2016 Summer garden trends.

As I write this, the warm weather has arrived (although who knows how long it will be for?), and it’s time for everyone to start sprucing up the garden for 2016.

Many gardening trends have come and gone throughout the years, but this year, trends seem to be more relaxed and easier to replicate in your garden. Here are some of my favourite trends that you can easily add to your garden this Summer.

                             

                                             Source- poshgardenfurniture.co.uk


Bringing the inside outdoors.

This trend brings elements such as soft furnishings and fabrics into your garden, meaning your garden chairs just got a whole lot comfier. There has also been a rise in wicker sofas being used outdoors, as well as day beds. Now, these items are rather large and would only work in bigger gardens, however a way to tap into this trend is simply to add some indoor cushions to your outdoor furniture, or even get an outdoor bean bag.

                                                      Source- lightemittingdesign.ca


Shedding some light on your garden.

Another way the indoors is being used outside is garden lighting. Garden lighting has evolved a lot from the dim glow of the solar light. LED lights have been used in the garden for a while, however there are now bulbs which create a softer white light instead of the harsh lights of previous. Fairy lights are also a big trend, and are available at most garden centres. There is even technology now where you can use your phone or tablet to adjust the light levels in your garden anytime, for any mood.

                   

                                                    

                                                        Source- simplesowing.co.uk


Take a walk on the wild side.

As ¾ of the UK’s population of Butterflies has declined sharply over the past couple of years, a lot of people are now focusing on planting plants that Butterflies love, such as Marigolds, Lupins, Pansies and Snapdragon flowers. This is also the case with bees, with many people planting in order to keep their population up, and in some cases, making small bee hives in their garden.This trend has also prompted people building animal nesting boxes as well as the tradition bird boxes in their garden. This would be a great idea if you are an animal lover yourself, or if you have children, as this would give you a great opportunity to educate them in wildlife and how to take care of plants and animals.

                                                       

                                                     Source- lovelygreens.com


Contain yourselves.

As much as every gardener would love a large, grassy garden to plant their many flowers in, this is not the reality for some green-fingered people. Luckily, container plants are a big trend for smaller and paved gardens. Add some plants to an old pallet box and you would be ticking off two trends in one (extra points if the pallet box is whitewashed). Alongside this, Terrariums are making an appearance indoors, but can also be used in paved gardens or on patios. These are usually made up of succulent plants, and are also very easy to look after. There are youtube tutorials where you can get creative and make your own, too.

          

                                               Source- www.mastergardens.org


Making your garden work for you.

Another trend that has become apparent not only in 2016, but throughout the last few years, is gardeners using their space not only to relax in, but to help them live. Partly due to influences from celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver championing growing your own produce, there has been a rise in gardeners growing food, keeping chickens, and attracting pollinators, as mentioned above. This may be more suited to larger gardens, unless you are committed to keeping your garden as a sustainable area, instead of somewhere to relax in. On the other hand, you can easily make a small herb garden in your backyard, either in the pallets we were talking about earlier, or you can even go online and find out how to make your own mason jar herb garden.

                                                   

                                                          Source- uk.pinterest.com

 

Put away the plastic lawn chairs…

If you are unable to fit an outdoor sofa into your garden, the best furniture for 2016 is looking towards shabby-chic, or upcycling old items you may have lying around/can acquire inexpensively. This involves material such as aged steel, pallet boxes are being upcycled into quirky furniture, alongside your more traditional wicker. Also, tyres are now being used for something other than swings in the garden. There is a link on best4garden’s pinterest page of them being covered with rope, wood being applied over the hole, and a cushion over the top- low cost garden furniture!