You’ve probably noticed it already. Your neighbors are spending more time in the garden.
You see that bit of bare area where the old fence was? It is now a fully equipped outdoor kitchen. The cramped patio? It’s been turned into something that might belong in a design magazine.
You are looking at the largest change in landscaping in decades, and it’s happening on your doorstep in Hertfordshire.
The numbers tell the story.
UK homes spent £13.2 billion on garden improvements in 2023 alone. More tellingly, more than 64% of that spending was not a matter of simple maintenance but redesign on a major scale.
There are countless trends when it comes to landscaping your garden. Here are the 5 most popular Hertfordshire landscaping trends.
Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Landscaping
Coincidentally both St Albans and Harpenden rainwater harvesting is taking giant leaps towards being a normal household installation in Hertfordshire in 2025 with rain water harvesting systems.
These aren’t the kind of basic water butts your grandparents had. Today’s systems capture, filter and circulate the rain that visits our gardens through automated technology overlay our gardens, and can irrigate your whole garden to provide huge savings on your water bill!
Reclaimed materials are having their own moment too. Eco-friendly homeowners are blending reclaimed bricks, recycled concrete, and environmentally responsible timber into beautiful patios and decking. The result is character that new materials just can’t match, with the added value of low environmental impact.
The plant choices you make matter more than ever. Indigenous plants need less water, provide a home for local wildlife and tend to be more resistant to Hertfordshire’s varying weather conditions. Lavender, ornamental grasses and drought-tolerant perennials are fast taking over from high-maintenance lawns and exotic plants unfazed by our erratic weather.
Outdoor Living Spaces
And this is where change actually occurs. Outdoor living is being treated as any other room in the house, except it’s outside and with great views.
Your garden will need to function as a dining room for summer entertaining, a quiet workspace for all the time you plan to spend remote working days at home, a play space for children, and a relaxation zone for lazy weekends at home. Smart design does this with intelligent zoning, furniture that’s easy to move and furniture that can be moved.
Overall, the fire pits and outdoor heating options available have transformed from simple metal bowls to decorative features that will help keep you outside long into autumn and even winter. Today’s installations may have built-in seating, cooking surfaces, and ambient lighting that adds to the atmosphere and doubles as practical warmth.
Complete outdoor kitchens offer weatherproof cabinets, plumbed sinks, refrigeration and cooking equipment that can compare with indoor facilities. The typical British homeowner now budgets £300 per month on professional landscaping, and a significant proportion of that sum is spent on fully-outfitted outdoor living rooms.
Smart Gardens & Technology
The use of technology in the garden is moving from a fun option to a must-have.
You can control your whole yard with your phone, now, and the systems are getting smart enough to learn how much to water, and to adjust to weather patterns and soil conditions and season, all by themselves.
Smart irrigation is the quantum leap. Such systems track the moisture content of the soil, the weather and the plant’s needs to give accurate watering schedules. Great water savings and your plants will say thank you. A lot of systems are tied in with renewables, solar panels to run the pumps and controls.
Automated lighting gives your garden a new lease of life after dark – plus added security and even more reasons to love your home, day and night! New LED configurations allow for colour temperature change throughout the day, motion-activated path lights, and even programmable lighting for entertaining.
We have automatic lawnmowers (redirection to the landfill?) to cut our grass, and an automated systems for vacuuming up leaves and composting to take care of the rest by season. The landscaping services market grew to £7.0bn in 2024, positively influenced by new technology developments.
Naturalism & Biodiversity
Former lawns are being substituted by wildflower meadows.
These types of spaces provide habitat for pollinators, are relatively low-maintenance after they’re established and add seasonal interest year-round. Native wildflower mixes for Hertfordshire soils are available for you to use to create striking displays, which also help local eco-systems.
Informal planting schemes are focusing on wavy borders, mixed heights and seasonal replacement.
Rather than hard-edged rows and angles, you’re matching swaths of compatible plants that merge gently together. The method relies on knowledge of plant associations, growth forms and ecological roles.
Maximalist planting is increasingly popular as homeowners learn that profusions of different kinds of plants are easier to maintain than sparser designs. Plants, when properly packed, support each other, smother competing weeds, and contribute to the formation of micro-climates that generally make for a healthier garden.
Edible & Functional Gardens
Fruit trees are both architectural and edible.
Apple, pear and plum trees have lovely spring blossoms, summer shade, autumn crop and winter structure. Trained fruit trees, such as espaliers, cordons, and fans, are space-saving, productive, and beautiful living sculptures.
Berry plants are particularly well suited to Hertfordshire gardens. Blueberries thrive in acidic soil, have attractive flowers and colour-changing leaves for ornamental value. Honeyberries are a rising star – they are a low, hardy deciduous shrub which produces early season fruit and will thrive in almost any soil.
Herb integration throughout garden beds adds fragrance, culinary value, and pest-deterrent properties. Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage provide year-round structure while offering continuous harvesting opportunities.
The numbers back up this trend’s momentum. Around 34% of British gardens now grow food, compared to in previous years. It’s a phenomenon that mirrors larger issues regarding food security, food quality, and the longing for autonomy.