Petrichor is the scientific name for the scent that fills the air after a rain – a warm, earthy scent that’s rich with the promise of green growing things to come. A gardener knows this scent well. It is what makes them raise their head and smile at this time of year. “Ah, yes,” they say, with a great, grand smile. “That smells like spring!”Urban gardening season starts before the snow melts. People have been busy reading seed catalogs, skimming Pinterest pages for inspiration, and making plans with their NYC landscape designer. 2017 garden trend reports tell us three big ideas for urban gardening are color blocking, small scale shrubs and high-end houseplants that serve double duty in and outdoors.

Color Blocking

Many NYC urban gardens do double duty, serving as spaces for entertaining or relaxation. This means you may have seating, tables, and other outdoor furniture in your urban garden. Color blocking involves choosing one color and using it to tie together all elements of your garden: for example, the red cushions on an outdoor bench should be the same shade at the tulips planted on either end.

Small Scale Shrubs

Do you love evergreens, azaleas, lilacs, and other popular garden shrubs but hate the work that goes into keeping them looking good? There’s two ways to handle this: have your NYC garden designer handle the maintenance and upkeep, or, this spring, have small scale shrubs planted. These mini varieties are bred to grow to a smaller size, eliminating the need for heavy duty pruning.  Added bonus: small scale shrubs generally need less water than their larger counterparts – good news if the summer is dry.

Traveling Plants

Call it a Seventies revival – Garden Design Magazine did – but houseplants are suddenly super hot again. New York has always been on the forefront of the botanicals trend. Our skilled designers will help you choose container-sized plants which will thrive as part of a balcony or patio garden as well as indoors as a houseplant. Enjoy green living year round with strategically chosen traveling plants.