Photo: PixabayFall officially arrived this week and with that arrival came a list of 2019 trends for the season.
According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), these trends will help forecast elements of maintenance and design that will influence how Americans will take advantage of their time spent outside over the coming months.
“Move over mums and classic orange and yellow color schemes,” Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NALP, told BusinessWire. “As homeowners look to extend their time outdoors, they are considering how simple lawn care fundamentals and landscape design can make an immediate impact on their yard heading into fall.”
Take a look at what fall trends NALP expects your customers to ask for over the next few months, as well as what you can do to make those dreams into a reality.
Textures and tones
Two big trends Henriksen says NALP has noticed are the push to have more textures present in the landscape, as well as more pops of jeweled-toned plants.
“This fall, we expect to see a challenge to classic fall plantings with an increasing number of textured plantings and jewel-toned hues debuting in backyards across America,” Henriksen told BusinessWire.
When adding texture to your customer’s landscape, keep in mind that there will be many different varieties of texture you can choose from, such as those which are fine and delicate or ones that are bold and course.
Texture also doesn’t just refer to a plant’s physical feel, so remember to look for plants that are also visually textured that can draw the eye and create some depth in an otherwise flat space.
Coming into fall also allows you the chance to revamp or reimagine your customer’s flower beds or container gardens with a few not so traditional plant choices, such as ornamental kales, peppers and cabbages for those who enjoy edible landscapes. If that’s not necessarily your customer’s style, consider using pansies, snapdragons or different types of grasses to bring out the rich colors and textures of the yard.
Overall, the goals to keep in mind when adding texture are to engage all of the senses you can, provide both balance and depth to the space, add in undertones when beneficial and utilize and compliment existing plants.
It’s common knowledge that the typical colors of fall are yellow, red and orange, but Henriksen says NALP has noticed customers expressing more of an interest in jeweled tones this go around. Colors such as emerald green, sapphire blue, ruby red, citrine yellow and amethyst purple will not only pop in the landscape but will also add a bit of warmth to the area.
“Gardens featuring jewel tones are alluring but be careful,” Jan Johnsen, co-principal and owner of Johnsen Landscapes & Pools, says on her blog.“Rich colors must be used in moderation or your garden can become an overbearing cacophony rather than a scintillating song. But done right, clear, vibrant color is a winner.”
NALP says it’s also a good idea to add these jewel accent colors around the yard in other places besides the garden beds, such as in accessories for outdoor furniture or as sculptures that can be added along pathways or outside entryways.
“Pair saturated colors for a dazzling effect,” Johnsen says on her blog. “For example, complimentary amethyst purple and topaz yellow are great together. But make sure that both are equally rich in color or one will overwhelm the other. Even red and magenta looks good but white certainly helps to cool it down.”
Outdoor living and lush lawns
With the weather making its change to comfortably cool, your customers are sure to want to take advantage of their outdoor spaces more, and Henriksen says NALP noticed a rising interest in outdoor aspects like fire features and pergolas.
Fire pits are more casual and will cost less to build than fireplaces, but they lack any kind of vertical design element and there will be no way to control the smoke. Fireplaces not only serve as an eye-catching feature in a space, but they also create a romantic and more formal atmosphere.
Henriksen says pergolas, in particular, have gained popularity with customers, as they provide necessary shade for the yard and are also very appealing to the eye. Oftentimes confused with arbors, pergolas can extend from a building, protect open terraces or act as a connecting agent for buildings.
“The increase we are seeing in homeowners’ requests for pergolas is another example of how people are investing in their outdoor living spaces to create ‘staycation sanctuaries,’ add sizzle to outdoor entertaining and personalize their individual home environments,” Henriksen told the Associated Press (AP).
The final trend Henriksen says NALP has taken note of is customers expressing an interest in lawns that are both healthy and lush. According to BusinessWire, a recent national survey conducted by Engine’s CARAVAN Omnibus on behalf of NALP found that 77 percent of Americans report relaxing in their yards at least once a month.
Since fall is the ideal time to fertilize, overseed or interseed and aerate, now is the perfect time to either create or continue to maintain the lush, healthy lawn your customers crave.
