The UK is known for its green-fingered citizens, who regularly spend hundreds and thousands of pounds each year on making the most of their garden spaces.
Incredibly, we spend £1.4 billion collectively on plants every single year on these shores, while the UK’s ornamental horticulture and landscaping industries contribute a staggering £24.2 billion to the economy on an annual basis.
In this post, we’ll explore the most prominent garden design trends for the upcoming summer, while asking how they can help you to bring your outdoor space to life.
#1. The Age of Rewilding
The concept of an immersive and natural wildlife garden may be hard to achieve, but it’s likely to be a seminal trend through 2022 and beyond.
This marks a significant shift in attitude among homeowners, who are increasingly eschewing clean and obviously landscaped gardens in favour of spaces that boast a more natural aesthetic.
This may seem counterintuitive to some, particularly those who make aesthetics a leading priority. After all, upcycling and rewilding tend to contribute to organic and slightly unkempt garden spaces, as people look to create areas that are extensions of the natural landscape that surrounds them.
However, 2022 is likely to see the emergence of ‘curated wilding’, which aims to strike the ideal balance between style and nature.
This involves a heavy focus on the use of natural materials in your garden, while also creating a space that’s rich in texture and largely neutral in colour.
#2. The Use of Wood Effect Paving
Wood effect paving is definitely in vogue among those who want to create a more natural-looking garden space, while this material also offers a host of other advantages to homeowners.
For example, wood effect paving is naturally water and frost proof, ensuring that it won’t warp or fade noticeably during the harsher weather conditions in the autumn and winter. You won’t even need to treat or seal the paving, making this a more practical option than real wood.
Wood effect paving is also incredibly durable and slip-resistant, which makes it a much more effective choice for people with young families and pets (or ponds that could pose a potential hazard).
Of course, you’ll need to compare the cost of wood effect paving with other materials, in order for you to make an informed decision. For the very latest paving prices and information, be sure to check out Primethorpe Paving’s patio cost guide.
#3. The Rise of Jewel-Coloured Gardens
It’s rare for a particular colour to dominate garden designs, although some themes and palettes are naturally more alluring than others outdoors.
This summer is likely to see jewel-inspired colours take hold in gardens across the UK, with bold combinations of oranges, purples and reds taking centre stage.
This striking colour infusion will rely heavily on the creative use of certain colour plants, including fiery orange and red crocosmia, deep purple salvia and summary canna.
Such plants are capable of providing a huge boost of brightness and excitement to any garden, while they also help to foster a positive and energetic environment that’s perfect for hosting summer parties.
Interestingly, this theme will also influence the use of autumn and winter plants (including multi-coloured chrysanthemums and helleborus), to help inspire a consistent aesthetic and sense of outdoor style all year round.
#4. The Return of Bird Baths
The most recent Chelsea Flower Show saw water features take centre stage, with this iconic decorative feature selling more than statues, solar lights and outdoor mirrors combined through 2021.
This trend is expected to continue through 2022, with the classic bird bath likely to make a return to UK gardens in time for the summer.
This is largely thanks to the development of new styles and increasingly creative designs, which have helped to reimagine the humble bird bath and reinvent it for the modern age.
Although birds require a reliable source of fresh clean water for the purposes of drinking and bathing, installing a bird bath in your garden will help to attract birds that don’t consume seeds and would otherwise stay away.
#5. The Introduction of Low Carbon Gardens
From COP26 to the rise of companies investing in sustainable materials and initiatives, there’s a growing effort to reduce our carbon footprints and contribute to a naturally healthier environment.
This trend is likely to influence outdoor designs in 2022, with low carbon gardens likely to see a switch towards cultivating good environmental schemes and supporting wildlife this summer.
A key element of this will see gardeners grow their own edibles and flowers outdoors, with these entities sharing space on the vegetable patch.
At the same time, repeat flowering plants like dahlias, zinnia, cosmos and alstroemeria will be favoured over others. This is thanks to the ease and reliability with which they can be grown during the summer, with everlasting flowers and sea lavender likely to dominate displays in the winter.
This trend is likely to prove deceptively popular through 2022, while it will continue to influence garden designs well into the future.