American homeowners don’t want to limit themselves to the four walls of their homes when it comes to defining their living space, and the results of the 2013 Residential Landscape Architects Trends survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects support this idea.
Homeowners want to enjoy their yards, and having a space that is easy to maintain and sustainable is important to them.
What’s hot in backyard spaces for 2013? Think water features – Ornamental pools, waterfalls and splash pools are expected to be in demand (90.9 percent). Spas (81.5 percent) and pools (75.3 percent) will also be popular.
Patios, decks, and terraces (97.6 percent) also placed high on people’s wish lists. Fencing (89.6 percent) is an important part of an outdoor design, and ornamental water features (84.2 percent) also ranked very well in the survey.
While U.S. homeowners like spending time in their yards, they don’t necessarily want to end up with a high percentage of their time on maintenance. Over 93 percent of respondents said that low-maintenance was an important feature in their gardens.
Organic gardening is becoming slightly more popular with 65.3 percent of respondents they used this method as opposed to 61.2 in 2011.
It makes sense to extend the living space in a home by making the backyard and patio area attractive and inviting. Fire pits and fireplaces were listed as somewhat or very in demand by 97 percent of respondents, which means outdoor entertaining can be extended into cooler months.
Image Credit: By Now is (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
With the increase of mosquitoes with West Nile virus, I’m surprised that so many people want water features, which naturally attracts bugs and other wildlife. Not for me, thanks! I also think its not eco friendly as they are a waste of water resources.