Outdoor living space
Pollenating plants
Ticks
Gone are the days where you see a huge focus on various beautifully-coloured gardens because, let’s face it, no one has time to maintain that kind of landscape. What people do want, in particular the younger generations, is an outdoor living area, a comfortable place they can enjoy. What does that entail? Sometimes it means patio stones and patio furniture, other times it can mean a space that looks beautiful, but also functions as a safe outdoor space. “When you walk through any store, whether it be Home Hardware or Kent, you see these unique outdoor furniture pieces and lighting fixtures, and sometimes that is what the entire outdoor space centres around,” explains Brubacher. Outdoor chandeliers are a huge landscape feature right now. It’s still landscaping, but it is also an extension of the home. Light fixtures, patio lights, in particular Edison bulbs, are incredibly popular right now because they allow people to enjoy their outdoor space both day and night. Brubacher says, in the same vein, many people try to create a four-season garden or landscape that they can enjoy all year long.
As people are becoming more environmentally conscious, so are their planting choices for landscapes. Brubacher says people are returning to more heritage plants, original versions of plants that allow insects, like the bee, to pollenate. “Over time, growers cultivated plants for so long that they no longer smelled or didn’t create pollen. A fine example would be the Double Petunia, it had so many petals that insects couldn’t get to its centre.” These plants are becoming more simplified, allowing for pollenation. At the same time, people who are landscaping with trees and larger plants are reverting back to native plants and trees like the Acadian Maples instead of European trees and plants.
Reality has set in and people are very aware of the dangers of ticks. It’s gotten to the point where most people fear going outside with their families for fear of getting a tick bite. Landscapers have been consciously taking this into consideration when designing landscapes, and Brubacher says although it is still a new trend, it is something that is heavy on the minds of landscapers. With that in mind, many local landscapes are incorporating a safe outdoor environment for children and pets. What does that include? Well it is still evolving and there are no hard and fast rules, but Brubacher says it can entail cleaning up tree lines, rodent control, better garden and lawn maintenance with no tall grass and no leafy debris, and hard and dry surfaces for a perimeter incorporating things like Pea Gravel. “And as we learn more, these trends will continue to evolve.”
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ah! Summer 2018
The North Shore