Edmir Sokoli Shares His Top Eight Landscaping Design Tips for 2022
As winter comes to a close, gardeners are looking for ways to revitalize their land for the 2022 growing season. While the tried-and-true concepts still work, it is exciting to mix in new trends that will continue to provide a beautiful environment and enrich the experience of year-round living in your home. Edmir Sokoli, a landscaping expert from Bloomfield, New Jersey, shares his top eight landscaping tips for the new year, detailing how gardeners like you can easily update their outdoor space and create a welcoming oasis no matter the season.
Tropical Plants
Tropical plants have become an exciting trend in gardening. Many tropical and subtropical plants are hardier than they appear and can be maintained in cooler climates using mulching and plant cover in the off-season. Tropical flowers bring a lush atmosphere to any garden, giving homeowners and their guests the sense that they are escaping to a warmer locale. The vibrant colors and amazing foliage of tropical plants will provide a rich contrast to the ordinary plants of the northern regions. Some of the best options for a tropical atmosphere in your backyard are caladiums, Rose of Sharon, rose mallows, and cannas. Some varieties of hibiscus will grow in cooler climates as well.
Dark Foliage
Dark foliage has a new and exciting look in todays garden, where medium shades of green tend to dominate the view. A dark foliage background can allow your eye-catching floral colors to pop against a plain background. Some varieties of crape myrtle, like Center Stage Red, are known for their dark foliage. Heuchera, ninebark, smoke bush, and sweet potato vine are other excellent alternatives that are easy to grow and will look excellent all summer long.
Outdoor Garden Rooms
There is a strong trend toward bringing the indoors outside and getting family members and guests out to enjoy the lovely views of the garden. Enclosed pergolas, canopies, and other structures can give a focal point to a garden and make a place for people to gather. Growing these structures over with light vines makes them seem like they grew out of a fairy tale.
Climate Awareness
Though some gardeners are still in disbelief over the very real state of climate change in the United States, others have already observed changes in how their garden plants grow and react to the weather. Savvy gardeners understand the climate change trends in their local areas and adapt their garden plants accordingly.
For example, Edmir Sokoli reminds readers that firescaping is necessary for the West and other parts of the country where wildfires are common. Growers should choose drought-tolerant plantings which can retain water. They should avoid plants heavy in sap or resin. Stone paths can function as firebreaks. Space around the home can be an important last-chance defense against fire.
Edible Gardening
The edible gardening trend has been in force for quite some time, but urban and suburban gardeners are beginning to take advantage of more edible plants in their landscaping. Many landscaping arrangements easily accommodate berries, tomatoes, and leafy plants. Herbs are another favorite. Most of these plants are simple to grow and tolerate various conditions. Many gardeners have pleasant memories of being able to walk into the garden and pick their food when they were children, and it is beneficial to allow this for younger generations as well.
Balcony and Porch
Use More gardeners are expanding their plant growth onto their porches and balconies. Rather than staying with the simplest arrangements like pots of geraniums and decorative grass, porch, and balcony growers include vegetables, berries, exotics, and other eye-catching blooms near the home. Container gardening is an excellent pursuit for children or people who do not have the time to maintain outdoor gardens.
Wildlife Gardening
Many gardeners today are designing their outdoor spaces with wildlife habitats in mind. Growing plants like milkweed for monarch butterflies enables nature to foster beautiful wildlife close to home. Birds and small mammals also need protected browsing spots and nesting areas.
Encouraging Year-Round Enjoyment
Increasingly, gardeners are designing a year-round approach to using their outdoor space. They choose more plants that look attractive when their leaves are dry and choose more plants that come up earlier in the spring and sprout later in the fall. For areas with a great deal of snow, conifers and stone and brick structures provide visual interest.
Gardening in 2022
As most Americans are still spending more time at home than they had in years past due to the pandemic, gardening has become even more important as a creative outlet and as a means of expanding the available space for entertaining, solitary reflection, and childrens play. Edmir Sokoli looks forward to planning his gardens for the 2022 growing year and encourages all would-be gardeners to get an early start.
