So the weather this year has been rather unpredictable (of course) and most probably will remain that way for the rest of the year! The design office has a few projects on the go currently, but it’s difficult to know what will be the big ‘thing’ of 2013 garden design and builds… However, we have been having a think, and here are a few predictions…

Bees love this plant!

1). Pollinator friendly planting – a rise in bee-keeping, especially around London, means more competition for pollen. We have always used flowering shrubs and trees in our landscaping designs, and would love for the ‘boring’ evergreen to come back into fashion again! We also predict that the publicity of the Olympic Park last year will encourage people to reproduce a naturalistic pollinator friendly flowering scheme in domestic gardens. We have already prepared two wildflower meadows for clients this year.

Emerald greens will be in fashion this year...

2). Low maintenance planting is still big on most clients wish lists. Time is short, and families want to enjoy their gardens, more than they would like to spend time maintaining them. ‘Emerald Green‘ is predicted to be one of ‘the’ fashionable colours of 2013, which is fantastic, as most low maintenance evergreens are made up almost entirely of emerald green foliage…

Emerald green and edible...

3). The inclusion of edibles amongst border planting, berry bushes, vines, ornamental fruit trees, edible hedges such as hawthorn, elder and hazel, and herb gardens. The sowing and growing of herbs is growing in popularity thanks to James Wong and his tv series ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ – showing how gardens in the UK are home to ingredients for many home-made medicinal products as well as plenty of interesting edible produce.

Millhouse Landscapes recent contemporary garden In Otford

4). ‘Blast of colour’ – garden owners in Britain are getting braver with strong accents of colour and creativity in the garden. Try painting a feature wall with a bright masonry paint such as Dulux or Sandtex, or consider a ‘trompe l’oeil’ painting . Trompe l’oeil is the art of mural painting to give the illusion of a larger space. It’s been going on since Roman times, but could we see a contemporary version of it back for this year?

Humour in the garden - big for 2013?

5). Humour! With the increase in creativity, thanks to designers like Diamuid Gavin, quirky features and characters could play a part in our gardens this year!