A personal and private outdoor space has become more important than ever. In 2020, and in the wake of pandemic-related lockdowns, those shopping for property suddenly began to seek homes with gardens, those that would allow them a safe and personal outside space within which to weather future lockdowns. This demand for garden spaces was sustained through the year and estate agents began to consider it an assured valuable asset.
Not only were potential homeowners seeking a natural space, one that allowed them to enjoy the outdoors without concerns of health or pandemic limitations, but many wanted to utilise the space in other ways too. Since residents were forced to spend a greater amount of time within their homes, they sought to maximise their home’s potential utility and space, which often led them to reconsider their garden.
As we look forward to the future of gardens, it seems that, within the space of a year, our preferences have changed. Because of their value, few are being left to overgrow with weeds or as a storage space for slowly rusting bicycles. Instead, homeowners are getting creative with their property’s external design and steering the future of garden design in wildly different ways.
Home Offices
One of the most newly common utilities of a garden is as a space for a home office. As more job roles are enabled to be remote, homeowners are seeking to build an extension or outbuilding, such as a log cabin, that allows them a private working space to perform their professional work.
Being separate from the home itself allows work to be kept at a distance from personal life, which, especially for those with other family members and children, is valuable.
Sustainable Spaces
Having a natural and wild space attached to a home is a great way to enact environmentally sustainable practices, many of which have become widely popular due to growing concerns of the climate crisis. Since one of the most significant impacts residents make upon the environment is food consumption and food waste, utilising garden spaces to mitigate this impact is a logical step.
As such, gardens are becoming increasingly used not solely as places of recreation but also as places for growing food and composting waste. Even gardens without exposed earth are able to host plant pots and vertical growers that allow small and large homes to grow fruit, vegetables, and spices for their home. And, as composting becomes more widely understood and accessible, residents are taking control of their own food waste and installing compost bins to minimise their home’s carbon footprint.
Wild Design
Extending from ethical concerns, many traditional gardening practices, such as extensive use of weed and pest killers, are disappearing. Instead of curating and controlling regimented flower beds, a greater number of homeowners are now trying low-impact gardening. This activity encourages growing a garden into its own natural eco-system, one that celebrates the natural wildlife of the area with minimal curation to ensure a positive and sustainable impact.
