Garden innovation front and centre during the Noughties

17:12:20 16th December 2009

The last ten years has seen a surge of change in the way people look at their gardens, with new European trends complementing the growing demand for eco-friendly naturalism.

That is according to the Telegraph“s Tim Richardson, who suggested that the Dutch designs of Piet Oudolf, which consist of various different types of grasses and tall perennials, have been influential in how many British gardeners set about creating their backyards.

On top of the aesthetic switch to grasses and other "bulky plants", gardeners are also increasingly tending towards naturalist styles that allow gardens to act as the wildlife habitats that they are, a move that could have an impact on the types of garden sheds and outdoor structures being used.

"Increasingly, garden owners are thinking of their plots as part of a continuum of the surrounding ecology, encouraging wildlife to thrive as much as possible while accommodating their own leisure needs and horticultural interests," Mr Richardson wrote.

"The garden is cherished ever more as a private sanctuary and a refuge from modern life now that the home has been invaded by the internet and mobile phone."

With the garden expert also highlighting a return to allotments as a key trend over the past several years, some of the older residents from the village of Montacute near Yeovil recently highlighted their home-grown vegetables as the key to their long lives.

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