Sustainability is central to garden design this summer

Whether it’s to boost health and wellbeing or to extend an interior for alfresco entertaining, households are increasingly making full use of their outdoor ‘rooms’ and populating whatever space is available with growing plants and foliage.

As now is the optimal time to freshen up these spaces and create an outdoor haven for the summer months, award-winning landscape horticulturist, stylist, landscape and interior designer, Adam Robinson, shares his thoughts on the top trends for Summer 2023 with tips on how to give a fresh new life to our gardens, balconies, and decks. 

Balcony and Terrace Gardens:

Post pandemic, as modern lifestyles seek to embrace all things natural, the trend for balcony gardens and terraces continues to rise. “With the emerging trend for container and vertical gardens, even the smallest spaces can be transformed,” says Adam. “A considered selection of pots and plants can immediately recharge a balcony, garden or courtyard.”

Pots don’t all have to be a uniform shape or finish as long as they complement each other when placed in a group. “The idea is to play with scale,” Adam says. “If you have a very small space, it’s better to have one really large pot with amazing foliage than lots of little pots with tiny plants. If your space is large, group pots together, small, medium, and large.”

“I like the highly textured Capi-Europe Rib pots because of their earthy, organic finish that gives them a very robust natural feel.”

Capi Europe outdoor pots are carefully crafted with a rib design for those looking to create a European inspired retreat outdoors. Their striking orange interiors feature a unique double-walled layer of insulation to protect the plant’s roots all year round, available in ivory and anthracite in 3 x sizes $81.98, $109, $165. 

Sustainable Gardens:

Alongside beautifully designed outdoor spaces and gorgeous potted plants, central to the emerging garden trends for Summer 2023 is sustainability. “People are becoming more aware of their environmental footprint and want to be as sustainable as possible,” says Adam.

“The sustainable garden will be designed to adapt to the changing climate, using organic soil mixes and fertilisers in the garden, while also making sure there are permeable surfaces to allow water to be able to soak into the soil or drain away.” 

As well as the emerging considerations for climate change, people are also becoming more mindful of their household purchasing habits. “If you have a container garden, make sure pots are made of organic materials that will eventually breakdown or made of recycled materials, like the elho pots, which are perfect for the eco-conscious gardener,” Adam says.

Dutch plant pot brand elho offers a range of high-quality, reasonably priced pots made with the environment in mind. Its Greenville self-watering plant pots show that modern design, functionality, and sustainable production can go hand in hand and the integrated water reservoir system ensures your plants won’t go thirsty in the warmer summer months. Available in concrete, white, black, and green in 5 x sizes, $22.48, $27.98, $43.98, $54.98 and $69.98. 

Gardens for wellbeing and mental health:

Whether passively enjoying the garden or actively tending to it, every type of garden; big or small, balcony or roof top, can offer a sense of peace and harmony, and creating a sanctuary for wellbeing and mental health is also a top trend for Summer 2023.

“Gardens are a sanctuary - a place for people to recharge and keep themselves feeling balanced and connected with a healthy sense of wellbeing,” says Adam. “When you bring plants into your living space, into your garden, onto your balcony or courtyard, you are inviting nature to be in your life and that can only be a good thing.”

Furthermore, a garden can be designed specifically to maximise this feel-good factor. Taking texture form, and a soothing colour palette into consideration, you can create a beautiful garden that not only inspires and engages but relieves some of the everyday stresses of life.

“Grow a variety of potted plants for texture and form,” says Adam. “Introducing focal points that grab the attention can create an emotional connection with the garden.” 

Garden colour trends 2023:

“While calming green naturally occurs in the garden, soft lilac or lavender is also well known for its soothing effect and is having a real moment this season,” says Adam. “All shades of green especially dark olive and jewel tones and the perfect mid-tone blue are popular.”

Soft peach and salmon to sienna and topaz, caramel, sandy hues are all gaining popularity. I love the trend of earthy textural pots and smooth plastic pots that are now available in neutral colours and shades of verdant green. The range of outdoor pots from Capi-Europe and elho offer warm and welcoming shades to complement any garden arrangement and connect to their natural surrounds.” 

Adam Robinson shares some simple tips on how to refresh your outdoor space this summer, which both your plants and wellbeing will be thankful for:

• Help restore your garden beds’ aesthetic appeal and refresh your mulch, it acts as a fertiliser, keeps pests at bay and helps your plants thrive. 

• Declutter your space, clutter can be the enemy of mental health and a well-designed and healthy garden can help you feel at peace in your surroundings. 

• Repot your plants so they don’t get root bound, tease out and trim the roots before repotting into existing pots, or you can upgrade your pots to the new sustainable Capi-Europe lightweight and fracture resistant planters. Select larger size pots to give your plants more room to keep growing. 

• Liven up your space! Refresh your furniture with some new colourful scatter cushions or paint a feature wall a bold or subtle colour, whatever suits your personality.

• Get some beautiful hurricane lights or portable, rechargeable outdoor lanterns to further enhance the ambience of your garden 

• Set space aside for growing food, there is nothing more satisfying than harvesting and eating something you’ve grown in your own garden. 

• Switch placement of your outdoor furniture into a new configuration, change is always good! 

“Nature brings with it so many benefits for your health and wellbeing – it brings lifeforce into your surrounds,” says Adam.

Capi-Europe and elho’s range of sustainably manufactured indoor and outdoor pots are available from Bunnings stores nationally and online.

To see the full range visit Capi-Europe and elho.