Hey, did you see the weather report for this weekend? We should totally have a party in my backyard. Invite everyone you know! Bring comfortable shoes, though, because I don’t have chairs, and sitting on the rock-strewn ground kind of hurts. And wear 1,000 SPF sunscreen, because there’s no shade and it’s going to be scorching. Plus, everyone has to go home after the sun goes down, because there’s no lighting back there. But it’ll be great!

If this sounds familiar, don’t fret. Thousands of homeowners are faced with similar dilemmas, and they’re turning to landscape professionals for help with their yards. That’s according to Houzz’s new spring landscaping survey, which found that 56 percent of the 4,500 surveyed homeowners plan to update theirlandscapes to create a better entertaining space.

  

Every outdoor party spot needs a lounge area — or dance floor — so more than 80 percent of those surveyed said they will add a patio or deck. And who wants to go home just because the sun goes down? With outdoor hardscape lighting, no one has to. That’s why 70 percent said they will add this kind of lighting.

What else does an outdoor get-together need? How about food, fire and funk? Some 48 percent of homeowners will add barbecues, 48 percent will add fire pits, and 19 percent will add sound systems. Where’s my Evite?

“Most of my clients live in homes built 45 years ago, so the patios aren’t big and the backyard space never looked nice to begin with,” says Joe Andolina, the owner of and a designer at JPM Landscape. “They want something they can enjoy and show off, so every priority for them is to get more entertaining space for their family and friends.”

Here are some other findings from the survey:

Problem Solving

More than half of homeowners said their landscaping updates will solve problems in their yards, including flooding (41 percent), sun exposure (25 percent) and privacy (23 percent).Many homeowners in drought-stricken regions, like the western U.S., will compensate for a dry winter. In that region 30 percent said they are implementing landscape projects to solve water shortage problems. Maybe that’s why one in four homeowners in the West will completely rip out their current landscape and replace it altogether.

Going Greener
Environmentally conscious decisions are permeating homeowners’ choices, too. Of the 65 percent who will add or update lighting, the majority (58 percent) will choose LED or solar-powered lights (56 percent).

Meanwhile, a whopping 92 percent of homeowners who are adding plants to their yard will choose native plants to reduce maintenance, help the environment and attract butterflies, birds and bees.And while the survey found that traditional lawns are still preferred over the alternatives, Andolina says he’s installed fewer lawns in the past six months than ever. “The No. 1 request I have is for low-maintenance, low-water landscaping,” he says.

 

Edibles

The majority of homeowners (64 percent) plan to grow edibles, likevegetables and herbs, in their yards. “We get a lot of requests for vegetable garden beds,” says Sue Chan, a principal at Huettl Landscape Architecture.Andolina, though, says he cautions clients on the maintenance involved with growing vegetables. “People don’t realize just how much time vegetable gardens take,” he says. “They sound great in theory, but most of my clients who have done a vegetable garden in the past don’t request them.”

Perhaps that’s why our survey found that 70 percent of homeowners planning to add a vegetable garden will be doing so for the first time ever. “I’d rather just enjoy my yard and relax,” Andolina says.

Right — and party!