After a summer spent traveling, we’re back with a report on the best trends in garden design—indoors and out—for fall 2016. From stylish Parisian compost bins to dining rooms wallpapered with climbing vines, here are 10 of our favorite ideas:
A Touch of Pink
Above: Photograph by Dario Fusaro courtesy of Cristiana Ruspa.
To brighten a border, add a touch of blush that requires very little water to stay pink for months. For more of this trend, see Pink Grasses: 11 Ideas for Muhlenbergia in a Landscape.
Anthuriums
Above: Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
We’ve seeing a sudden surge of red anthuriums with waxy, spade-shaped leaves in floral arrangements. Native to warm climates from Hawaii to Mexico to the Caribbean, anthuriums also come in shades of green, pink, and white (our favorite—and the color we’re predicting you’ll start to see more of in the coming months). Stay tuned for our Bouquet of the Week post on Wednesday.
Indoor Vines
Above: Are indoor vines the new wallpaper? With sufficient sunlight and adequate irrigation, creeping fig will make itself at home in any room. See more in our recent post, Architect Visit: A Dining Room Wallpapers with Climbing Vines in Brooklyn.
Paper Flowers
Above: Photograph by Ngoc Minh Ngo courtesy of Rizzoli.
Artist Livia Cetti’s hand-dyed tissue paper flowers are for sale at John Derian and from her studio, The Green Vase. To see how she lives with them in her home in the Bronx, see Required Reading: In Bloom by Ncog Mih Ngo.
Cloud Pruning
Above: We can thank topiary Jake Hobson of Niwaki for popularizing the Japanese technique of shaping trees and shrubs into pillowy clouds. A wide selection of specialty shears, loppers, snips, and saws is available from Niwaki if you want to try your hand. Or mature, cloud-pruned trees ready to transplant (including the 8-foot Cupressus arizonica specimens above) are available for prices starting at £1,200 from Niwaki Tree Nursery.
Paper Bag Planters
Above: To be filed under reuse, reclaim, and recycle. Washable paper bag planters “feel like leather, wash like a fabric, and flatten for easy storage, so they are ready to be used again and again.” Uashmama Paper Bags come in three sizes at prices starting at £10.50 from The Future Kept.
Slot Fountains
Above: Photograph courtesy of PWP Landscape Architecture and Dan Euser Waterarchitecture.
With sleek, nearly invisible profile, a slot fountain puts the visual emphasis on the spray of water (where it should be) instead of the plumbing. For one of our favorite city gardens with a slot fountain, see Steal This Look: An Outdoor Kitchen Hidden from the Neighbors on Lombard Start.
Weeds You Can Eat
Above: We’ve been rethinking our definition of “delicious” as our resident forager, cookbook author Marie Viljoen introduces us a new (and delicious) weed every month. Stay tuned for her purslane recipes later this week. Meanwhile, catch up with the other weeds on her dinner menu, including Pokeweed, Wild Amaranth, and Dandelions.
Polished Brass Planters
Above: We’re admiring the golden glow from Polished Brass Planters and shiny plant saucers and Polished Flowerpots (shown above, from Skultuna).
Natural Swimming Pools
Above: Photograph by Jeremy and Sarah Murch, courtesy of Ensata.
Popular for decades in Europe, chemical-free natural swimming pools finally are coming to America. See how a garden can filter the water without chlorine in our recent posts, Architect Visit: A Natural Swimming Pool and Passive House in New York’s Hudson Valley and Water World: Natural Swimming Pools, Lily Pads Included.
For more of our favorite trends in garden design, see 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Superstar Dutch Designer Piet Oudolf and On the Street: 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Paris.
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