The last time I wrote about "what's in and what's out" was in the early 1990s. Things have definitely changed. Back then, perennials were king. Today, people are eschewing herbaceous plants in favor of less demanding shrubs to fill their borders.

Also, hardly a conversation took place at that time that didn't include "garden rooms." Now, it's "outdoor living spaces," areas that are not just ornamental but functional as well.

Recently, I asked some garden designers and home gardeners for their take on what's changed. Here's their consensus:

• IN: Organic vegetable gardens. Designer Brooks Garcia says this is the most requested garden addition right now. "There's a movement in general that people want their food produced locally," he says. "Also, small vegetable plots are popping up all over Atlanta."

• OUT: Fussy, temperamental plants. People want site-appropriate plants they don't have to worry about after the first year of getting established. Designer Sylvia Attkisson recently did a job that required that all plants be grown within 500 miles of Atlanta. "People are realizing that rhododendrons grown in Oregon just don't have a chance here," she says.

• IN: Statues, birdbaths and garden benches, tables and chairs, and portable or built-in fireplaces.

• OUT: The forlorn gazebo at the edge of the property. People hardly ever sit in them as they planned to, one designer said.

• IN: Potscaping with all shapes and sizes of containers. Instead of a mixture of annuals, the pots often contain a single shrub or tree.

• OUT: High maintenance, Disneye-like water features. Homeowners now opt for a simple basin or small fountain that can provide a trickle of water.

• IN: Foliage gardens. We've learned that cottage gardens bursting with flowers are hard to sustain over a season. With the use of variegation, different leaf textures (i.e., finely cut vs. bold) and colors like burgundy and chartreuse, a foliage garden can be soothing or colorful.

• OUT: The corporate look, i.e., commercial-looking rectangles of pansies or begonias in the home landscape.

• IN: Environmentally-friendly techniques. Gone are the days of the atrocious smelling insecticides. Although I still get the willies when I pull a tomato horn worm off the vine, it's better than inhaling Sevin dust.

• OUT: Overtended lawns. Sally Wilgus of Brookwood Hills says she's been mowing her weeds for years. "From a distance, it looks green and pretty, and I don't have to fool with all that seeding and fertilizing and watering."

MARTHA'S PICK

Autumn fern
Botanical name: Dryopteris erythrosora
About the plant: Tough and easy, green all year long (except in spring, when the new foliage is bronze). Two feet tall.
Use in the garden: Great for massing in shady places. Combine with hostas, epimediums, gingers, hellebores and variegated Solomon's seal. Excellent for cutting.
Planting and care: Plant in ordinary soil in shade or semi-shade. Some humus is appreciated. Fairly drought tolerant.
Source: GardenWright Nurseries, 1910 Melodie Lane, Cumming. 770-887-4070.