Gardening Trends for 2016

So what are the gardening trends for 2016? The Garden Media Group, whose members I have had the pleasure of meeting through the Garden Writers Association, has spotted several trends. We've seen some of them in our customers' gardens and heard from garden clubs about a few of these trends.

Rewilding--Getting out to see nature, or visiting a national park, gives us a sense of the big outdoors and is  easy and fun. Sometimes, we view gardening as work. Maybe by rewilding we can blur the lines to cultivate our gardens and enjoy nature at the same time.

Our love of nature includes the 'big outdoors' and our own yards

Syncing nature and technology--I'm guilty, as are my gardening friends on facebook and Instagram, of sharing my experiences with plants and nature via my phone and tablet. A couple of guys from Chicago have taken things a step further through a new mobile app called GrowIt! With the app, users can snap a photo of their plant and ask questions or just share it with fellow plant geeks.

Welltality--We know gardening is healthy, and growing our own food has encouraged us to try new things on our plates. Learning about the benefits of plants everyday in our lives is a consistent source of inspiration for gardening.


Billy grows many vegetables for his family and to share with others

Makers--Pinterest, the Paint Nite phenomenon and other creative outlets, have us shifting from the DIY of doing to making. Creativity knows no bounds.


Miniature gardens allow creativity on a small scale

 Layered landscapes---Our yards can be beautiful and functional to the bigger world. Planting way- stations for butterflies, gardens attractive to pollinators and a space for wildlife, teaches us to share our yard and embrace biodiversity.

Gardens between lawns and paths are wonderful for pollinators

 

Backyard boldness--A bit of our personalities can't help but find its way into our gardens. Use sculptures, works of art and other projects outside. Take a look at Longwood Gardens Nightscape for bold, cool, beautiful lighting that will take the family outdoors to enjoy the garden at night.

A dinosaur in the garden surprises and delights us

Dogscaping--Pets are an integral part of our lives, and their health is every bit as important as our own. The outdoors is theirs too; keep it a safe and fun place. 

Pets love the outdoors too! Right, Bart?



Tucker agrees!

Conservation meets innovation--New tools and techniques allow us to garden in new ways while conserving our natural resources.

What are some of the trends you see? Please share them with us.