Garden Design Trends 2023

After what has been for the most part a relatively mild winter, the snowdrops are now poking their heads above ground and daffodils are starting to appear in the shops. That can only mean spring is around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about what we’re going to do in and with our gardens this year.

Garden design trends are dictated by many things, and there are two stand-out influences at the moment. One of the biggest factors affecting the way people are looking at how they use their gardens this year is the hot summer we enjoyed or endured last year, depending on your tolerance for such extreme temperatures. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis continues to affect the way many of us are socialising and allocating limited funds.

Given these two important provisos, let’s take a look at what we think will be some of the major garden landscape design trends for 2023.

Climate-proof Gardening

All the experts are telling us that we need to adjust to the higher temperatures that come with climate change. If the record temperatures we saw last year are any guide, then that means we need to be looking at designing our gardens so that they are better able to withstand such heat.

How can that be achieved? Well, drought-resistant plants such as palms, ornamental grasses, euphorbia and verbena are all good choices, while you might also consider agapanthus, hardy geraniums and sedums. The RHS offers a comprehensive list of possibilities on its website.

Meanwhile, gravel gardens offer the perfect combination of low maintenance, good drainage and the potential for growing drought-tolerant plants. And don’t forget to make use of what rain we do get by collecting it in butts to be used for watering your gardens when things do start to run dry.

Outdoor living and socialising

Okay, so it might have got too hot to do much outside during the day, but the evenings were made for sitting out. And then there’s the rising cost of eating and drinking out. Setting up our gardens as places to spend more time socialising in, complete with comfy places to sit and eat, atmospheric lighting, outdoor kitchens and the means of protecting ourselves from a rogue shower without being driven indoors are all things people will be looking at adding to their outside spaces this year.

Cutting Flowers

We all love to have cut flowers brightening up our homes, but like so much else, they’re becoming a luxury fewer of us are able to afford. So why not grow flowering plants that can be used to create your own displays, whether it’s for your own home or to present to friends and family? Meanwhile, pressing and drying plants you’ve grown yourself makes for a great craft activity as well as being a stylish and decorative feature for your home. Speak to us about the sort of garden plants that might suit drying for display.

Rewilding & wildflower lawns

We should all be more aware of the need for attracting pollinators to our gardens, and one of the best ways of doing that is to let at least part of your garden go a bit wild. That can even include allowing space for things normally thought of as weeds to be pulled out, such as dandelions and nettles. Meanwhile, creating a wildflower lawn doesn’t just attract the right kinds of insects and other wildlife, it also means you can spend less time mowing and treating the grass and more time doing more enjoyable things.

Herb Gardens

The RHS reports that online searches for herbs were up 600% compared to the same period in 2021. They have so many benefits that it’s not hard to understand why they’re proving so popular these days. They’re generally easy to grow, many are hardy enough to withstand the more extreme temperatures and, of course, they’re a cheap and easy way of adding extra flavour to our home cooking.

Regenerative Gardening

Regenerative gardening is all about improving the soil to encourage biodiversity. With peat-based bagged compost set to be banned in the UK next year, the search for more environmentally-friendly alternatives is on. Growing comfrey and winter beans will allow you to create green manures that will fix plenty of vital nitrogen and other essential nutrients into your soil.

Whatever your plans for your garden in 2023, the team at Urban Landscape Design and Construction can help to transform your outdoor spaces in Cobham, Ascot, Esher, West London or Surrey. We do everything from designing and installing the hard landscape features that will make your garden better able to withstand the hotter summers, to outdoor living solutions and helping to choose and plant the right plants and flowers for your particular project.

Get in touch with us now to find out more.