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Exciting garden trends for 2015

Sedums and succulents are trendy garden plants.

Kim Willis

What’s going to be the hot trends for gardeners this year? Every garden writer has their own ideas of course, but some things are obvious if you peruse the new catalogs and speak with garden shop owners. If you like keeping up with gardener Green here are some things that are going to be popular with gardeners this year.

• Pollinator gardens. This has been a hot topic in garden circles for a couple years, slowly erasing the native plants trend, which is still pretty popular in some areas. A pollinator garden is built around plants that have flowers that attract bees, butterflies and/or hummingbirds. It includes both native and non-native flowers and lets gardeners have a wide range of colorful plants to choose from. Also included in this trend are things like bee boxes for mason bees and bee feeders- similar to hummingbird feeders, which as anyone who has ever put up a hummingbird feeder knows, are one and the same thing. Mud “puddling” spots for butterflies are trendy too. This may be a trend of its own but many gardeners have begun putting beehives in their gardens as well.

• Sedums and succulents are finding many enthusiastic new owners and garden stores are adding new varieties constantly. Large, exotic succulents and groupings of succulents and sedums in containers are finding a niche in many gardens. Rock gardens are also seeing an increase as gardeners want a good place to display their succulents and sedums. Some of these succulents are not cold hardy and must be wintered inside, where they make fairly good houseplants. A downside to this trend is that some succulents are pretty pricy and if you start with a small specimen it can take years for it to mature into an impressive focal point. And although you can find a few succulents and sedums for the shade, most of these plants require full sun to do well.

• Food gardens and edible landscaping have been hot for years and the trend continues. More gardeners are planting small food gardens than the old fashioned big family gardens and heritage and gourmet vegetables and fruits are popular. Edibles grown in containers on porches, decks and patios are also popular and there are many new varieties of vegetables, herbs and even fruits being offered for container production. The containers themselves have become big business, with dozens of new styles and innovations on the market. In edible landscaping kiwi plants are giving way to goji berries and honeyberries and yards are being planted with saskatoons and aronia. Grapes and hop vines are also being planted as gardeners experiment with producing their own adult beverages. Kitchen and medicinal herb gardens are showing modest growth among gardeners also. Much like bee hives, chicken coops are also springing up in many gardens to provide another source of home grown food.

• As for plants, peppers, bok choy, unusual evergreens, roses and hydrangeas are all being featured in catalogs and stores this year. Heritage and unusual peppers are filling many pages in garden catalogs and are a hot item for food gardeners and cooks this year. Rare and kinky looking evergreens are being sold for garden focal points. Some of these are very expensive and some are not winter hardy so be careful choosing them in colder areas. Some of them can be wintered inside if planted in containers. Easy care landscape type roses and the improved landscape hydrangeas are also top sellers. Why bok choy is being featured is anyone’s guess. Colors considered trendy this year are pink and teal, with “rustic” hues also popular.

• Pre-designed gardens and plants labeled environmentally friendly and easy to grow are a hot trend this season, with stores offering packages of plants of several complementary varieties and little plans to show you how to plant them. Some stores and catalogs color code pots or otherwise mark plants that could be grouped together. Plants that conserve water, or that can grow in rain gardens, plants considered native plants, plants that don’t require pesticides and pruning and grow quickly are attractive to gardeners too. If a plant requires a lot of attention many gardeners now pass them up.

• Trends in garden art and hardscape include using recycled materials both as art and as building materials, outdoor showers, garden lights, fire pits and patio heaters. Outside kitchens continue to be popular too. Underground hobbit houses – some big enough to walk in – are being shown in trendy catalogs and magazines. Gardeninglighting is a hot trend now, with the many improvements to LED and solar lighting making installation much easier. Underwater lighting for water features is now safe and easy too. People are trying to make gardens extensions of their living space and lighting and heating allows gardens to be used after dark. Taking a shower outside can be thought of as conserving water- if the drain is directed to the garden- but that’s a trend some will want to pass on.

Remember your garden should please you, and be something you can care for without going crazy. If you don’t like these garden trends feel free to start your own trend.