photo credit: Hair Squared
Growing your own groceries is taking over homes and communities. A recent survey by the National Gardening Association shows a 19 percent burst of new hobby country farms and urban edible gardens over the last year.

With this growing trend,  gardeners and small space backyards are coming up with new ideas to make the most out of their growing area. Rooftop gardens, fire escape gardens, and container gardening ideas are popping up in towns and cities everywhere. The use of vertical growing along walls and fences is becoming a common sight in busy downtown areas.

Many years back the garden was a mix of ornamentals and the edible – roses beside tomatoes, beds edged with herbs and veggies used as annuals. And many flowers were used as arrangements one moment and as salad decorations or spices the next.

As both parents went to work and more time was spent away from the home, gardening and the use of space were set aside. But times are changing.

With the trend towards “Going Green” lawns are being replaced with herbs, edible gardens and moveable gardens. With less emphasis on a green lawn there is a large decrease in the use of water, saving the family money and time. This is also  creating more growing space.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

There is also a movement to turn the front lawn into vegetable gardens and rain gardens. This garden plan uses mulches and hardscape for the design and mixed planting of edible shrubs, herbs and plants for color and interest.

If your thinking of revamping your lawn to a more environmentally friendly garden area your local garden center will be able to help you select edible plants and shrubs.

photo credit: SanGatiche

The downward turn in the economy has also made people reevaluate their backyards and design their space making the most use of every available inch of space. This is particularly important for those who rent or live in a city. It is possible to have a garden or mini retreat even on a porch, deck or balcony.

One way to do make more use of you space and make it look larger by extending the home living space into the backyard and making better use of whatever outdoor space is available. Vertical gardening and container gardening are also increasingly popular, even in the bigger backyard.

Larger backyards are being broken up into outdoor rooms with each area having its own use or activity. These open rooms are then designed to flow together to create an overall backyard. This technique helps to create a backyard that is functional to all family members. The entertaining area is one of the more important area followed by a recreational area that could be a child’s pay area, a pool or even a min golf putting area.

Bold and flashy are in and Gardeners are focusing more on foliage and less on flowers. The use of ornamental grasses has doubled in landscape design. They make a wonderful backdrop for flowers with vibrant colors such as reds, oranges and yellows. And for the small space garden layering your flowers and plants make better use of space and creates depth, thus creating the feeling of more space.
photo credit: tomsaint11

Green gardening methods using fewer chemicals, better use of space and water conservation is setting the design for all backyard spaces. And the addition of many vegetable gardens, with the emphasis being compact and easy to care for, has made home gardening increase by 20%. This summer you will notice many windowsill, curbside, container and vertical gardens.

This trend in home gardening has lead to creating gardens with less work and the return of Victory gardens and Recession gardens. The most successful small space gardens are combining ornamental plants with vegetables and fruits. Commercial growers have been stocking petite annuals, perennials, shrubs and garden vegetable that require less space to grow. So buy your garden supplies as early as possible as many places are experiencing shortages this year with the increase in gardening.

This is “Small Backyard Designs Week” at the Backyard Oasis. Ideas for garden rooms, small space gardening, garden art and many more useful backyard design ideas will be covered.