Work hard and play hard
Outdoor spaces change as we adjust to being at home for more of the day
As working from home has become the norm for so many of us, our garden needs are also changing.
So says award-winning garden designer Andrew Duff, managing director of Inchbald School Of Design in Pimlico, London, who won a bronze medal for his first show garden at the at RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year.
“For me, garden design has changed more in the last six months than it has in the last 60 years,” he reflects.
“It’s no longer the space people come home to for a gin and tonic and to watch the sun go down.
“They want somewhere to have coffee in the morning, somewhere to have lunch, a green calm space just to be.”
The aesthetics of gardens are changing dramatically too, transforming into functional working spaces and somewhere slightly more overgrown, floppy and more attractive to wildlife, he adds.
Seating may have to accommodate both a laptop working space for the warmer months, and something more comfortable with plenty of cushions for when work is over.
So, how will the extra time we have in the garden affect future trends?
“Green is the colour the eye recognises first, so inherently we relax with that. A good green selection of plants with a balance of different leaf textures gives us that feeling of freshness and growth, which is what people are looking for as we move through the seasons,” says Duff.
“It may mean dark green backgrounds with acid greens and yellows to create a fresh and verdant look – perhaps a taxus [yew] background, with large-leaved textures of angelica and persicaria. It’s not about a riot of colour.
“In among the green palette, people will want things that give them the joy of scents, such as rosemary and sage.”
Duff has also found that hard landscaping is being replaced by lawn. “I think lawns are making a comeback. The lawn has been a really usable space, particularly if you have children, and people now have more time to maintain their lawn and are finding it therapeutic to mow.”
Another addition that has therapeutic value is 3D art, according to award-winning sculptor David Harber, whose work has also been exhibited at Chelsea. He has had “a lot of inquiries for more reflective and contemplative pieces of sculpture”.
He continues: “People are seeking calm and sophistication, perhaps represented in a Zen-like water feature. People want unfussy, serene and beguiling.
“So many people have taken up yoga and meditation, they want a place where they can stand and be back in touch with nature.”
And Duff predicts that another man-made feature, planters, will become more prominent in gardens. However, their contents will not be the same.
He says: “We are going to see less containers filled with annual colour – petunias and geraniums are on their way out. We are going to see balconies overloaded with tomatoes and runner beans, with nasturtiums running through them.
“Seasonality is really important, which is where growing vegetables in containers is really going to take off, along with the rotation of vegetable crops.
“Heritage vegetables are coming back – the purple beans, purple carrots – and for people who’ve got children, that’s exciting.”
He also foresees a return to terracotta and timber planters, rather than mass produced plastic tubs which are less eco-friendly.
He says: “People are much more aware of the sustainability of products and their provenance. There’s a great drive to buy British. They want to buy locally and are into supporting local businesses and nurseries.”
However, it’s not just the flora being considered by people who have been largely confined to their homes and gardens for the last few months – fauna is definitely on the agenda too.
Duff says: “Wildlife has become very important and people have become surprised how much wildlife there is in their garden.
“People won’t be sweeping everything up to within an inch of its life, but will leave things informal and relaxed to encourage wildlife.
“It’s the overall eclectic, slightly overgrown look that people are adopting.”
People will want things that give them the joy of scents, such as rosemary and sage