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Top 5 Fall Landscape Trends

2021 is the year of eco-consciousness. In that spirit this year you’ll see more landscape designs that are eco-friendly and energy-efficient. With the rise in technology, homeowners are looking for smart technology to assist in every aspect of their life and their yards and gardens are no exception. Today’s eco-conscious homeowners are also finding themselves spending more time outside as Covid-19 pandemic restrictions forced them home. Realizing their yards could be a place of solace.  homeowners began looking to turn their landscapes into additional living areas which allows them to enjoy their landscape at an elevated level than before. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the top 5 landscape trends of this year you won’t want to miss as you create that outdoor space of your dreams. 

1. Desert Landscape

Desert Landscaping has been around in areas that see extreme summer heat for an extended period of time but in recent years it has become an increasingly popular trend nationwide due to it being an eco-friendly and low burden on the environment… Desert Landscapes generally utilize a more stone-centered landscape design rather than the traditional sod and greenery-focused landscapes. Utilizing more natural, native gravels, rocks &  pebbles in lieu of large water supported grass lawns and water-efficient plants such as sage, fairy dusters, trumpet plants, yucca, cactus which BONUS  trickles down to save you money on that water bill. . A common misconception of Desert Landscapes is that this landscape is only shades of brown and green, the truth is that if done right it can be bright and vibrant with a beautiful array of flowers such as golden suncup, California poppy, devil’s claw, yellow bells or flaming katy. 

As the trend for minimalism continues to grow the desert landscape will become a more popular landscape design..  As with any landscape Desert designs still require maintenance on a weekly basis, but the eco-friendliness and low maintenance overall are a great plus for this trend. 

2. Dry Riverbed

A dry riverbed is a river of gravel, pebbles, or rocks that flow through your garden or yard for a unique and gorgeous look. Some designs can even utilize plants such as blue glass to make a water element in your yard, without all the hassle of a typical water feature. This unique trend can be added to any landscape design to add an extra element of beauty to your yard’s overall feel. Another reason this trend is becoming a 2021 Landscape favorite is that beyond the aesthetic appeal, and low price point, dry riverbeds can also solve a lot of other landscape problems such as poor soil quality, & drainage issues in your garden.

3. Vertical Gardens

Vertical Gardens are such a unique landscape feature that  can be used in many different ways. A trend that started as a solution to a lack of traditional space, vertical gardens have grown in popularity because of the versatility and significant beauty that they create as they merge traditional landscape with modern art..  Strategically covering an ugly wall, fence, retaining wall or those unnatural elements of your yard you can’t avoid, vertical landscapes are quickly becoming a fun and creative way to problem solve those areas of your yard that are hard to work into a traditional landscape design.   A little less on the eco-friendly wagon, as they tend to require a little more watering than other elements, vertical gardens do generally have shallow root systems and utilize less soil and mulch than traditional flower beds.

4. Smart Technology

The name of the game in 2021 is smart technology. Technology is a major part of everyone’s lives and one that is trending over to landscaping. If you go down the technology rabbit hole you’ll find that in today’s 2021 landscapes homeowners have the ability to program and maintain their irrigation systems, water features, lighting and so much more via their r smartphones, or Google &  Amazon devices. Want to take this trend a step further? Technology can now be used to even help homeowners with their gardening or lawn care. Smart irrigation systems can be installed so you don’t over or underwater your plants by tapping into your location and current weather conditions. Sensors can be added that adapt to give your plants the moisture they need, and you better believe that there are also self-controlled lawn mowers that with a press of a button will mow your lawn to the exact specifications you’ve set. Oh, by the way in case you haven’t heard, your Sprinkler system can do more than just schedule irrigation now, it can alert you when there are cracks or breaks in the system and shut itself off until you can repair it to save water. All this from any of your smart technology devices!

5. Outdoor Living Areas

The trend toward creating outdoor living areas has been a growing trend for over a year with the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving into 2021 it looks to be another popular landscape design. Outdoor living designs look for areas in your landscape or backyard space where you can take your inside life, outside. Whether adding a big natural stone entertaining patio or a fully functioning kitchen and dining area as an extension to your home, there are a number of ways homeowners are working this trend to create additional living spaces outdoors. 

Rockology

No matter the trend you’re looking to incorporate into your landscape this year, Rockology Utah and its network of contractors can design, engineer, and install your new dream landscape. Here at Rockology Utah, we live to push the boundaries of traditional landscape. If you can dream it, we can build Call TODAY to schedule your FREE estimate.