The Great Outdoors

Just as listings emphasize a property’s outdoor oasis, the pandemic’s effect is such that landscape architects continue to see an influx of interest in pools, grilling and dining areas, and more requests for putting greens and artificial turf. Pool requests are combined with a pool house or cabana. “People want to be able to have friends and family over and have the full entertainment package right in their backyard,” says Mike Parmelee, landscape designer and owner/principal of Joe A. Gayle & Associates. Indeed, the emphasis is on a clean-lined, low-maintenance landscape, says Lucinda Bray, landscape architect and owner of Floralis Garden Design. “Less is more these days: a few well-thought-out and intentional pieces versus the landscapes of the past, which have been overly planted, lush and maintenance-heavy,” she says.