10 Garden Ideas And Trends For 2022

Most Kiwis are lucky enough to have an outdoor area of their home, that with a bit of direction and hard work, can be turned into a beautiful and practical garden landscape. You don’t need to be an expert in landscape design to create a new garden layout. Often the hardest part is coming up with an idea for how you want your garden to look, and knowing where to start.

This blog will provide you with 10 exciting ideas to inspire the next landscaping project that you can use to spruce up your garden and maximise its potential. It’s never been more important to love the home you have, including the outside areas. So whether you’re looking for vegetable garden ideas, low maintenance garden inspiration or small garden ideas, we’ve got you covered. 

Read on to discover the top garden trends for 2022!

Benefits of making your garden better

For Kiwis that own their own home, one of the easiest and most affordable ways to add value to your property is by giving your garden a good spruce up. Revamping the garden will breathe new life into your property, and can add to its curb appeal and resale value too.

Giving your garden a facelift also means that you can choose a design that best suits your lifestyle, rather than just dealing with the style you currently have. If you want a garden that is more sustainable or self-sufficient, you can choose to create an awesome veggie garden that you can be used as compost after harvesting, continuing the cycle of growth and supply of homegrown veggies. If you’re sick of battling weeds and would prefer to spend less time taming your garden, opting for a low-maintenance design that incorporates easy-care plants like succulents and grass alternatives like stone and paving can free up more of your time and still make your property feel polished.

Nature is restorative and has proven to provide humans with a whole range of mental health benefits, including reducing stress, anxiety and increasing our ability to relax. By creating your own little slice of paradise in your backyard, you may help alleviate some of the pressures of daily life and be able to chill out in your garden and hit the refresh button at the end of the day. 

A new garden can also tie together any outdoor renovations you’ve made, and really be that cherry on top that makes your property stand out even more. If you’ve built a new deck or patio to improve your indoor-outdoor living, giving your garden a tidy up or a refreshed landscape design can make your property feel brand new. 

1. Vertical gardening

An increasingly popular, modern garden idea, vertical gardens are an awesome way of making the most out of a small area, as you can maximize any outdoor wall space you might have if your garden isn’t particularly big. Vertical gardens are also great for turning boring walls that may be an eyesore, into standout garden features. 

This is a great option for both homeowners and renters alike. If you own your own home, you can opt to grow a fully covered, living wall. If you're renting, you can use planter boxes that are easily removable, and will still provide that wow factor that comes with a living wall.

The key to vertical gardening is ensuring you’ve got a quality structure that can support the weight of your garden. You can get all the garden equipment you need from Hirepool to build your own vertical garden from building equipment such as saws and nail guns to concrete drills if you’re using a concrete or brick wall.

2. Gardens for foodies

A staple of home gardens for decades, vegetable gardens are only increasing in popularity worldwide as self-sufficiency is on the rise. It’s never been easier to create a veggie garden at home that delivers great tasting healthy food. If you’re unsure, try your hand at growing vegetables such as carrots, lettuces and tomatoes first as they are easy to do at home.

Herb gardens are also great to have at home, as they add extra flavour into all kinds of dishes. They can also be used to brew various types of teas and many have proven medicinal qualities which are great to have on hand when someone in your family feels unwell. They can even be dried and used in homemade soaps and skin cleansers.

You can opt for small or large veggie and herb gardens depending on the amount of garden space available to you. Keen to get stuck in? Check out our guide on building a raised garden bed which can easily be done over a weekend.  Regardless of size, your own veggie / herb garden could see you save significantly on your grocery bill, and will make cooking super convenient, as you can just step into your garden when you need fresh ingredients. 

3. Convert to compost

Kiwis throw away over 157,000 tonnes of food every year. You can remove yourself from this statistic by converting all of your fruit and vegetable scraps into compost, which provides a sustainable, nutrient dense fertiliser for your garden that is also great for the earth. Composting is easy, and it will also save you from a trip to the tip if you’ve been mowing your lawns, and for some landscaping.

If you’re turning soil for your garden at home, you can get the tools you need for the job, such as a rotary hoe or other landscaping tools at Hirepool.

4. Lush lawns

It may seem basic, but a lush green lawn is timeless, and an easy way to make your garden stand out.  Garden edging is also a simple way to keep your lawn neat and tidy year round. Here at Hirepool, we’ve got all the tricks of the trade to get your lawn looking awesome, and all the tools to save you time and money. 

If you're establishing a new lawn, we’ve got high quality lawn rollers, dethatchers and fertiliser spreaders for hire. Or if you’re looking to maintain your lawn, we’ve also got mowers and weed eaters to keep it looking in top shape. You can also check out our quality tips for lawn mowing and garden edging, as well as common mowing mistakes to avoid, to ensure your lawns look great.

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5. Playful garden design

Considering exciting garden design ideas is a great way to get the kids off of devices, and into the backyard. An awesome small garden idea for young families, fairy gardens can occupy any unused corner space. There are all kinds of fairy garden ideas that all kids will love. 

Paved or concrete areas are perfect for bikes and scooters to zip around. In-ground trampolines or paddling pools can be easily installed with the right earthmoving equipment from Hirepool. Our mini-excavators are perfect for creating shallow holes in the garden.

Safety is number one. Ensure your home fencing is to code and always supervise your children in the garden if you have a water feature.

6. Just add water

Water features are a great option to liven up your garden, and don’t have to be expensive. Whether you opt for small, discrete fountains, or a large pond or rock pool, any water feature will add a level of tranquility to your garden, and may help to block out the sound of noisy streets. 

Any earthmoving jobs before installing a water feature, are made easy with the right garden equipment from Hirepool.

7. Planting for wildlife

Incorporating native trees in your garden is an awesome way to increase the amount of habitat and food supplies for native birds. Attracting native birds to your garden will also benefit you, as the peaceful sound of birdsong will fill the air.

If you want to help out the bees and provide them with food, consider planting annual flowers such as poppies, clovers, and sunflowers, or climbers such as honeysuckle. Bees will also enjoy your herb garden as much as you will.

Water features and ponds are great habitats for frogs and fish too.

8. Low maintenance gardening 

If you live a busy life, you’ll probably be looking for a garden that requires little maintenance, and there are plenty of succulent garden ideas which are a perfect option. As drought-resistant plants, succulents require little watering and are easy to care for. 

You can also consider planting more shrubs and vines. Upping your use of pots will make your plants more contained and easily replaced. 

To avoid lawn maintenance, you can consider alternatives such as pavers, stone or laying turf. 

9. Next level gardening

If you have a very flat garden, you can create new levels to make your garden more visually interesting and will create little hidden areas, and useful corner areas for seating. Leveling up your garden can be achieved in a range of ways, from utilising retaining wall designs, to installing raised garden beds and even elevated patios, platforms and decks to give your garden more height and variation. You can also dig down to create new levels by installing sunken seating and fire pits. 

10. The garden shed re-invented 

While the classic garden shed has been a garden mainstay for a long time, we’re not talking about a rusty little shed to house your tools. Modern garden sheds are being reimagined not just as cute cubby houses for the kids, but tranquil garden escapes and ‘she sheds’, tiny art studios, music rooms, a hangout for teens, pop up bar and much more. If your design is simple and you have the right tools on hand the possibilities are endless. 

Build your dream garden 

We have a variety of tools and equipment to help you create the ultimate garden of your dreams. Feeling inspired by one of these garden ideas? Get in touch with your local branch to talk about selecting the right gear or order equipment online now to create it yourself. Check out our Lawn & Garden hub for more inspiration!