In the last blog post we looked at 2021 home design trends.  This week we’re heading outside to look at garden design trends in 2021.  Like last week, some of these trends are influenced by COVID-19.

Outdoor Living

With being cooped up at home, many people have started to transform the backyards into outdoor living spaces.  This trend isn’t new, but there’s even more of a focus on making outdoor living spaces this year.  Outdoor dining areas are nice, but many of us want to spend even more of our day enjoying some fresh air.  Outdoor living rooms are the next huge thing.

Along those same lines, outdoor living has moved to the front porch.  The front porch is America’s original social network.  With many folks forced to slow down in 2020, the front porch has once again become a place to keep in touch with neighbors … with some social distancing, of course.

Wild Gardens

Letting a portion of your yard “go back to nature” is the newest addition to pollinator-friendly gardens.  Creating a more natural landscape not only helps attract pollinators, but also increases the overall biodiversity of the area.  For the past couple years, I have been turning a portion of my own yard into a “meadow garden”.  Over that time, I have introduced wildflowers, fruit trees, and eliminated some invasive species.  This year I noticed not only more pollinators visiting the garden, but also birds enjoying the grass seeds.

White Gardens

White is the color of 2021.  Gardens consisting solely of various white flowers is an interesting trend this year that ties closely to the trend toward lighter colors indoors.  We can all use the clean, bright … sterile (see what I did there) look of white.  Check out this article over at The Spruce for plant ideas.

Bigger, Better Food Gardens

Last year Victory Gardens went … viral!  With all the uncertainty with the start of 2020.  The great toilet paper shortage led to a seed shortage as folks looked to the only place they could trust for fresh, clean food – their own back yards.  With restaurants being closed, it threw the entire food supply chain into disarray, and with many losing their jobs, gardens became a necessity instead of a luxury.

In 2021, many people will once again turn to gardening.  Hopefully not out of necessity this year, but as an escape.  In all the turmoil of last year, many people rediscovered the escape that gardening can provide.  We all need to slow down and experience the reliable simplicity of gardening.