Garden softscape design has come a long way from sticking a plant into a round hole and calling it landscaping. Now, designing a landscape means carefully balancing different softscaping elements like flowers, plants, soil, grass, plant beds, and groundcover.
If redoing or upgrading your garden is on your to-do list for 2022, use these trendy and timeless landscaping ideas to create an Eden for you and your family to relax in.
Soft Edges and Informal Borders
In 2022, we’ll see a softening of lines between hardscaping and softscaping. Instead of solid demarcation lines between different areas of your garden, create one cohesive and blended space.
By carefully selecting materials, your plantbeds can seamlessly match your exterior furniture. And once the base of your landscaping design is smooth and homogenous, you can play with softscaping elements to further marry each section.
Trailing plants in raised plant beds connects the flora back to the ground. Surround these with springy, upright plants to keep the bed weightless and floaty.
For flowerbeds next to long expanses of carefully maintained lawn, use small plants along their borders. This softens the harsh line between grass and soil or garden pebbles.
Maximizing Usable Space
Gardens don’t have to be unusable to look good. This year, gardeners around the world are moving towards creating usable, multi-functional spaces.
Instead of sprawling plant beds that break up ground space, design your garden so that you have space for chairs, benches, or picnic blankets for entertaining. Small planters or plant beds around a large expanse of grass, pebbles, or mulch keep your functional area from being an eyesore or a dead zone.
Draw inspiration from vertical gardens to maximize growing space and add color to your garden without losing square footage.
Raised Planters
This trend is for the lovers of teeny plants, small leaves, and minute flowers. Raised planters bring plants closer to eye level without needing overhead support the way a hanging planter does.
When designing your raised planter, surround your plants with materials that play off their nature. Organic-shaped white pebbles take succulents from colorful to vibrant, while mulch’s dark brown tones take tea roses and baby’s breath from quaint to romantic.
Eye-Catching but Functional
Veggie gardens can be beautiful, too! Add functionality to your garden by planting a veggie garden. Not only do veggie gardens elevate your cooking, but they also add color and variety to your yard.
Instead of orderly rows of different vegetables, why not play around with organic shapes? It’s still better to group vegetables by type, but you don’t need straight lines to be organized!
If edible gardens get you excited, consider planting a herb garden. Herbs have a wispy and delicate aesthetic, but pack a punch in meals and cocktails. Most herb gardens are small and require little upkeep, making them perfect for gardens with limited space and gardeners with limited time.
Monochromatic Magic
One of the best yard design ideas to upgrade your garden is to use many different plants that have the same color blooms. An all-blue garden makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a Monet painting, while all white brings an air of sophistication and ease. Whatever color you choose, your garden will look like a carefully constructed bouquet.
If just one color is too big of a statement, choose two or three colors that sit near each other on the color wheel. For example, a garden filled with red, orange, and yellow blooms is warm, inviting, and playful.
Having a monochromatic garden means easier decisions when purchasing new plants and less time and effort to design your garden. When all the plants are the same color, it’s easy to create something that looks balanced and intentional.
Serene Green
If flowering plants aren’t your style, you can still dabble in the monochromatic trend. Create a welcoming and soft atmosphere with a hundred shades of green.
When designing an all-green garden, introduce variety by choosing plants with different leaf shapes and sizes. Your garden will be a goldmine of inspiration for anyone who walks through.
You can also experiment with tones of green: neon pothos look vibrant and youthful while trailing up a pergola, while deep green ivy adds mystery and intrigue.
Mix your greens in interesting ways to add detail. Even with the exact same shade of green, plants can have different patterns and textures for you to explore.
Eco-Friendly Gardens
If you want your garden to do good while looking good, an eco-friendly garden is the way to go.
For a sustainable garden, choose plants that are native to your area. Since they’ve evolved to suit your climate and ecosystem, these plants are more likely to thrive! This means less fertilizer, fewer pesticides, and less stress for you.
Another way to boost the sustainability of your garden is to invest in smart irrigation systems and look for water-wise plants.
Pretty Pergolas
Pergolas are making huge waves in the exterior design world. Add a pergola to your outdoor seating area for a striking vertical element that introduces shade, ambiance, and privacy.
Although technically a form of hardscaping, the plants that decorate your pergola are the real stars of the show.
You can use climbing plants to add greenery from the ground up. Some options are:
- Wisteria for its gorgeous, droopy purple flowers
- Honeysuckle for its delicate white flowers
- Morning glory for its intense, glowing flowers
- Grapevines for delicious, sweet fruit
Check-in with your local nurseries and see what vining, trailing, and climbing plants would work best in your space.
Transform Your Exterior With Timeless Landscaping Ideas
While these softscaping trends and landscaping ideas may become popular in 2022, good landscaping is a timeless investment. Softscaping is more than just planting a bunch of flowers in a plantbed, it’s about reflecting the personality of your home.
For the best custom landscape design, Bayside Landscaping is the place to be. With unbeatable attention to detail, quality of service, and dedication to your vision, our experts are sure to create the garden of your dreams. Contact us for a quote and let’s get started planting your haven.
