As times change, so do our preferences. This shift naturally means that trends come and go, and our gardens often go through various style iterations.
From sustainability-focused gardens to Mykonos-inspired designs, in this list, we’ll run through some of our gardening trend predictions. Will you be adopting one of the newest trends in gardening and planting? Let’s find out.
Tech-Influenced Gardening
Technology is an ever-developing phenomenon. Every year consumers are met with the latest gadgets packed full of features promising to change our lives for the better.
One of the fastest developing of these technologies comes in the form of artificial intelligence (AI), specially augmented reality (AR). The cameras on our phones are used for much more than just taking pictures, they can now recognise items placed in front of them, including your precious flowers.
Launched last year, iPhones can utilise a feature called “Visual Lookup”. All you need to do is take a picture, long press on an item within that picture, and your phone will recognise it, tell you what it is, and allow you to cut it out from the image.
We think it’s only a matter of time before an app is created that will identify which stage of life your plants are at, giving specified advice on how to heal them and restore them to their former glory.
Anti-Climate Change Gardens
Last year, the UK experienced one of the hottest summers and coldest winters ever. Such turbulent weather conditions can be enough to throw any climate off, which severely impacts our gardens’ abilities to flourish.
Moving forward, it’s clear that some changes may be needed to improve our gardens’ resistance to such environmental fluctuations. One keen way of doing that would be swapping out seasonally-restricted flowers like fuchsia for less weather dependent alternatives like phygelius.
Xeriscaping (landscaping to reduce the need for irrigation) could also be a viable option for gardeners looking to make their gardens more independent. Doing this will lessen the reliance on continuous water resources, thanks to the use of alternative landscaping measures such as rocks and gravel in place of soil.
Tropical Twists
A rising climate doesn’t mean you need to make dramatic changes to more sustainability-driven gardening efforts, however. Sometimes, we can use the slightly hotter climates to our advantage. Exotic, tropical plants typically fair worse in UK climates, preferring instead a consistent stream of hot weather to tide them over.
However, with temperatures slowly rising over the past 5 years, it seems as though UK gardeners are interested in adding more tropical plants to their outdoor spaces.
According to Google Trends, interest in tropical plants has fluctuated over the past 5 years, with a major spike in interest around 2020-2021. But we also see a sudden sharp increase of attention in the beginning of 2023. Could now be the time that these plants get the interest they deserve?
Herb Independence
Rising costs for food and entertainment around the globe have caused many of us to tighten our belts over the past 12 months. For some of us, this means severely stripping back the types of food we buy day-to-day, including our favourite herbs and spices.
Thankfully, growing herbs is a relatively cost-effective method of reintroducing these tasty supplements. The process couldn’t be simpler, either. The majority of herbs can be grown from seeds in a simple container and then left on a windowsill to utilise as much natural light as possible.
If you’re looking for inspiration on which ones to grow, it seems as though the most searched for herbs include nutmeg, coriander and parsley. Coriander in particular saw a surge of search interest at the beginning of 2022, while the popularity of nutmeg has seen steady incline for the past three years.
Outdoor Living Rooms
While our gardens are physically separated from our indoor living areas, there’s a real benefit in establishing a seamless flow between the two places. That’s why so many homeowners have invested in sliding or fold-away glass doors.
Gardens should be an extension of your home, and with that comes the same relaxing feel that comes with kicking back on the sofa after a long day. Often, we’ll try to introduce outdoor elements like trees and flowers inside our home, but more and more of us these days are thinking of ways to replicate the comfort of indoors, outside.
Looking at Google Trends, we see that interest for “outdoor living room” has been on the rise over the past five years. This popularity peaked in May 2021, with a slight upward tilt being seen towards the end of 2022. Could we see this trend hit new heights in 2023? Get ahead of the curve with some comfy, durable garden furniture.
Garden Minimalism
Minimalism is a popular interior design trend that encourages homeowners to think hard about their possessions. It’s about stripping back, taking stock and only owning what you need. The result is a much less cluttered lifestyle, and with that comes significantly easier organisation.
Alongside its interior popularity, garden minimalism is also seeing a similar level of interest. Specifically, searches for “minimalist garden” saw major attention at both the start and end of 2022. If you’re not quite sure where to get started, we love the look of this minimal court-yard garden by @stonelotuslandscapes
Breathe life into your garden with KETTLER
Is your garden lagging behind design wise? Or, perhaps you’d like to make it more comfortable? If so, now might be the perfect time to bring it into the modern world. At KETTLER, we’ll help you do exactly that with everything from futuristic fire pit tables to casual dining sets built with you in mind.
