How Does Your Garden Grow? Latest Gardening Trends

You can expect to see gardeners creating more than beautiful gardens in their outdoor spaces this year. The trend in gardening is to prioritize biodiversity and sustainability. Homeowners are seeking to make a deeper connection with the outdoors with eco-friendly landscapes. For some, outdoor space design is an extension of their interior, serving as an extra room for entertaining or relaxing. Whether you have a small garden for growing herbs or vegetables or a large space designed as an outdoor living room, here are some ideas to inspire those of you with a green or not-so-green thumb: 

Edible gardens —Growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs is not only fun and rewarding, but it will help you cut down on your grocery bill as well. Your produce will always be fresh, and you will always know what you are feeding yourself and your family. Even if you are a beginning edible gardener, you will find many fast-growing and easy-to-grow plants, such as leafy greens, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and peas. Oregano, parsley, rosemary and basil are herbs that are also novice-friendly to grow.

Going for the goth —While colorful gardens will not go out of style anytime soon, there are some gardeners who prefer blooms that are moodier, more dramatic and deeper hued. "Black Prince" Coleus, black velvet Rex Begonia and Mangave black widow are just a few gothic plants that, as the names suggest, are nearly all black. To complete the theme, add gothic elements such as statues, arches, fountains and pottery. 

Pollinator gardens —As people become more aware of the need to protect our declining bee populations, pollinator gardens are gaining in popularity. To attract bees to their gardens, homeowners are growing flowers/food for the bees such as daisies, lavender, lilac and honeysuckle. As a reward, homeowners will be delighted with visits from hummingbirds and butterflies as well as bees.

Xeriscaping —With droughts and water shortages in many parts of the country becoming a more common occurrence, gardeners are turning to xeriscaping. This gardening style relies on growing plants that require little to no water. As you can imagine, this is particularly popular in California, where gardeners are growing agave, cacti and other desert plants that can survive with very little rainfall.

Keep off the grass —Eco-conscious gardeners are exploring alternatives to traditional turf lawns as a way to cut down on water consumption. Following a few extremely hot summers coupled with water restrictions, gardeners are taking a hard look at sustainable garden designs that include species such as clover and ground cover such as creeping thyme.

If you are planning to update your existing garden design, you will want to include elements that make it a sustainable space that encourages biodiversity. Contact us to help you do your part to make your garden truly a "green" one. 

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