The Block 2022: 5 top trends from landscaping, garden and pool reveals

Since this was the “tree change” series of The Block, landscapes and gardens were always bound to be a big highlight. Contestants had their eyes on the prize and went all-out to create exteriors that made full use of the spectacular outdoor settings and sweeping country views.

The high stakes made for some truly creative results, with contestants delivering everything from pizza ovens to pony pens in an attempt to sell the “country dream”. 

We asked landscaping and garden experts to share their thoughts on this season’s outdoor trends.

Sustainable design

Each set of contestants was asked to incorporate a “game-changing” outdoor design feature based on the concepts of sustainability and resilience.

The end results included a kitchen garden with its own water tank for irrigation, a tennis court with recyclable tiling instead of synthetic surfaces, an organic vineyard and a tiny house built with reclaimed timbers.

As Samantha Crawford – a landscaper designer based in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges – points out, “Our changing environment makes sustainability a crucial element in outdoor design and, thankfully, there are easy and inexpensive ways to achieve it.

“One option is simply adding a little more greenery to your garden. Other methods include minimising hard surfaces, capturing and reusing waste and rainwater and using resources found onsite, like building materials, rocks and existing plants.”

Sustainable landscape designer Luke Purchase agrees that a greater number of people now value long-lasting garden designs that contribute less to global waste. “Pricing of sustainable products has become more competitive in recent years and accessibility for the average homeowner has improved,” he says.

Kitchen gardens

Contestants installed kitchen or market gardens with the aim of making the houses more self-sufficient and providing a bounty of fresh ingredients to live off or share with the local community. 

According to Crawford, kitchen gardens are making a big comeback. “They can be a really satisfying source of food supply and a great way to get kids out into the garden,” she says, and adds that they can be as elaborate or modest as you like. “You don’t need a large area to grow fresh vegetables and herbs in your garden. Ideally, a raised container or bed will provide the best results.” 

Resort-style inclusions

The pandemic may be mostly behind us, but the demand for creative ways to entertain ourselves without having to leave home (or shell out for a holiday) looks like it’s here to stay.

The judges said Omar and Oz’s sauna, mini golf course and combined tennis/basketball court created “a resort-like experience that would allow you to live like you were on holiday 365 days a year”. They thought Dylan and Jenny’s hot tub and ice tub were the sorts of things you’d find in a boutique hotel. 

“The last couple of years has seen people reassessing their work-life balance with a growing trend of people wanting to relax at home,” Crawford says. “Pools, hot tubs and fire pits add a real wow factor to your landscaping and are a great place to relax and enjoy being outdoors.”

Purchase says “creativity is at its peak when it comes to these sorts of features … and the wide variety of lifestyle product suppliers has made resort-style living into a reality for Australian homeowners”.

Outdoor kitchens

Lavish outdoor food preparation areas figured prominently in the contestants’ designs. Pizza ovens, meat smokers and no-expense-spared barbecue fit-outs were a hit with the judges.

“Modern living involves the flexibility to entertain throughout your home and outdoor kitchens are central to this,” Purchase says. “In any garden with the space to incorporate an outdoor eating area, setting it up with elegant stone benchtops that blend in with the surrounding pavers can really make an impact.”

Crawford agrees that outdoor kitchens are a great way to draw people outside and create a connection between indoor and outdoor living spaces. “When designing your outdoor kitchen it’s important to consider proximity to the house and ease of access as well as the features themselves,” she suggests. “Think about the type of cooking you’ll be doing, how much preparation space is needed and how you’ll ventilate the area.”

Shipping-container pools

Due to time and cost constraints, some of the contestants chose to dip their toes into one of the latest backyard trends: shipping-container pools. 

Apart from their industrial-style chic, the advantages of these types of pools are their relatively low cost and the fact that they can be installed and used almost instantly.

“There has been a recent rise in the popularity of modular pools such as shipping-container pools and plunge pools, both for their lower cost as well as their versatility,” Crawford says. She also points out the site-specific benefits: “A key feature is being able to use them on a sloping site, as we’ve seen in The Block, connecting the house to the outdoors with an infinity-edge look.

Purchase says that, over the last decade, shipping containers “have become a clever and cost-effective way of introducing a quirky design element into our backyards”.

“And they also tick all the boxes for home owners who want to tap into the circular economy when sourcing materials for their backyards,” he adds.