Wednesday 20 February 2013

Garden trends 2013 and Zen garden

Here is my prediction for the garden trends of 2013, the last couple of years people have been trying to become more self sufficient with the rise in price for fresh produce due to the worlds banks being overzealous with our money causing the global economy to flat line, not helped by useless politicians claiming expenses for everything and cutting funding for everything but their own paychecks.
So back to my hypothesis, I can't see the economy improving in the next year, so the general publics cabbages patches will continue increase in numbers, and why shouldn't it? Growing your own fruit and veg is a great thing to do, it utilizes your outdoor space, its practical, you control what goes into your food, unlike certain supermarkets *cough cough Tesco*
Another trend that has been popular in the past few years is Japanese gardens, where people want to use there garden as a place to unwind and relax amongst maple trees, wind chimes, whites stones and pebbles, etc. I think that this style of garden will fail to increase in popularity this year, but not necessarily be forgotten.
I think the main trend for this year, flower wise, will belong to climbing plants and hanging baskets, or innovative ways to grow and add colour vertically. Unless this is done correctly, I can see a lot of people needing to get roof repairs, as the most popular climber is ivy and unless it is looked after and kept under control, it can cause leak in your ceiling and your wallet/purse.
One type of garden that has always been overlooked, and is a personal favourite of mine, is the Zen garden. It could be one of the most simplistic designs and the easiest to create, all you need to do is take a square of your garden, dig out a shallow base, maybe 1/2-1 inch deep, lay down weed control membrane over the chosen area (double up if you like), build a frame using 2×1 or 3×1 but it depends on the depth so that there is an approx. 1 inch lip to stop sand escaping, treat the wood with creosote or exterior wood paint, screw the ends together to make the square frame, fill the frame with sand, add in a few rocks and you've got your very own small Zen garden to relax by and doodle away in the sand.
If you are a business professional, you could even make a tiny one to keep on your desk at work to help with the day to day stresses of business. Below are a few examples of Zen gardens.

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Ben

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