In the world of garden design what will be trending for 2018?

February: the perfect time to look at garden trends for 2018. Garden design is keeping up with interior design these days. Trends are moving towards more lifestyle-based use of outdoor spaces rather than gardening in the more traditional sense. In other words, there’s increasingly less emphasis on cultivating and more on enjoying the outdoors as an extension of the house. Consequently, the two main trend areas will be relaxing and entertaining, and health and wellbeing.

Relaxation and entertainment

Relaxing and entertaining outdoors is nothing new, but garden furniture is now big business. Gone are the days of a green plastic oval table on the patio. Designers and manufacturers are producing high-quality outdoor furnishings for comfort and style. Along with a rise in outdoor kitchens, we’ll see a boom in outdoor dining rooms, bespoke solutions for elegant dining, and multipurpose and affordable ranges from the big “Scandi-style” furniture stores.

Health and wellbeing

We all feel the benefit of fresh air and exercise. This will be another of the garden trends for 2018. Furthermore, gardening is a well-known tonic for our physical and mental health.

Yet this year we’ll see a new twist on “grow your own” for healthy eating. Herbs, super foods, edible flowers, baby vegetables and herbal teas will become more popular. Garden centres and suppliers are producing neat systems for growing your own produce on a small scale without the need for a huge plot and a big time commitment.

Taking the lead from the advances in horticultural science, hydroponic and vertical growing systems are compact. Use them indoors on your kitchen windowsill or in an outdoor shed or small greenhouse to produce fast-growing, vitamin-packed salads and herbs all year round. You don’t even need to get your hands dirty! These hi-tech systems involve crops growing without soil or compost. Instead their roots grow in a flow of water and nutrients specially tailored to maximise yield, taste and nutrient value. A special blend of coloured LED lighting provides the ideal “light recipe”’ for each crop to enhance growth. Compact integrated units are widely available in a range of sizes. They can be used to grow a range of salads and speciality veg, so look out for new seed ranges for funky veg, oriental salads, edible flowers and herb mixes to grow and dry your own tisanes.

If you like your daily exercise how about a “green gym”. If digging isn’t your thing,you can still get fit outdoors by installing some exercise equipment. Becoming ever more popular in parks and public spaces (“calisthenics areas”), we can tailor these innovative structures to suit small-scale gardens. Your daily routine can be carried out right outside your back door without any expensive gym subscriptions.