2013 Top Outdoor Living Design Trends

 

Increasingly, American homeowners want more enjoyment and livability from their outdoor spaces.  It is about time.

 

Source

 

According to a recent survey of its members, the American Society of Landscape Architects (“ASLA”) has identified home owners’ top outdoor living design trends for 2013.  At the top of the list are outdoor rooms for entertaining and recreational activities.  No surprise here – we have seen this trend over the past decade.

 

 

Homeowners want outdoor kitchens …

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

and entertainment areas.

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

 

Firepits and fireplaces have also grown in popularity among homeowners,  followed by grilling spaces and seating/dining areas.

 

Lauren Leonard Interiors

 

 

Source

 

Homeowners still want all kinds of water features including fountains, waterfalls, ornamental pools, splash pools, swimming pools and spas.  No surprise there, either.

 

 

And although patios, decking and fencing have been popular for many years, it appears they are still very much in demand by homeowners.

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

 

Finally, sustainable and low-maintenance gardening is on the rise and becoming more popular every day. 

 

Source

 

American homeowners are finally demanding reduced or no-mow lawns.

 

Rob Steiner Gardens

 

Grow your own vegetable gardens are the trend.

 

 

And the demand for drought-tolerant and native plants is at an all time high.   With the costs of water increasingly rising, homeowners want water-wise drip irrigation and permeable paving. 

 

 

 

Cisterns and other rain-water collection systems are now in vogue. 

 

Kersting Architecture

 

Perhaps, we are finally moving in the right direction!

 

Source

Guerilla Gardening: Are you in?

May 1, 2013

is

 International Sunflower Guerilla Gardening Day.

To join up, just visit the Facebook page.

Source

Throughout the world, on this day Guerilla Gardeners will step forth in their communities and plant Sunflower seeds “in the hope that they will bring beauty and health to our neighborhoods.”  What is this day all about you ask? It’s a day to actively take back our urban and neighborhood streets and beautify them with living plants and flowers. It is about becoming a garden activist and taking action against the urban blight surrounding us.



The Guerilla Gardening movement’s mission is to make our public spaces greener and more beautiful.   Started by Richard Reynolds in London in 2004, it quickly spread throughout England, Europe and the World.  Now, it has grown into an international horticultural movement to beautify and green up our public spaces.



Guerilla gardening is the term used to describe the unauthorized cultivation of plants or crops on vacant public or private land.  It can take place privately or publicly in an effort to engage the community into improving its streets.
Some Guerilla gardeners make seed bombs.



And spread them throughout their urban streetscapes, wherever beautification or greenery is needed … or not.



Won’t you join the movement?  This is something we can all benefit from!  Just stop by Here, sign up and create an event in your own community!  Then go out and identify an empty patch of dirt, traffic island or planter in your community.  Cultivate it, plant it and nurture it for the benefit of all!

To purchase wildflower seeds for your area, click on the pic.

       

It is time to reclaim our sterile streetscape!

Old Thing, New Use

 

Invasion Verde is a public park and play space in Lima, Peru that utilizes old car tires as street planters.  Created by architects Genaro Alva, Denise Ampuero, Gloria Andrea Rojas and industrial designer Claudia Ampuero, the street garden was completed in 2010 for the “Gran Semana de Lima,” otherwise known as Lima’s Great Week.

 

 

The public street garden also features mounds of grass with implanted tires that can be used for seating or for climbing on.

 

 

What other new uses can you think of for old car tires? 

Recycled Steps

 

In 2013, we must all do what we can to reduce our Carbon Footprint!  Recycle, reuse – this will be my mantra this year.  I will also try to bring you many ideas on how YOU can also do this in your own gardens. 

Here is the lovely Helen Mirren showing us a wonderful new use for discarded car tires.  What a great way to navigate a steep slope!  I am seriously considering doing this in one of my clients’ yards.

 

Pinterest

Thoughts?

Carbon footprint

I’ve been reading lately about our carbon footprint.  Here is what I have learned. 

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  It also defines our carbon footprint.  Basically, this is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and especially, climate change.  It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide that is produced in our day-to-day lives, typically through the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation.   Simply put, it is the amount of total carbon dioxide emitted for us to carry out our daily lives.

The carbon footprint consists of two parts.  The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane). We have direct control of these.

The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put it very simply – the more we buy, the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.

Are you aware that your home is typically the largest contributor to your carbon footprint annually? 
Why is it important to reduce our carbon footprint?  Because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that damages the environment and contributes to global warming.  It is important for all of us to be aware of this and take steps to reduce our carbon footprint.  To see what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, go Here. 

Finally, if you’re interested, you can also go Here to calculate your own carbon footprint.

From Strawberry Pots to Tabletops

Suddenly, succulents are not just for strawberry pots anymore.  Remember when succulent plants looked like this?


Nowadays, in our waterwise world, they are looking more like this…
 
or this …

or this …

 Bend Weekly 

Yes, our beloved Hens and Chicks have found a new use or should I say many new uses.  They have become the plant of choice for living walls, green roofs and even tabletops! 

quinn tessentially me's blog

Sunset Magazine online can teach you how to make a tabletop garden such as this, step by step.

Sunset Magazine

Janice Eaton Kilby wrote the book on beautiful tabletop gardens.

 

And J Peterson at Garden Design gave it a pretty good review.

Yes, succulents have come a long way.  With their good looks, low water requirements and low maintenance appeal, they have become the plant poster child for the green movement.

Besserina

 

Indoor Gardens

Sometimes, the best gardens can be found indoors …

Atoche Railway Station, Madrid, Spain

How’s this for an Indoor Park?

Beneath tall office buildings in Tokyo lies a series of  research gardens.  Staffed by local youth, the gardens are dedicated to researching indoor plant growth as well as producing healthy edibles.  Imagine, picking up your daily veggies from the basement of your workplace!

Babylon revisited?  No, it’s just an indoor garden designed by Sadar Vuga Architects for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

 

The Atriums and Gardens of Opryland include nine acres of lush, indoor gardens.  These gardens are divided into three distinct areas -- the Cascades, the Delta, and the Garden Conservatory. 

The Cascades feature a 44-foot tall waterfall.

While the Delta houses a quarter-mile river upon which one can take a ride on a river boat.

 

Vertical gardens also lend themselves to indoor applications.  They are just right for the office!

For those who love plant collections, there are many indoor gardens contained in botanical gardens throughout the U.S.  Here’s a beautiful indoor garden at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.  The garden buildings were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead in 1868 and 1876.

As for me, I love to find gardens indoors.  Although my green thumb seems to only apply to the out of doors.

A New Use for Scrap Metal

Check this out!

Seattle-based Iron Age Designs has come out with a wonderful product line making good use of old engine blocks and brake drums by recycling them into drainage and tree grates.

Can’t wait to specify these!  To learn more about the company, check their website out Here.

Lose the Lawn

 Design/Build Rebecca Sams and Buell Steelman, Mosaic Gardens, Eugene, OR

Norm Plate

I don’t know about your area, but the price of water sure has gone up in mine.  We should all consider using xeriscape plantings now instead of a grass lawn.   Now, more than ever, it just makes sense.

       

Eco Trash

Just what will they come up with next?



Eco Trashcan.  Envi promotes green by processing biodegradable waste. 
Yes, that’s right.  It actually turns biodegradable waste into organic compost, which in turn, sustains the plant which it carries and lives in harmony with.
Most of the compost produced by Envi can be removed from the container and used for other applications.
This project uses bio-reactive substances based on photo catalysis to accelerate the degradation process of waste into organic compost.  If used properly, the plant within the container will grow and thrive.  If not, the plant dies.
Read more about it Here.