6 Landscaping Trends Design Pros Say Are Out This Summer (and What to Try Instead)

While we often hear more about outdated interior design trends, your home’s exterior isn’t immune to them either. You’d be surprised how well an experienced landscaper could guess the exact age of a garden bed.

That’s why we decided to turn to three seasoned landscapers to find out which outdated landscaping trends we should all be ditching this year, and they didn’t hold back.

While updating your landscape design may take some extra effort this spring, the good news is that most of these trends are actually more high-maintenance than the timeless alternatives.

The Foundation Shrubs Plus Statement Tree Layout

Copy-and-paste landscape layouts are not it anymore, according to Katie Tamony, who works in landscaping trendspotting for Monrovia. In fact, there’s one common layout that feels especially forced in her eyes, and she is tired of seeing it.

“The trend of plopping the same three foundation shrubs in a line in front of the house and adding a statement tree in a corner of the yard has become a tired formula that became very popular decades ago,” she says. “We still see this a lot with new construction, but homeowners want more than cookie-cutter.”

If your yard is a victim of this lazy landscape design, you don’t have to start from scratch. Tamony suggests adding interest by planting a few different flower shrubs, ornamental grasses, and a truly unique evergreen to make your yard stand out in the neighborhood.

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Traditional Lawns

You know a traditional lawn when you see it. It’s full of one type of grass (commonly Kentucky bluegrass) and devoid of any variety in texture. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything native, like clovers, wild violets, or dandelions.

Landscape designer Samantha Ulasy says traditional lawns are on their way out, despite the chokehold they’ve had on suburban properties for decades.

“Lawns might be iconic, but they’re fast becoming impractical,” she says. “In our region, they demand daily watering, regular mowing, and chemical inputs just to stay alive through summer. They add little to the garden ecologically, and frankly, they’re expensive and uninspiring to maintain.”

Ulasy has shifted her designs to feature clover lawns, which stay green with far less water and rarely need mowing. Plus, they support your friendly neighbor pollinators.

Red Mulch

The days of the bright red colored mulch are dwindling, according to landscape designer Alexander Betz.

Betz says that red mulch gained peak popularity in the late 90s through the early 2010s, but it started to go out of style around 2014 when designers and homeowners started wanting a more organic look that natural, dark brown, and black mulch provides.

 “The bold color was eye-catching, providing a stark contrast to greenery, making landscapes look ‘finished’,” he says. “But the artificial-looking color clashes with the more natural aesthetics that folks are going for.”

Not only is red mulch out of style, but Betz says it can also be harmful to your landscaping plants since it often contains recycled wood with chemicals that can harm soil health.

Planting Natives Only

There’s no arguing that the native plant trend is alive and well, and it’s one we hope never falls out of style completely, thanks to its numerous benefits for our local ecosystems. But if this trend is going to have staying power, Tamony says there needs to be a balance.

“Strictly planting only native plants is a recent trend that may be short-lived,” she says. “It’s an oversimplified approach to being climate-appropriate. As gardeners learn more about the benefits of different types of shrubs and perennials, they’re gravitating toward planting a diversity of the right plants for their yard to bring birds, bees, and other pollinators into the garden.”

She suggests mixing natives with cultivars to create a landscape that’s easy to maintain, but more pleasing to the eye for longer seasons.

Using Rocks as Mulch

You may love decorative rock mulch, but your plants probably don’t. That’s why landscape designers like Ulasy are happy it’s on its way out.

In fact, she calls it one of the worst choices for plant health in hot and dry climates because the rocks amplify heat and radiate it back into the plant roots. This can stunt the plant’s growth and potentially burn the roots entirely.

And if you’re still tempted to landscape with gravel because you think it’s lower maintenance than mulch, Ulasy says that’s actually a myth.

“Weeds will still grow in it, and removing them is significantly harder than in bark mulch,” she says. “Add to that the fact that rocks can cost up to three times more, and it becomes clear that this trend isn’t doing your garden—or your wallet—any favors.”

Instead, she recommends 3-4 inches of finely graded bark mulch. It will retain moisture while insulating your plants’ roots. Plus, it naturally suppresses weeds and enriches the soil as it breaks down.

Symmetrical Landscaping Beds

Perfectly symmetrical gardens that you see at European estates look great for one main reason: They typically have several full-time gardeners working overtime to keep everything pruned.

According to Betz, trying to replicate this look in your own home feels a bit 90s. Homeowners tried this approach and have since realized it’s too high maintenance, which is why there’s been a shift to asymmetrical, naturalistic landscapes that are more eco-friendly and support biodiversity.

“Modern landscaping favors a more relaxed, natural approach,” he says. “Embrace asymmetry with a mix of native plants, curved pathways, and organic layouts to create a softer, more dynamic landscape that blends with nature.”