants. Meadows, including bulb meadows and native plantings, are also gaining popularity.
No-Dig Gardens
With rising awareness of climate change, more gardeners want to be land stewards and capture more carbon with their yards. Instead of annual tilling, gardeners are using mulch, cover crops, and compost amendments to sustain the soil, creating no-dig gardens. Keeping roots in the ground at the end of the season is an additional benefit of no-till growing.
Perennial Plants
Perennial plants are becoming more popular as they stay in the ground longer, giving them more time to store carbon in the soil. There are perennial versions of kale, collard, asparagus, broccoli, sunchokes, and herbs. Many gardeners are also installing mini-perennial food forests with edible fruit and nut trees and bushes.
Resilient Plant Varieties
Even with protective measures against drought, pests, and heat can still be a problem. Many seed breeders are creating resilient, open-pollinated plants that thrive in extreme conditions. These varieties require less chemical treatment and water, reducing the environmental impact of growing vegetables.
Tended Garden
Despite the trend of eco lawns and meadows, pruned gardens with well-kept hedging remain popular. Pruning hedges, maintaining bonsai, or sculpting topiaries can be very meditative. The interaction between meticulously tended areas and a wilder aesthetic is also gaining popularity.
Flower Colors: Anything Goes
The modern farmhouse trend with an all-white exterior and interior has influenced garden design. Some homeowners find a singular color scheme calming, while others prefer incorporating all colors into their garden. There is more freedom to choose whatever brings joy, reflecting evolving fashion trends.
Foliage Garden
Foliage gardens with subtle, tasteful schemes are in demand. They feature various shades of green along with silver, blue, soft chartreuse/mint, white or white variegated, and maybe a little black for the daring. These gardens are more intimate and less contrasting than those popular a decade ago.