Spring arrives quickly in the Grand Forks area — and so does the urge to look out the back window and imagine something better. Whether it's a bare patch of dirt where a patio could be, a sprinkler system that's seen better days, or a front yard that just doesn't reflect what's inside the home, most Grand Forks homeowners have something on their landscaping wish list.
The good news: 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years for residential landscape design in a long time. Homeowners across North Dakota are investing in outdoor spaces that do more — entertain more, require less maintenance, conserve more water, and stand up to our climate. Here are the five trends we're seeing drive the most conversation and the most project requests this season.
1. Outdoor Living Spaces That Actually Get Used
For a long time, "landscaping" in Grand Forks meant grass and a few flower beds. That's changing fast. In 2026, homeowners are thinking about their backyard the same way they think about their living room: as a space to actually live in.
Paving stone patios have become the centerpiece of this shift. Unlike poured concrete, paving stones offer design flexibility — you can choose different patterns, colors, and textures to create a space that feels intentional and personal. And critically for our climate, individual stones can shift slightly during freeze-thaw cycles without cracking, making them far more durable than a solid concrete slab over time.
We're seeing Grand Forks homeowners pair patios with fire pits, outdoor seating walls, and integrated planting beds to create complete outdoor rooms. The result is a backyard that gets used from May through October — not just on the two weekends a summer when the weather is perfect.
Riley's Tip
We use Barkman Concrete pavers on every hardscape project — they're designed and manufactured for the freeze-thaw cycles of the Northern Plains and come in a wide range of styles to fit any home aesthetic.
2. Low-Maintenance Landscaping by Design
The most consistent thing we hear from Grand Forks area homeowners is this: "I want it to look great, but I don't want to spend every weekend maintaining it." That's not laziness — that's a reasonable expectation from a busy family.
Low-maintenance landscape design has become a discipline in its own right. The key principles are simple: choose plants that are well-suited to our climate and soil, group them in ways that minimize weeding and edging, and use mulch and ground cover strategically to suppress growth and retain moisture.
Native and adapted perennial plants are leading this trend. Unlike annuals that need to be replanted every year, perennials come back reliably and tend to thrive with minimal intervention once established. Ornamental grasses, coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, and certain low-growing sedums are excellent performers in Grand Forks County and look great with almost no care beyond a spring cutback.
Plants That Thrive in Grand Forks, ND
Native and adapted perennials that perform reliably in our zone: Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Catmint (Nepeta), Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Blue Oat Grass. These are the plants we reach for on low-maintenance residential projects — hardy, beautiful, and largely self-sufficient after the first season.
3. Smart Irrigation — Efficiency Without the Effort
Irrigation technology has come a long way, and 2026 homeowners are taking notice. The old set-it-and-forget-it sprinkler timer that runs every Tuesday at 6am regardless of whether it rained yesterday is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Smart irrigation controllers — like those from Rachio and Hunter — connect to local weather data and automatically adjust watering schedules based on rainfall, temperature, humidity, and forecasted conditions. The result is a lawn and landscape that gets exactly the water it needs, when it needs it. Most homeowners who upgrade to a smart controller see a 20–40% reduction in outdoor water use, which adds up quickly over a North Dakota summer.
Beyond the controller itself, proper zone design matters enormously. Grouping plants with similar water needs, using drip irrigation for planting beds instead of spray heads, and ensuring even coverage without overlap are the kinds of details that a well-designed irrigation system handles automatically — once it's installed correctly.
Did You Know?
The average Grand Forks lawn uses 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week during summer. A smart irrigation system calibrated to your yard's specific zones can deliver that amount precisely — no more, no less — saving water and preventing the over-watering that leads to fungal disease and shallow root systems.
4. Retaining Walls That Do Double Duty
Retaining walls have long been a practical solution for sloped yards, but in 2026, they've become a design feature as much as a functional one. The best retaining wall projects we're completing this season serve two purposes: they solve a real drainage or grade problem, and they add visual structure and dimension to the landscape.
The key is material selection. Barkman Concrete retaining wall blocks are engineered to handle the weight and pressure that North Dakota freeze-thaw cycles put on below-grade structures. They're also available in a range of styles that complement both modern and traditional homes — from clean, linear faces to more natural, stacked-stone aesthetics.
We're seeing a lot of creative applications: tiered walls that create level planting terraces on sloped lots, low walls that define the border between a patio and a lawn, and taller walls that screen utility areas while adding greenery on top. In every case, the wall becomes part of the design story rather than just a fix for a grading problem.
5. Curb Appeal as a Deliberate Investment
After several years of homeowners focusing almost entirely on backyard projects, 2026 is seeing a strong return of interest in the front yard. The logic makes sense: curb appeal is the first impression your home makes, and in a tight real estate market, a well-landscaped front yard has a measurable impact on property value.
What does strong curb appeal look like in Grand Forks and the surrounding areas? It's not complicated: a defined front walkway (paving stones work beautifully here), a clean lawn edge, foundation plantings that frame the home without hiding it, and a mulched bed that's maintained and weed-free. These are achievable improvements with a big visual impact.
One trend worth noting specifically: landscape lighting is increasingly part of front yard design. Low-voltage path lights, uplighting on trees, and accent lights on architectural features extend the visual impact of a landscape into the evening hours and add a security benefit as well. It's a finishing touch that makes a significant difference.
Ready to See What's Possible in Your Yard?
Grand Forks County & surrounding area homeowners have a short season to work with — but that makes every square foot of outdoor space more valuable, not less. Whether you're dreaming of a paving stone patio, a low-maintenance landscape redesign, a smarter irrigation system, or a front yard that finally does justice to your home, the trends above are all achievable this season.
At Riley's Landscape and Irrigation, we offer free on-site design consultations — no pressure, no obligation. We'll visit your property, talk through your goals, and put together a design plan at no cost to you. Spring scheduling fills up fast in Grand Forks, so the sooner you reach out, the better.
Book Your Free Landscape Design Consultation
We'll come to your property, walk through your goals, and put together a plan — at no cost to you.
Or email wayne@rileyslandscape.com • Serving Grand Forks County, ND