In 2024, many of us are looking for ways to make our little slice of the outdoors more sustainable, more healthy, and more vibrant. We want to create leafy spaces where we can escape from the stress of everyday life and nourish our well-being. We’re also looking to have fun in the garden by embracing a trend toward deep, dark plants in a backward look at moody, Victorian gothic. Those of us not looking to the 19th century for inspiration are looking to the future, bringing sci-fi to the garden in the form of plants with neon-tinged foliage, terrariums, and night gardens.
In short, there are really no limits to what your garden can be.
Here are some of the biggest garden trends predicted for 2024:
Terrariums
Indoor gardening, like tabletop terrariums, will see a rise in popularity as they allow for year-round gardening.
Silver-Hued Plants
Plants with a silver-hue will become all very popular in 2024 thanks to their ability to brighten up your landscaping. Think lamb’s ear, blue fescue curry plant, dusty miller and more.
Pollinating Plants
As the desire to nurture nature becomes more prevalent, the yearning for more pollinating planting will increase, as well. Now, people are expanding the idea of making yards and gardens more beneficial by adding edible plants, reducing lawns, and using sustainable gardening practices. Birds, bees and butterflies are extremely beneficial for your garden, and there will be a rise in gardeners and homeowners looking to grow flowers they love.
Night Gardens
Gardening at night will be on the rise as the desire to be immersed in nature, no matter the time of day, will gain momentum.
Dark Plants
Goth black flowers and plants will bring high drama to your garden beds and containers, a trend that is rising in popularity. Not only do these plantings bring unexpected foliage, they can also transform the look of your garden space.
Nostalgic Flowers
Uncertain times have us longing for old-fashioned flowers like roses and hydrangeas. We want to be reminded of landscapes we’ve seen surrounding 100-year-old houses, where the plants are a link to an era we imagine was simpler than the one we live in now.
Colorful Houseplants
Houseplant fever shows no sign of cooling down as biophilic design drives a demand for indoor plants. Biophilic design is a growing trend that incorporates elements like plants, earthy colors, and natural light in homes and offices to create a connection between the built environment and nature. The easiest way to bring biophilic design into a home is with houseplants, especially tropical plants that thrive in low light. So it’s little surprise that already popular monstera, pothos, philodendron, and ZZ plants will continue to be hot, hot, hot in 2024.
Wild Yards
Movements like No Mow May will gain popularity as many wish to leave their yards untouched and wild so that native birds, bees and insects can thrive in their natural habitat.
Balcony Gardening
Gardening is no longer limited to homeowners with expansive yards. There’s a whole new group of gardeners entering the chat and looking to make their balconies a lush paradise away from the urban sprawl.
Container Gardens
In an age of smaller yards and more urban living, container gardening owns the moment because it lets you put a lot of plants in a small space. Since most of us have less garden space than earlier generations had, container gardening is booming in popularity. The National Gardening Association found a 200% increase in container gardening in a single year and predicts that trend will continue. Hanging containers, which take up no floor space or deck/patio space, are the ultimate space-saving garden.
Community Gardens
On that note, more and more community gardens are popping up in urban areas. These spaces allow for a group of people to grow and share crops throughout the year.
Gardening for Wellness
When your plants bring you joy, you feel better. It’s gardening as a sort of outdoor therapy. Try this garden trend by creating a meditation area or a sitting nook so you can sit amid your plants and just breathe. Enhance the effect with fragrant plants, which can make us feel happier and calmer every time we take a deep breath near them.
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