9 Gardening Trends That Are Going To Make Their Mark In 2017
Here are the best trends in the gardening world according to the experts at Monrovia.
1. Extreme Naturalism
Here’s a landscaping trend we adore: incorporating natural elements like rocks, boulders, and overgrown hedges for more structure.
2. Floratourism & Millennial Gardening
Too much technology has had young people heading to the great outdoors to unplug and connect with nature, says Monrovia. This movement can be seen in several trends including glamping and rustic dude ranches as popular vacation retreats, botanical gardens getting more foot traffic, and community gardens popping up in cities. And Monrovia predicts that millennials will embrace gardening more and more in the coming year as a respite from their digitally driven lives.
3. Statement Plants
Fill a large pot with a stunning “statement” plant to serve as the focal point of your garden. According to Monrovia, plant breeders have introduced varieties of boxwoods, compact hydrangeas, pomegranates, berries, and more that all make great “one-pot wonders” and require less maintenance.
4. Tough-and-Tender Balance
A sure way to elevate any outdoor space in 2017? Combine a mix of hardy, low-maintenance plants (think succulents, roses, and hydrangeas) with delicate, romantic varieties (like Itoh peonies and wisteria).
5. “Color Chameleon” Plants
Color-changing conifers that go from green in the summer to bronze, purple, and orange in the winter exploded in the gardening world last year, and Monrovia says they’ll continue that same streak in 2017.
6. Smaller-Scale Luxury
Large shrubs, hydrangea hedges, and crawling clematis hint at luxury, but if you don’t have the space, you can still get the same aesthetic. Compact versions of these traditionally large plants have become available. Look for mini rose gardens, smaller-scale hydrangeas, and more manageable clematis.
7. Backyard Edible Gardening
In response to the no-waste food movement, expect an increase in edible plants in American backyards. In 2014, the National Gardening Association reported that 1 in 3 households were growing food—63 percent of them millennials—and that number will only continue to grow, Monrovia proposes. An easy way to get started? Add perennial herbs to your garden.
8. Climate-Minded Gardening
Being climate-minded doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your beautiful landscape. As gardeners adapt to the climate, flower varieties that save water are becoming available. Look for native and drought-tolerant plants, says Monrovia. For example, the company carries a variety of lilacs suited to a number of zones throughout the country.
9. Bright, Bold Colors
Neutrals might be “in” in home décor, but outside, vibrant hues are trending. Instead of soft creams and pinks, flower beds will burst with bright orange, rich red, electric yellow, and brilliant fuchsia and purple, like the shades seen at the California Spring Trials.
Source: www.countryliving.com
