New Landscaping Trends to Consider This Spring in New Albany and Powell, OH

As the winter winds down, your family will be eager to spend more time outside. Spring is the best time of year to get going on some great new landscaping projects that improve your outdoor living space and the look of your home. Choosing the right next step in your landscape can sometimes be overwhelming, but certain projects will have more impact than others. Here are four new landscaping trends to consider this spring in New Albany and Powell, OH.

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Planting Sustainability

Sustainability is a crucial component of modern landscape design and both designers and landscaping companies are coming up with some innovative solutions. One of the ways your landscape can be more sustainable is by reducing water usage. While you don’t want to have to remove any of the existing plants in your landscape, you can make decisions in further plantings. 

Choose plants that are native to the Midwest and Great Lakes Region. These beauties will be much better adapted to your landscape, requiring far less watering and maintenance than plants from outside the region. So many of these native plants will grow gorgeous flowers and even fruits in the spring and summer, so you won’t miss out on combining beauty with sustainability. 

Creative Patio Surfaces

The entire backyard should be considered part of your outdoor living space, not just the corner where the patio sits. As you plan your landscape redesign, see if your patio can be expanded while you downsize the backyard lawn. Lawns look beautiful, but they have little function in a backyard unless you have pets and kids who need space to run. 

If the thought of a large patio makes it feel like your backyard is about to be paved, consider building a series of smaller, interconnected patios - and fill the spaces between them with a variety of native plants. Designate each patio to have one main activity, whether it’s dining, sitting by the fire, enjoying the view, or anything else you and your family love to do. With each mini patio, there is a potential for creativity. Let your lifestyle and aesthetics dictate what each one will look like!

Living Vertical Interest

Making your landscape feel cozier and more complete will be how to maximize potential in the long run. Increasing vertical interest can be done with a living wall feature. A living wall can be used alongside a pavilion or pergola or it can be a stand-alone feature much like a fence. The vertical space is a great place for smaller plants. Between small flowering plants, herbs, and vegetables, there are great opportunities to add shade, a wind block, and more privacy without the “cubicle” feel of traditional privacy fencing. 

Updating Your Lighting Strategy

Outdoor lighting is a crucial aspect of any landscape and home. A variety of landscape lighting techniques will improve safety, increase beauty, and make a space feel much more welcome to friends and family. A wonderful modern trend is to use lights that are placed at knee height or lower throughout the outdoor living space. This will eliminate glare and harsh shadows while accentuating surface textures and creating more intimate (yet highly effective) lighting that doesn’t illuminate your backyard like a sports stadium. Be sure to use highly efficient LEDs that you’ll only need to change out once a decade or so, and incorporate fixtures into masonry features or the landscaping.

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