Your yard is likely the last thing on your mind during the winter season, but once warmer weather approaches, it’s a matter of time before you find yourself back outside. Whether you love the thought of personalizing your yard with colorful flowers or are looking for ways to spend more time in your backyard, here are the top projected landscaping trends of 2024.

• Jeremy Yamaguchi is the CEO of Lawn Love.
• Dan Bailey is the President of WikiLawn Austin Lawn Care.
• Ryan Farley is the CEO of Lawn Starter.

Sustainable Landscaping

Sustainable living is on the rise, and according to Jeremy Yamaguchi, the CEO of Law Love, sustainability within landscaping is going to be the “#1 trend in 2024.” Though Yamaguchi says this method takes various forms–his favorite being a Mediterranean garden–reducing waste and keeping resources down to a minimum remains the focus.

“These gardens are meant to be ones that embrace a person’s native summer climate, rather than try to facilitate different conditions. This means growing plants native to the area and season, rather than growing plants that are found elsewhere or need way more watering, shade, cooler temperatures, etc., than what naturally occurs.”

Outdoor Living Areas

If you’re an outdoors person or someone who loves the warmer weather for entertaining, then you’re going to adore this trend. One of the expected top landscaping trends for 2024 is using your outdoor space for creating an inviting and relaxing living area. Think beyond the patio or propping open an outdoor dining table; we’re talking curating a space for lounging and hosting with outdoor kitchens, a fire pit, or gazebo. Not only does this allow you to get more use out of your yard year-round, but it invites another opportunity to showcase your personality and style with fixtures and furniture colors.

Low-Maintenance Plants

Tended gardens are another top landscaping trends this year, but with a helpful twist. Say goodbye to gardens that require so much of your time and hello to gardens with low-maintenance plants. By planting options like evergreen shrubs or ornamental grass, your exterior will still see the charm and appeal with colors without so much maintenance requirements. You’ll appreciate the extra time you’ll have on your hands with these plants since they both don’t require regular pruning.

Planting Edimentals

Speaking of plants, edimentals are finding their place in landscaping this year and we can see why. These plants decorate your yard with their ornamental appeal while remaining low-maintenance and bringing fresh produce to your own yard (think plants such as herbs or vegetables like kale, cabbage, and asparagus).

On top of their edibility, elementals are less maintenance than other vegetables and don’t require sowing every year or a large portion of your yard to grow. Plus, with their deep roots, they’re considered to be drought-tolerant, which means they can handle dry spells. If you’re looking for ways to experiment with your green thumb this year, add edimentals to your list as a sustainable way to grow a beautiful garden you can incorporate into your meals.

Using What You Have

Along the same lines of sustainability, a rising trend this year when it comes to landscaping is using your current yard without making major adjustments. Instead of hiring professionals to reconfigure your space with excavating, landscaping this year is all about utilizing your current topography to transform it into something new. Not only does this preserve your home’s natural environment, it keeps costs down since you’re not paying a hefty expense for land prep.

Smart Technology

If you haven’t noticed, innovation is a big component to landscaping trends in 2024, so it makes sense that smart technology is on the list as well. With tools like wifi enabled outdoor lights, remote-controlled lawn mowers, and apps that connect to your outdoor essentials for operations, tending your yard is easier now than ever. What’s even better is that this smart technology prioritizes maximizing the efficiency of your backyard by conserving more energy without decreasing in aesthetics.

Eco Lawns

Eco lawns go hand in hand with smart technology that Dan Bailey, President of WikiLawn Austin Lawn Care, says is becoming more common. “Eco lawns utilize clovers, herbaceous plants, and more drought-tolerant plants instead of grass. To make their maintenance even easier, homeowners use smart technology like a sprinkler system connected to a smartphone app. This helps homeowners conserve water usage.”

Another plus to eco lawns is their decreased need for mowing. Eco lawns need to be mowed every two to three weeks with most of the work going into the establishment. The best way to get started growing your eco lawn is to wait until your old yard is dead before mowing it to its shortest point, then raking to plant your seeds.

Colors, Colors, Colors

Some trends predict that moody plant colors will be on this rise year while others contradict that by saying bold colors is all the craze. We’re here to say that both have their place in landscaping trends since colors are used to complement your entire exterior. We love the deep purple of dark foliage for a moody, dramatic effect to your garden while the bolder, more vibrant colors add brighter texture to your outdoor area.

Attracting Pollinators

Want to see more life around your home this year? Ryan Farley, the CEO of Lawn Starter, says attracting pollinators is key for landscaping trends in 2024″Because a lot of pollinators around the world, such as monarch butterflies and bees, are running into more and more threats, gardeners are curating their yards for them. By filling their yards with milkweed, butterfly weed, and borage, they create a kind of safe haven for various pollinators.”

Using Vertical Space

If space is an issue around your home, turn to vertical space. Utilizing items such as trellises or vertical planters allows you to have the design and beauty of a garden without consuming too much ground space. Instead, living walls or trellises allow you to extend the color upward for a unique yard visual thanks to a switch in placement.