These top residential Garden trends for 2017 can improve your new landscape design, small city backyard or rooftop terrace.

Low-maintenance gardens, drought-tolerant plants and less turfgrass have become commonplace as clients look to upgrade their landscape design and enhance their Outdoor experience. Sustainability in establishing a new garden design is frequently requested from landscape designers by their clients for economic and environmental reasons. *

Beth Chatto's renowned gravel garden in Colchester, England.   photo©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

 A sign clearly alerts visitors to the lack of assisted irrigation in this landscape. photo©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

Most Valued Aspects of Garden Design

Consumers are looking for a design that compliments their home’s style. A garden that is stylish and beautiful, a garden that attracts bees, butterflies and birds, is water efficient, reflects who they are. A garden that is eco-friendly (perhaps with native plants) and a landscape that increases their real estate value.

On a Manhattan NYC roof garden a bird poses on a native Blueberry shrub. ©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

The most valued aspect of a garden in terms of functionality is a garden that is easy to maintain.  Critically important is a garden that offers functionality for the entire family to work, play and entertain in.  A well-designed garden enhances the outdoor room experience.

Upgrading outdoor spaces and overhauling the yard.

The backyard is the primary focus of most landscaping projects, however in more urban populations homeowners consistently look to their terraces and roofs to go big on landscaping projects with complete renovations. Large-scale renovations of outdoor spaces are the predominant theme as opposed to small upgrades.  Could this be a reflection of the present economy or a positive economic outlook?  Acclaimed landscape architect Margie Ruddick commented on the integration between indoor and outdoor with Interior Design magazine:

"One of the nice outcomes of the mid-century modern romance of the past 15 years has been an enhanced inside/outside connection. Designers seem to understand better that the California-style house trend is not just a formal conceit—it influences the way people feel, even beyond a stronger perceived connection to nature."

On a NYC terrace garden, a pergola provides privacy from neighboring buildings. This stylish and functional garden enhances the outdoor experience with multiple rooms: dining, kitchen and relaxing. ©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

Needs of property owners in their gardens.

In urban areas like New York City, the two dominant themes that homeowners are concerned with are drainage and privacy from neighbors in their small gardens.  In larger gardens in suburbia (west and south, homeowners are focusing on rainwater harvesting equipment (rain barrels, above-ground tank or below ground cistern) to reduce their environmental impact which is coupled with the rising cost of maintaining a healthy landscape.  Reducing water bills may be the main reason for an increase in harvesting rainwater.

A garden design at the Chelsea Garden Show envisions a courtyard garden set fifty years in the future, designed for global warming. The garden assumes a somewhat hotter and sometimes wetter London than today, incorporating lush planting and cooling water canals under dappled shade. ©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

“Going green”- Updating outdoor systems and equipment in outdoor projects.

Homeowners intend to upgrade their irrigating and composting in the near future.  Motion-sensitive lighting and precipitation-sensitive irrigation are both considerations for the residential homeowner. Both of these are reflective of the movement toward high tech upgrades with a nod to dark-sky lighting and the rising cost of irrigation as droughts occur throughout areas of the United States.  The overall interest in outdoor media and kitchens is still strong in more affluent outdoor properties.

New materials in pathways, driveways, patios and terraces.

Pavers, Gravel, crushed rock are some of the more common materials used for permeable surface in the landscape.  The reuse and salvage of existing materials onsite are in high demand as that reduces the financial cost and for those concerned with the environment, offers a zero carbon footprint.

Reducing the Lawn

Outdoor renovations with an existing lawn are progressively moving toward the limiting the amount of lawn in the landscape.  Ground covers and other products are increasingly popular among homeowners reducing or removing their lawn. Options depending upon their location include replanting a lawn to create a meadow, or reducing lawn and increasing garden beds.  Taking the advantage of government incentives, lowering water bills, helping the environment, reducing maintenance are other reasons for reducing the lawn.  Many homeowners choose to increase their hardscape area.

Use of native plants - use of native adapted, drought-tolerant plants.

As a result of reducing the lawn, plants that require less caretaking – watering, fertilization, deadheading and overall maintenance are in greater demand.  This presents an exceptional opportunity for growers and landscape architects and designers to communicate about natives and the importance of “right plant, right place.” 

Bee enjoying drought-tolerant agastache plant in a Brooklyn garden. ©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

*The information within this post was compiled from recent surveys and articles by American Nursery, ASLA, Garden Design, Housetrends, Houzz, Lawn + Landscape, This Old House and the Wall Street Journal.