Top Five Landscaping Trends in South Central PA for 2021

2020 was a huge year for the landscaping industry. Being stuck inside and at home during the COVID pandemic gave everyone around the country and here in South Central PA a new perspective on their surroundings and new forms of entertainment.

Many of us started new hobbies such as crafting and gardening while others created staycations in our own backyards. We created office spaces in our living rooms, classrooms in our kitchens and made our outside spaces into extensions of our homes.

Many of these trends continue to exist through 2021, bringing the outdoors inside and the inside to the outdoors. Here is a list of this year’s five hottest landscaping trends to get you motivated and started on your own property.

tri-level garden landscaping

Gardening

Gardening was listed as one of the top new hobbies picked during the pandemic, with new gardeners joining more seasoned gardeners in everything from growing our own food to planting flowers, trees, and shrubs. Over 20 million new gardeners joined this hobby in 2020, and this trend has not waivered. This year, gardeners are adding easy-to-grow flowers such as sunflowers, marigolds, impatiens, and snapdragons. According to Better Homes and Gardens, bold, bright, tropical plants are also a big trend livening the mood and brightening homes everywhere. 

Other gardening trends include growing your own edibles in small spaces. Last year, everyone was developing their own vegetables. An increase in home cooking and concern regarding food scarcity caused more people to start their own kitchen gardens. This year, people realize you don’t have to have a lot of space to do so. You can make use of small spaces by growing herbs and vegetables vertically, through the use of vertical gardening (which we talk about more later,) and within existing ornamental beds and borders.

Vertical Gardening

As mentioned above, this involves growing plants on vertically suspended panels either freestanding or attached to a wall. Through the use of hydroponics, it provides the pop of color a small apartment, condo, or house needs and allows one to grow plants and vegetables when confined to small spaces. Another trend in vertical gardening is green walls. Some are walls covered with climbing plants while others involve a panel that allows plants to grow inside.

Creating Outdoor Living Spaces

In an effort to bring the indoors outside, many people are creating extra space by utilizing their outdoor areas. The addition of living rooms, play areas, and kitchens outside have become a popular trend in the last year. Here in South Central PA, where we experience cold winters, we are seeing an uptake in the installation of outdoor heaters, overhead awnings, firepits, screened-in porches, and pergolas to help extend the outdoor season.

Outdoor Firepits

Now a necessity for your landscape is the outdoor firepit. Not only is a firepit great at whipping together mouthwatering s’mores, but a backyard firepit provides a central point for entertaining and camaraderie. Nowadays firepits come in all shapes, sizes, and styles and can be customized to fit the unique personality of your family. And like the outdoor living room, fire pits offer an extended outdoor season for our South Central PA cooler falls and colder winters. 

built in fire pit with chairs around it

Pollinator Gardens

More and more people are becoming aware of the role pollinators play in society and are deciding to use plants that attract pollinators and changing their outdoor spaces into native habitats. More homes are utilizing birdfeeders, bat houses, and butterfly shelters to help attract pollinators to their yard.

Tired of mowing your lawn and hand-pulling those weeds? The latest trend is to forego the clean, well-manicured look for a more natural feel, including planting in clumps rather than in single plants and using plants native to the South Central PA area. Of course, check with your local township, or association first to ensure there aren’t rules against this kind of landscape.

For All Your Landscaping Needs, Call Showcase Lawn Works

Now that we’ve described the five hottest new landscaping trends for you, allow Showcase Lawn Works to help upgrade your South Central PA area landscape. Showcase Lawn Works specializes in custom landscape design. We partner with you directly and offer customized, personalized solutions.

We can help you with your gardening, planting, pruning, and trimming of trees, installing shrubs and plants for pollinators, vertical gardening, and more. Just give us a call at 717-354-3226 or contact us here to learn more.

We also offer a highly effective lawn care programtree and shrub care, pest control, flea & tick control, mosquito control, aeration and overseeding, debris clean up, mowing, and a variety of other services. Learn more or contact us now.

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