4 Landscaping Trends For Summer And Beyond

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Most clients want their landscape to look top notch for the entire summer and into next summer, too. It’s your job to deliver long-lasting, cutting-edge trends for their yard or property. Here are some of the top landscaping trends that homeowners are requesting this summer, according to realtor.com.

1. Sustainability

Our Sustainable Message Goes Beyond the Obvious
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As the largest trend for outdoor areas, sustainability can be implemented in all aspects of a landscape installation. Interest in incorporating native plants has seen a big increase in the past two years, according to the 2017 Houzz Landscape Trends survey. Landscapers have an ever-growing role in enhancing the environmental benefits in our urban landscapes as well as restoring habitats damaged by industry or commerce back to their natural states, says Ron Hall, editor-at-large of Turf.

Read more: Sustainable Hardscaping

2. Colors

Color It Up!
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It can be fairly easy to bring color into clients’ landscapes with plants. But understanding how colors work together and how to combine them to their best advantage can make your jobsites shine. Seasonal color beautifies properties. Homeowners and property managers want their properties to look good, and there’s nothing like color in the right places to make their landscapes stand out. Not only can you use plants to bring color, but try to incorporate vibrant colors with containers and in outdoor living elements, such as hardscape colors and textures as well as unique lighting, to help liven up a landscape.

Read more: Introducing Fall Color to Clients’ Landscapes

3. Edible Landscapes

Photo: iStock

Designing an edible landscape is not much different than planning a traditional landscape, except that edibles are substituted for nonedible plants. An edible landscape combines trees that produce fruit or nuts with berry bushes, herbs, vegetables, edible flowers and ornamental plants. Introducing a garden into a client’s yard can be a risky suggestion, especially since, according to realtor.com, many people are seeking low-maintenance landscaping. Container gardening with edibles can be a unique alternative to a full blown garden.

Read more: Offer These 6 Edible Container Plants

4. Smart LED Lighting

Photo: iStock

Not only does LED lighting bring energy efficiency to a client’s landscape, smart options are also available. According to results from the 2017 U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Study, nearly half of homeowners are updating lighting with an outdoor renovation, with 73 percent choosing LEDs. “Smart” lighting can even be controlled with the client’s mobile device or computer.

Read more: LED Lights Up Landscape Lighting

What are the top trends or requests in your area? Let us know in the comments below.