We wish to keep our curb appeal up to date, providing a great view from the street. So, we scan articles like this one to learn what landscaping professionals expect to be most in-vogue in the new year. These garden trends and landscaping tips include thoughts of leading designers and others who predict upcoming garden designs for 2020.

As we’re not only starting a new year but a new decade, these simple tips will pertain for awhile. Also, it appears these landscape design ideas will be handy for years to come. Simplicity and low-maintenance are tips we can all appreciate and utilize and it appears they’ll be big this year.

This doesn’t mean we’ll tear out our already perfectly located plantings, but we might find inspiration for additions and new outdoor displays.

 

Belgian Design Landscaping

Described as luxurious simplicity, this planting style appears to be a favorite garden trend for the new year. This old-world type of landscaping includes repeat plantings and limited ornamentation. Landscaping tips for this simple style advise limiting ornamentation to single or well-coordinating pieces, possibly a baroque or old-world garden edging or a large weathered focal point. Less is more is a concept for the upcoming year.

 

Upcycle for the Garden

Repurposing for ornamentation with accessories that previously had another use is practical in the garden and also on an upswing for the coming year. Use your imagination as you encounter used items that no longer serve their original purpose.

Old tubs and buckets may become planters, as can old boots, shoes, drawers and other items. An oft-used item is an old tire, filled with hens and chicks or blossoming flowers. Old chairs serve as a display for the right size pot, while old windows and shutters can be repurposed as hanging displays. Some of these are painted, others are used as it. You’re only limited by your creativity when upcycling for the flowerbed.

 

Wildlife Friendly Garden Ideas

We all like the thought of a wildlife-friendly garden. And, in 2020, it appears more people will be planting to encourage local wildlife friends to make themselves at home in our landscape. Providing a steady supply of water and the foods they like is a great beginning. Nesting materials in the right location can make them feel at home as well.

If you wish to attract birds, place a few houses for them in spots where they prefer to dwell, such as hanging in a tree. Some birds repurpose for themselves, like rebuilding a nest left by another bird from last year.

Landscaping tips for planting to attract wildlife will include the use of native plants. Natives encourage pollinators to come, many of which are of a declining population. Plant lavender, milkweed and lilacs to invite the pollinators in. Some native plants discourage mosquitoes.

Frogs and toads in the landscape act as pest control, eating beetles, slugs and mosquitoes. Nighttime flowering plants and those that emit fragrance most heavily after dark invite another range of pollinators, like moths and bats. All pollinating species are great for the landscape.

Keep in mind, having wildlife in the landscape may necessitate extra protection for your vegetable crops and some ornamental plants. Deer, coyotes and even bears may feel invited. If your neighborhood is overseen by a Homeowner’s Association, they might look down on a wildlife friendly landscape. So might your neighbors. Animals won’t realize they need to remain in your yard only. A wildlife garden is appropriate for large landscapes without close neighbors. Consider both the pros and cons before you start planting to attract wildlife.

 

Edible Forest

Professionals see garden trends for 2020 bringing forage plants closer to home. This can go hand in hand with a wildlife garden and growing native plants. Most foraging specimens are edible and many more have medicinal uses. Plants listed below can easily grow in your home landscape for an annual harvest:

  • Yarrow
  • Mullein
  • Rose Hips
  • Dogwood
  • Wild Comfrey
  • Cattails
  • Cedar Trees
  • Walnut

Garden Ideas for Growing Vertically

Although we’ve become accustomed to seeing plants trained to grow upward, it appears this will be another popular garden design for 2020. If you haven’t already, get started with growing plants on a fence or trellis. Flowering vines, like morning glory, clematis, and cardinal vine grow quickly and have beautiful, long lasting blooms. The moonflower blooms at dusk and emits a delicious fragrance.

Some vines need a slender structure on which to scurry upward. A wire or cord addition can easily and inconspicuously be added to a fence or an arbor with large poles. Other vines will attach to any surface and continue upward, like some ivy. Be cautious of using these on lightweight fences or other supports that aren’t sturdy.

Incorporate these landscaping tips into your planting and design efforts when you revamp garden beds in spring. Keep them in mind as you upgrade your hardscapes and ornamentation outside and you can easily have pleasing curb appeal that extends through the decade.