10 Neat Things: Garden Trends
1. Recycle and repurpose garden, 269,869 pins.
From teapot bird feeders to dresser-drawer container gardens, stylish Pinterest readers can get their craft on with this garden trend. A word of warning, though: dresser drawers will rot if you fill them with soil and water. To make them last more than a full season or two, line the drawers with garbage bags or heavier plastic. And drill holes in the bottom, of course.
2. Balcony garden, 264,966 pins.
Welcome to the gardening world, Millennials! And congratulations to young people for not waiting until and if they can afford a house and land. Balcony gardening is the way to go if you don’t have room.
3. Sustainable garden, 250,613 pins.
Becoming self sufficient has always been a concept that occurred to food gardeners, but since the pandemic lockdowns, it has become an obsession for a lot more people. A year ago, we didn’t know how we would be getting our produce or if workers would be allowed in to harvest at farms. Permaculture, hugelkultur and food forests are growing in popularity and becoming a hot gardening trend.
4. White garden, 215,156 pins.
This one surprised me because it is hardly new. The white garden is something I had tried when I was new to gardening about 25 years ago, and soon realised that I didn’t have the discipline for. The most famous all-white garden is at Sissinghurst in Great Britain, the creation of the great gardener Vita Sackville-West in the 1930s. White gardens are magical at night in the moonlight and impressive during the day.
5. Vertical garden, 153,092 pins.
This one follows on balcony gardening; it’s a good way to make better use of limited space. There are many planters you can buy that will allow you to have low-growing food or annuals (or perennials, for the higher Zones of the country), or you can make your own. Imagine having all your herbs on a south-facing wall. Sounds great!
6. Garden office, 123,542 pins.
So many people are working from home now, this is a great new trend. In our home, my husband set up shop in the dining room for the first few months of the pandemic before I got him to move to the finished basement. My office is in a tiny bedroom that seconds as my dressing room. If our garden were big enough to house a winterized shed, we’d be fighting over it!
7. Social space garden, 14,644 pins.
People post on Pinterest about outdoor kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms. Perhaps this has to do with outdoor socializing with friends at certain times in certain places during the pandemic. All this home-time has shown most of us that our yards and balconies are a part of our homes and should be fully used as such. Time to look for an outdoor couch!
8. Split level garden, 9,940 pins.
You know one thing landscapers do that ordinary folks don’t? They look for ways to make a garden multi-level. If your yard is flat, this can be achieved by creating berms or sunken gardens. If your yard is on a hill, terracing will make all the difference.
9. Staycation garden, 6,562 pins.
Want to create a staycation garden? Just add seating spaces, lights and keep your plantings low maintenance. The other thing that comes under staycation gardens is the gardens you can visit in your town or a short drive away. We did a 10 Neat Things about public gardens across the country; you might find inspiration, click here.
10. Rustic retreat garden, 6,529 pins.
Most of these are she-sheds and pergolas dressed to the max for a homey, rustic feel. This is truly inspiring and gets me thinking about major garden projects this year. The only problem is the price of lumber… which brings us back to number 1, the repurpose and recycle garden!
– Shauna Dobbie Copyright©
Pegasus Publications Inc.
