New survey shows landscaping trends imported by vacationers

A recent survey has found design trends are being influenced by the experiences of homeowners while travelling abroad.

According to the 2018 Adbri Masonry Great Australian Backyard Survey, the top backyard designs proven to be the most inspiring are all from popular holiday destinations such as Bali and Japan in Asia, and the Hamptons in the USA.

The Japanese Zen garden creates a private retreat encouraging natural escapism; Balinese designs feature landscaped gardens with lush tropical natives, private plunge pools and paved communal areas, while the Hamptons look is all about structured details and layers with borderline hedges and a focus on privacy.

The survey sought feedback from more than 1000 homeowners about the status, desires and uses of our backyards. In 2018, more than 75 per cent of those surveyed had confirmed plans to improve or undertake a new project in their backyard.

Continue it into the pool

“Aussies love to holiday abroad,” says landscaping celebrity Jason Hodges, who launched the survey with fellow landscape designers Adam Robinson and Dean Herald.

"In the past, photos and souvenirs were enough, but more than ever we’re bringing back inspiration and styling ideas for the home," he says.

“Whatever landscaping style you’re after, just continue that style into the pool,” says Dean Herald.

“If you’ve got a Hamptons design, have a rectangular pool with beautiful stone stairs – it’s really quite controlled. Whereas if you’re going for a Balinese style, look to organic shapes and wet-edge pools. And there’s the textures that have changed now, so you can have stone inside the pool, not just glass mosaics – there are all sorts of interesting things happening with textures and swimming pools.”