What are the most popular landscape-related projects for homeowners this year? The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently posed that very question to nearly 600 professional landscape architects.
But the ASLA survey wasn’t asking what types of projects most interested the architects. They wanted to know about the kinds of projects that are most popular with the architects’ clients: homeowners just like you.
It turns out that the most popular projects revolve around making homes more enjoyable and more environmentally friendly. Ranked in order of popularity, these are the most in-demand landscaping projects for 2015:
- Native Plants: More and more homeowners are installing native plants in their landscapes. It certainly makes sense. After all, nothing will do better in your landscape than a plant that was intended to be there by Mother Nature.
- Drought-Tolerant Plants: A push toward more drought-tolerant plants is gaining massive momentum in some parts of the country – particularly in drought-stricken areas such as California.
- Food-Producing Plants: Why grow plants just to look at, when you can have your beauty and eat it, too? More homeowners are including plants that produce food in their landscape designs, both in dedicated garden plots and integrated throughout the landscape. There’s nothing like a salad fresh-picked right out of your own landscape!
- Outdoor Fire Pits: There’s a big move toward making landscapes more of an entertainment center than just something pretty to look at. And just like installing landscape lighting, adding a fire pit is a great way to spend more fun time entertaining out-of-doors.
- Low-Maintenance Landscapes: Who wants to spend all their spare time working on their lawns and landscapes? Not many! That’s why more homeowners are installing plants, facilities, and systems that keep maintenance efforts to a minimum. (That’s partly why our Hydrawise system is so popular.)
- Permeable Paving: Permeable paving allows rainwater to drain naturally, even through a paved surface such as a patio or walkway. That benefits the environment by minimizing the runoff that must be carried away unnaturally through sewer systems. And the filtering effect of the materials used in permeable paving also helps to reduce the amount of pollutants that end up in groundwater.
- Water-Efficient Irrigation: Moving toward more efficient irrigation systems is big everywhere, not just in drought-plagued regions like California. Because more efficient irrigation isn’t just about conserving water. It’s also about keeping landscapes healthier by giving plants exactly the amount of water they need – no more, and no less.
As an example, our Hydrawise smart irrigation controllers can slash water usage in half, and improve the health of your landscape. And with less effort on your part. (Reference #5 above!)
- Rain Gardens: A rain garden – just like permeable paving – is another great way to reduce the environmental damage caused by excessive rainwater runoff.
- Landscape Lighting: Perennially in the top-ten of most popular landscape projects, lighting continues to offer homeowners an impressive package of benefits. That’s because landscape lighting certainly makes your home more aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable. But it also helps to make your family safer. And that’s a combo of benefits that’s hard to beat.
- Rainwater Harvesting: There’s a growing awareness among homeowners about the environmental damage that’s associated with rainwater runoff. And that’s part of the reason that more homeowners are interested in systems that capture and store rainwater for irrigation purposes.
So THAT’S Why Our Phones Keep Ringing…
According to the ASLA survey, two of the services we provide at TLC Inc. are among the most highly in-demand. Landscape lighting was in the top 3 of the most popular outdoor design elements. And water-efficient irrigation ranked with permeable paving and drought-tolerant plants as the most popular landscaping elements that work to increase the sustainability of a property.
That explains why our waiting list stays long for landscape lighting and Hydrawise installations. And that’s good, because we like staying busy. Especially when our services are among the 10 most popular among homeowners – as this year’s ASLA survey shows.