Gardening and outdoor living can be a very rejuvenating exercise. It serves as a healthy release from our daily pressure-cooker lifestyles dominated by work, smartphones, social media and the overall information overload.
Tending to your own backyard garden is not just good for your overall wellbeing; you can also embrace it as part of your grow your own food movement. You can also combine your own gardening with a more involving outdoor living lifestyle where you engage in other activities such as landscaping and beautifying your surroundings to create an ideal living environment.
Outdoor living serves as an escape from the rigors of indoor living and there are numerous ways in which you can go about it. Numerous trends in gardening and outdoor living have sprouted in the recent years that can help you create an excellent outdoor living lifestyle.
More Eco-Conscious Gardening
Anyone who sets out to establish a garden already has a degree of eco-consciousness but few generally put it into practice. In the recent years, there has been a rise in awareness on the need to create sustainable gardens. More people are focusing on organic gardens and limiting the use of chemicals in their backyards.
The Use of Statement Plants
Instead of simply treading the well beaten path, more people are using “statement plants” in their gardening and landscaping which serve as the highlight of their outdoor spaces. These plants are generally bold and attractive and a visitor will not fail to notice and be dazzled by them when they visit your home. Popular statement plants that you can introduce in your gardens include pomegranates , hydrangeas and berries. You could sweat out the little mundane stuff in your gardening but add some “one pot wonder” that will be the centre of attraction.
Create a Little Luxury in Your Backyard
You can bring out the luxury in your backyard with beautifully designed landscaping and gardening. There are thousands of gardening ideas that you can work with but you will have to factor in things such as the choice of plants, the design and other attractive features. You can create a rose garden or add some clematis among other plants.
The Rise of the “Grow Your Own Movement”
Health concerns and tight wallets have seen more people embrace the “grow your own” movement where homeowners grow a range of green vegetables that may be in short supply such as lettuces and broccoli. It is not yet widespread but it is picking up fairly quickly.
Naturalism…pushed to the extreme
When most of us think of landscaping, what comes to mind is something sculpted and manicured to bring out an “artificial” aesthetic effect. Now think of landscaping done “in reverse”; where you try to make your garden or outdoor spaces appear as natural possible by adding landscaping elements such as natural rocks, hedges and shrubs. Extreme naturalism is now a growing trend in modern landscaping.
Convenience Gardening
We all love gardens but not all of us have the passion, energy and time to tend to beautiful gardens. Convenience gardening is a new trend catering to this lazy niche of “gardeners”, giving you the instant gratification of a nice garden without the hard work. You can simply buy the pre-planted pots and add an instant bloom to your backyard.