These are the biggest landscaping trends for outdoor living spaces

What’s happening in the world of landscaping?

To find out, we turned to not one, but three of our Rosie on the House Certified Partners to get the lowdown on landscaping trends. We talked with Aaron Merkow from Core Landscape, LLC in Gilbert, Chris Welborn from Vicente Landscaping in Prescott and Mark Wentland from CYC Landscaping in Mesa.

Each of these landscaping professionals has a slightly different take on landscape trends, including some similarities as well. All three agree that since the pandemic, their calendars are filling up with people wanting to improve their outdoor spaces. Staying at home longer than usual has folks looking at their outdoor living spaces and wanting to improve them. Landscapers felt that this has contributed to landscaping work both in the valley and the high country.

Water Conservation

Perhaps the most common trend revolves around water conservation. Folks are becoming more conscious of conserving this precious resource. The recent drought has opened our collective eyes. The images of Lake Powell and Lake Mead have prompted customers to ask for a new level of sophistication in water management. The management of our landscaping extends beyond watering. Aaron mentioned that several clients are tearing out old landscaping and replacing it with low-water-use plants. Planting close to each other has given way to spreading plants further apart and using fewer plantings. Chris and Aaron agree they have torn out more turf this past year and replaced it with synthetic turf or pavers. Synthetic grass allows rainwater to seep through the fabric base, known as permeability, allowing normal percolation to continue. Mark commented they have done more grading projects to control runoff and repairs due to the dry weather, particularly where the ground has settled, thus preventing water from gathering around a home’s foundation. Grading projects involve stormwater control, directing surface water away from the home’s foundation. This creates a way to capture rainwater and retain it on-site to augment lower municipal water consumption. That saves dollars as well as water, which is a win-win situation.

New Technology

Chris, Mark, and Aaron agree that new technology has contributed to their workload. Chris mentioned that high-tech programable controllers can be controlled from a phone via an app. A smart irrigation controller allows the homeowner to turn on or off the valves if it’s raining to control the amount of water used. Mark said his company installs this type of technology fairly consistently, as the technology has improved over the last several years. All three agree that their clients are asking for this type of “smart” technology, and several are expecting it. This has changed over the past few years. Chris mentioned that some controllers can access the weather forecast via satellite and set the water consumption accordingly. Hunter Irrigation manufactures a product called, Hydrawise, that communicates with satellites. All three of our partners provide this level of service.

Hard Surfaces

Pavers have become a popular choice for hard surfaces. Aaron mentioned that the cost of pavers currently rivals the cost of concrete. Pavers offer a variety of colors and patterns that concrete does not and are a good choice for driveway replacement and driveways on new home construction. Chris tells us that paver choices have changed. The larger format pavers, 18′ x 18′ and larger, are currently very popular. Not only are there more choices in the size of pavers, but surface textures also come with more choices. Pavers are not just made of concrete anymore. Another popular option for hard surfaces is porcelain pavers. These offer the texture and color change their clients are seeking. Aaron cautions that porcelain pavers are too brittle for driveways but are wildly popular in other outdoor living spaces.

Upgrading the Patio

We mentioned the pandemic. With folks staying at home for longer periods, they realized how much their lives can be enriched by creating and improving the outdoor spaces around their homes. They want more than just a covered patio, according to Chris. These spaces can include outdoor kitchens and entertainment spaces. Mark mentioned that his company’s clients expect outdoor living comfort when they purchase a new or existing home. Outdoor living is popular across the valley floor, which we get. Chris says in Prescott, it is one of the major requests. All three landscapers agree that these spaces have gone beyond the BBQ space and covered patio. The kitchens are full-service, complete with cooking, cleaning, warming, cooling, and storage facilities. The entertainment spaces typically include a large-screen TV and sound systems appointed with comfortable furniture. Mark mentioned that he has noticed more calls for misting systems, too.

Lighting Lighting the outdoors is also on the list of trends. Now that LED lights are the mainstay of outdoor lighting, many options are available. Mark noted that a larger percentage of the outdoor area has lighting. All agree that lighting options are part of the reason for the increase in popularity. Different colors for a variety of ambiances are programable and used to set the tone for watching a movie or entertaining guests in the outdoor kitchen. The same smart controllers we talked about for irrigation systems are available for lighting systems.

Choices, Choices, Choices

The big takeaways on landscape trends could be summed up with an increased nod to technological advances, water savings, large outdoor living spaces, and pavers. Pavers are huge, and Aaron says the supply chain is improving, thus making all these trends more likely to happen in a reasonable amount of time.

Let us know about the trends you are incorporating in your outdoor spaces!

Join Rosie on the House every Saturday morning from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. on KTAR News 92.3. If you’d like to send us questions or comments, email info@rosieonthehouse.com. Follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook. For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert since 1988, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program. Call 888-767-4348 with questions & comments.