Garden trends 2023

Thinking of a new look for your garden? Whether you’re starting from scratch or it’s time for a makeover, we’re here to provide you with some garden makeover inspiration.

Here, we’ll look at some of the top and emerging garden trends for 2023 – for landscaping, patios, indoor plants and much more.

Garden trends 2023– what to look out for

With lots of us spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the garden has become a more important sanctuary than ever before. This has shaped garden landscaping trends for 2023, with more of us using the garden for living, growing food and encouraging insects and wildlife.

Let’s take a look at some of the key trends to look out for this year:

Rewilding

If you’re a believer in the restorative power of nature, this trend is for you. Rewilding is all about loosening the reins and letting your garden go just a little wild. It’s about creating a haven for birds, bees and other wildlife, especially pollinators.

The look is softer and more natural, so you can forget about manicured lawns and hard landscaping. The beauty of rewilding is that it can actually require far less maintenance, which is good news for hands-off gardeners.

Here’s how to join the rewilding revolution in your garden in 2023:

• Plant wildflower meadows rather than lawns
• Relinquish control over pruning, cutting, weeding and mowing (to a certain extent) – let nature take over
• Choose plants that are good for pollinators
• Avoid plants and compost which contain peat
• Avoid chemical pesticides – choose organic products instead
• Choose hedges and border shrubs over fences
• Make space for animals, such as cutting holes in fences for hedgehogs, putting up bird boxes and creating bug hotels.

Split levels

The key to a gorgeous garden is balance, between textures and materials, focal points and areas of interest.

Split levels can help you zone off your space, to create exciting new spaces which draw the eye. You can create terraces for al fresco dining, planting, veg gardens or for the kids to play.

As well as creating new usable spaces within the garden, split levels also allow you to fill your line of vision with greenery. You can create built-in beds at all kinds of different heights, which is also ideal for smaller gardens. And if you’re grappling with changes in level in a sloping garden, terracing could be the answer.

It’s sometimes tricky to find the perfect balance using split levels and terraces within the garden. But with careful planning, it can add so much more aesthetically pleasing and multi-functional space.

Repurposing and recycling

Reusing, upcycling or reimagining ordinary home and garden objects (or even commercial or industrial ones) can lead to a unique, creative look.

For example, you can use items such as an old Belfast sink as a planter or birdbath, or a rusty heating coil as a striking garden decoration. Alternatively, why not repurpose glass jars or kitchenware to create a ‘living wall’ vertical planter? You can even paint old tyres a fetching shade and use them as planters. It’s completely up to you.

Neutral tones and natural materials

2023 is the year of the natural colour palette. Bold, bright and statement-making garden features are out, making way for the natural beauty of your plants to shine.

This look is all about embracing nature and creating a soothing sensory sanctuary. Stick to a limited colour palette of creams, greys and taupes, and natural materials like bamboo, rattan and timber.

Then, let your plants do the talking. If you love colour, choose flamboyantly coloured flowers and foliage – they’ll really shine against a neutral background.

Productive gardens

The coronavirus pandemic has meant that we stay at home more, and take fewer trips to the shops. This has inevitably led to an explosion of interest in growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and salads at home.

People are finding they want to do more with their gardens. They want to create raised beds for vegetable gardens, grow herbs in patio containers and fill planters with fast-growing salads.

You don’t need a lot of space to grow your own food. You can do it anywhere, whether you have the space for a greenhouse or find a creative way to grow vegetables and herbs on the balcony of your apartment.

The garden as a ‘fifth room’

Indoor-outdoor living is no new trend, but there’s been a recent spike in interest in patio furniture and decor that creates the feel of a living room outdoors.

Families stuck indoors naturally want to extend their living space. With the right accessories, you can make the garden into a new playroom, lounge space, bar or barbecue area. Many people are even styling their new ‘fifth room’ as they would the interiors of their homes, with soft furnishings, lighting and colour.

Patio trends 2023

Patios are having an upgrade. No longer are they simply a space to place your table and chairs.
2023’s patios have fire pits, upgraded seating, weather protection and outdoor kitchen equipment. Plus, as we’ve just looked at – the kind of styling you might see in your living room.

Patios with screening and covers for privacy are also among the biggest garden trends in 2023. Many patios are even being kitted out as outdoor workspaces – with desk space, boosted broadband and technology connections.

Indoor plant trends 2023

So, what about indoors? Here are the hottest houseplant trends for 2023, according to what people are searching for online:

• Fishbone cactus
• Bunny ears cactus
• Blue Star fern
• Mistletoe cactus
• Velvet calathea
• String of hearts
• Happy bean plant
• Chinese money plant
• Snake plant
• African milk tree

Many of the most popular houseplants at the moment are compact, ideal for smaller homes and flats. They’re also easy to look after, and many are good for cleaning the air too.

Takeaways:

• ‘Don’t move, improve’ seems to be the motto for 2023, driven by events in 2020.
• If you need more living space – move outside!
• You don’t need acres of space to grow some of your own food – be creative, think vertical and repurpose anything you can find for your planters
• Put those pruning shears down – let your garden grow a little wilder, the bees and other pollinators will thank you.
• If you’re struggling to visualise your new garden, consult an experienced landscaper for practical advice and ideas.