Not sure how confident I am predicting trends for 2014 this early in the year however I was forwarded a link to a blog post by Karan Barrett from the site The Gardening Magazine who clearly has no such qualms so I’m going to borrow some of her thoughts.

Its an interesting collections of trends and facts from the US leading to the conclusion that the DIY approach to gardening will continue to grow this year. Not just people growing their own food but also berries and hops for brewing and a greater reliance on recycling food scraps. In addition  there is a growing public awareness of the climactic benefit of green spaces to urban environments, something landscape architects have known for a while. And not only are the benefits of trees emotional and environmental but economic as well. Apparently shoppers spend 12% more on tree lined streets, amazing.

At our end we’re finding this trend towards involvement in the landscape coming through in client briefs. Most people want a degree of involvement in their landscape construction. While I think this attitude is laudable, a word of caution to those who have never done it ( ie landscaping ). Its hard work. I think people see soft plants and think ‘how hard can that be?’ Well, when you add in the soil, holes to be dug and mulch to be laid it can add up. I’m not saying don't get involved in your landscape design or construction just do it with your eyes wide open. Happy digging