These 3 Retro Landscaping Trends Are Suddenly Everywhere Again

It’s easy to pinpoint the most iconic mid-century architectural and decor elements, but what about landscaping trends from the ’50s through the ’70s? Turns out, in this time period, architecture and landscape started to overlap more, writes landscaping historian Therese O’Malley. “Indoor-outdoor space … really is underlying design at this point,” she explains, adding that Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (released in 1962!) shaped both scientific and popular, political thinking about the environment.

A piqued interest in gardening and botanicals led to their incorporation into home design and neighborhood design. For instance, Landscape architect Ian McHarg’s 1969 book Designing with Nature described exactly that — using nature as a guiding design force. This era created a collective emphasis not only on “the forces of nature in a place,” O’Malley writes, but also “the forces of culture in the place.” So it makes sense that some of the most popular, gorgeous landscaping trends we see today can actually be traced back to this period of history.

From rooftop gardens to brick ovens to a gravel-plus-succulent combo, several current landscaping requests are reminiscent of those from the mid-century, with place- and people-oriented design at the forefront.

Below, pro landscapers Keith Lince (of Miller Landscape in Orion, Michigan) and Emma Doman (of BLOOM Landscape Architecture in Brisbane, Australia) explore three retro landscaping trends that are making a comeback in 2026. Follow along as we highlight them below.

In Brisbane, Doman designs with the climate in mind. “It’s very intense summers, and everything outdoors needs to be pretty bulletproof, ” she says. She often uses a combo of gravel, breezeblocks, and succulents that can survive the heat in her designs, which is perfect for the retro ‘Palm Springs’ look Doman says many of her clients are after these days.

“To me, that’s back at that mid-century kind of design where there’s lots of white … There’s lots of succulents, cacti, there’s lots of gravel texturing,” Doman shares. And Lince agrees that neutral outdoor palettes are reigning supreme. “Over the years, color in landscaping seems to have reflected the spirit of the times,” he adds. “Very bright tones in the ’70s and ’80s, more neutral in modern times.”

In terms of indoor-outdoor fluidity, Doman says outdoor dining setups are making a major comeback. Doman adds that in her youth, bricked-in fire pits, ovens, and grills were fairly popular, and then “for many, many years, barbecues were on trolleys on our deck.” Now, she argues, people are prioritizing a backyard “suitable for entertaining, socializing, and gathering,” complete with bricks or stone pavers and outdoor dining setups.

“I really feel that large stone elements in a landscape capture that timeless feel and can be a great complement to any composition,” Lince adds.

And lastly, Doman has noticed retro-inspired round and circular pools making their way back into the limelight — one of her personal favorites because she likes playing with variety in shape. “Pools used to always be round, and then they were rectangular for a very long time, and sometimes even L-shaped … but the round pool is making a huge comeback,” she explains.

And as for what hasn’t stood the test of time? “For me, the most obviously out-of-date trend was the mix of red mulch, yews, and mugo pines that everyone loved using in the ’70s and ’80s,” Lince says. Now, he says, black mulch is getting to be more popular. “But that could be something that is also only trending for our time period,” he adds. After all, if taking a look at retro fads from the past proves anything, it’s that design trends are cyclical.