Landscaping trends: What's hot?

Fashion trends come and go. One year, lapels are wide, the next, they're narrow. That happens in landscape gardening and design, too.

So, what are the hot fashion trends coming to a yard near you?

The Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado polled its 700 members to compile a forecast of garden trends. We supplemented that list with observations and ideas from garden designer Debbie Stavish, a local ALCC member.

1. Cool colors are in.

Blue, purple, pink and white blossoms have shouldered out the yellows, oranges and reds.

John Rettig, Timberline Landscaping's maintenance manager, has seen trends come and go during his 16 years in the business.

"It happens every four or five years," Rettig said. "I deal with a lot of commercial properties, and they want the most bang for their buck, but they want change, too. They don't want marigolds with red petunias every year, even though they work really well."

This year, his crews are planting purple petunias, blue salvia and blue mist spiraea. He recommends marguerite, a type of chrysanthemum, for anyone wanting white flowers.

Advances in hybrids have widened the choices for homeowners. Five or six years ago, you wouldn't want to plant a blue petunia because they just didn't perform as well as the reds and whites," he said. "But now, they have a better hybrid and we're getting better performance out of the blues and the purples."

2. Less is more in landscape color, with flowers grouped to conserve water.

"Everybody's saying, ‘I still want to get some color,' but we're converting big, mass annual beds to 60 percent or 70 percent perennials and some shrubbery, and just having little flower areas now," Rettig said.

He advised homeowners to cluster plants near driveways, porches and patios to catch visitors' eyes. Columbines and daylilies work well, as do ornamental grasses.

"I just love the grasses, they're awesome here," he said.

3. Foliage is the new fashion statement.

Nonblooming plants, with blades and leaves of varied colors, shapes and textures, are no longer the wallflowers of the garden.

Rettig recommends sages, salvias and redtwig dogwoods, which provide color in the winter. Hostas, also known as plantain lilies, are another good choice for their heart-shaped, shiny leaves.

4. Transplants are here to stay.

Homeowners want to re-create the Asian gardens and English estates they've seen on travels, but Colorado's climate may be hard on plants accustomed to cooler, wetter settings.

One resource for advice is Plant Select, which is administered by the Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University with input from horticulturalists and nurseries throughout the region. Homeowners can check www.plantselect.org to find out what's best for their yards.

Rettig said that Timberline Landscaping's clients tend to mix styles, with benches and water features in shady spots for Asian-inspired contemplation, native plants in sunny areas and linear rosebeds for the English touch.

5. Bring the indoors out.

Debbie Stavish's designs for Keller Homes' La Bellezza developments in Peregrine and Pine Creek feature Tuscan-inspired courtyards with fountains, terra cotta flowerpots and comfortable chairs.

Stavish predicted that the desire for an oasis will keep booming as gas prices keep rising.

"The economy is causing people to stay home and create their own vacation right on the patio," she said.

6. Throw veggies in the mix.

More people are growing their food, whether it's vegetables planted right outside the kitchen or herbs in a window box.

"If you've done it with kids, it's even more amazing. They can go out, pick a tomato and pop it right in their mouth," Stavish said.

7. Think sustainable.

Designers, gardeners and landscapers are playing larger parts in environmental responsibility. That can be as basic as a garden center switching from hard plastic containers to biodegradable ones. The ALCC just initiated a pot reuse program, but Stavish has been recycling them back to suppliers for a while.

"It's costing me some extra time, but you know, I think it needs to be done," she said.

Naturally, sustainability includes xeriscaping.

"If people want me to put in a ton of turf on a design, I just say, ‘You've got to go to someone else.' Colorado is not in that place anymore, where we can handle putting out lots of water for grass."

She also advised researching or asking a professional about chemical-free ways of keeping out pests - even deer.