*Exploring the Future of Gardening: Trend Predictions*
How will our outdoor spaces evolve in the upcoming year? In 2025, experts in the green industry anticipate a shift towards creating garden sanctuaries that are more bird-friendly and environmentally conscious. There is a growing interest in cultivating green areas for relaxation and tranquility, as well as a desire for authentic, lived-in spaces that offer a break from the digital world. Discover the key garden trends expected for the upcoming season, accompanied by expert advice on how to incorporate them into your own gardening endeavors.
Meet Our Experts:
Katie Tamony holds the position of chief marketing officer at the Monrovia plant company.
Katie Dubow serves as the president of Garden Media Group, a public relations firm catering to the nursery industry.
Edmund Barr
1. Vibrant Teal and Bold Colors
A resurgence of bright and bold colors is on the horizon for our gardens. Garden Media Group has designated teal as the Color of the Year for 2025, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the vibrant and carefree spirit of the past decades. According to Katie Tamony of Monrovia, there is a heightened interest in plants with vivid blooms, with shades of blue, red, pink, and orange proving particularly popular. This trend towards vibrant colors is especially embraced by Gen Z and Millennials, who are drawn to the nostalgic and joyful essence of these hues. To infuse your garden with teal, consider incorporating furniture, decorative pots, and plants like blue chalk sticks, Blue Weber agave, and blue fescue grass.
2. Embracing Green Drenching
Studies have shown that surrounding ourselves with natural greenery can uplift our mood and reduce stress. Green drenching involves creating spaces that exude a sense of peacefulness and harmony through an abundance of plant life. By utilizing plant leaves to construct a wall of green, whether indoors or outdoors, you can foster a deeper connection to nature and cultivate a tranquil environment. To implement green drenching, arrange shelves with trailing houseplants, plant a hedge for privacy, or use oversized green plants in containers to create a soothing ambiance. Opt for a variety of green hues and textures to maintain visual interest while adhering to a monochromatic color scheme.
3. Real-Life Escape
Gardens are evolving into real-life sanctuaries that offer a respite from the digital world, akin to the concept of escapism in gaming culture. As a counterbalance to online living, cultivating a garden space provides the opportunity for physical engagement with nature and a break from constant screen time.
Engage with nature by “connecting with grass” to combat screen fatigue. The extensive time spent on social media platforms has left us fatigued with the digital world and yearning for more tangible experiences. It is no surprise that Gartner, a management consulting company, predicts that by 2025, 50% of consumers will reduce their social media usage. According to Garden Media Group’s trend report, the future holds less focus on digital interactions and more emphasis on human and natural connections.
Plants and gardens provide an avenue to break away from screens and immerse ourselves in the outdoors, trading keyboards for soil and digital interactions for genuine connections. In the upcoming year, we can seek community in activities such as community gardens and plant swaps, moving away from screens and towards meaningful interactions. For those who still desire some screen time, online groups dedicated to plants, gardens, and enthusiasts are a great option.
If your phone’s weekly screen time report raises concerns, it might be time to set aside your device and engage with nature. Grab a trowel, a bag of potting soil, and some plants or seeds to create a green oasis to enjoy with loved ones. Cultivate a garden filled with vibrant plants to restore balance and harmony in your life.
On a related note, living fences present an innovative way to add personality and elegance to properties without violating HOA regulations. By incorporating a mix of plants, living fences can create a diverse environment that supports wildlife, reduces erosion, and softens the landscape more effectively than traditional fences. Moreover, living fences are cost-effective compared to privacy fences, making them a sustainable and affordable landscaping option.
Gardening enthusiasts can enhance their experience by listening to music while tending to their plants, as reported by Garden Media Group. For a livelier gardening session, why not dance while digging in the dirt?
Incorporate hummingbird-friendly elements into your garden to attract these enchanting creatures. As the glamorous animal of the year, hummingbirds are captivating to many individuals, and by planting nectar-producing flowers and offering feeders, you can assist in preserving their populations amidst challenges like habitat loss and climate change.
Transitioning from manicured lawns to deliberately messy gardens can benefit both us and the environment. More gardeners are opting for a natural and earth-friendly gardening style, as evident from Monrovia’s survey showing an increasing desire for a relaxed and imperfect garden aesthetic. Embrace the beauty of “lived-in gardens” to create a welcoming outdoor space that promotes biodiversity and sustainability.
The author emphasizes that we will witness a rise in popularity of natural, imperfect landscapes as people increasingly turn away from pristine, perfectly symmetrical settings that defy the forces of nature at every turn. To achieve a lived-in, natural aesthetic in your outdoor space, consider implementing one or more of the following suggestions: Replace water-intensive turf grass with alternatives like meadows, pollinator gardens, native plant gardens, or outdoor living areas. Embrace longer grass between mowings and allow clover to flourish in your lawn. Leave spent flowers on their stalks to provide birds with seeds and shelter. Permit vines to climb in unexpected places and create lush plantings that lend an established look to your yard. Strategic pruning can help maintain an intentional appearance rather than a disheveled one. Opt for native perennials, shrubs, and trees that are well-suited to your climate and will contribute to supporting local wildlife. Encourage moss to grow on walls, rocks, and tree trunks where it will not pose any harm. For more details, refer to the original article published by Better Homes & Gardens.