As the final weeks of 2023 approach, it’s natural to reflect on the experiences and lessons this year has offered us while also contemplating the potential prospects and possibilities that the upcoming year may hold. This rings especially true when considering the evolving landscape of gardening trends.
The turning of the year invites us to explore the forthcoming innovations and shifts in the gardening realm, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting and transformative period for gardening enthusiasts.
Let’s dive right in!
1. A Lush Escape
Because more people are working from home and need flexible living areas, gardens are changing to be useful for different family activities. Beyond being traditional areas for gardening or occasional outdoor meals, gardens are increasingly becoming hubs for a wide array of activities, catering to the diverse needs of household members.
The rising trend involves reimagining garden spaces to serve purposes beyond the conventional. Families are seeking to create pockets of functionality within their outdoor areas, allowing for a blend of work, leisure, and relaxation. For instance, there’s a growing inclination towards crafting serene and inviting corners designed explicitly for quiet activities like reading or contemplation. These cozy nooks might feature comfortable seating, shaded areas, and perhaps even small water features, offering an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
2. Giving You Butterflies
In the upcoming year 2024, there will be a noticeable surge in interest in and appreciation for crucial pollinators like bees and butterflies. These winged insects are steadily gaining popularity, transcending their place in gardens to become decorative motifs within interior design. Manufacturers are adorning items such as pillows, rugs, lamps, and wallpaper with their imagery, symbolizing a connection with nature and celebrating the beauty and importance of these pollinators.
Shubber Ali, CEO of Garden for Wildlife, highlights this burgeoning trend, emphasizing how the growing fascination and awareness of these insects is not just about their aesthetic appeal. It extends to an increased appreciation for the essential role these pollinators play in our ecosystem. As Ali notes, this rising interest in bees and butterflies is also sparking a renewed curiosity and understanding of the plants they rely on for sustenance.
3. Setting the Mood
In 2024, we’re embracing darker colors in our gardens with open arms. Think midnight blues, deep purples, velvety reds, and rich, almost-black greens.
Embrace a moody aesthetic by integrating eerie plants, unique pottery, and mystic statuary into your space. Enhance the ambiance by uplighting trees and celebrating the allure of untidy, withered, and faded blooms.
These hues are not only aesthetically pleasing but also a nod to the world of music and artistic expression. Perhaps what might come to mind is the mystic allure of Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, whose eclectic style often incorporates dark, earthy tones.
Incorporating the essence of Stevie Nicks into your garden design can help bring that same enchantment and mystical energy into your outdoor space.
4. Memories in Full Bloom
Preserving memories through the art of flower pressing, drying, or encapsulating them in resin is a timeless and cherished practice that has become more prevalent in recent times. These methods allow us to capture the fleeting beauty of blooms, creating enduring mementos that evoke nostalgia and sentiment.
Flower pressing involves carefully flattening blossoms between pages, retaining their delicate form and colors. Drying flowers enables them to maintain their shape while naturally dehydrating, making them perfect for creating long-lasting decorations or arrangements.
On the other hand, encasing flowers in resin seals their elegance, suspending them in time within a transparent, glossy medium. This preservation method captures the flowers’ intricate details, allowing them to be transformed into stunning jewelry, paperweights, or ornamental pieces, serving as visual reminders of special occasions or meaningful moments, whether it’s the pink hibiscus flower from a wedding bouquet or a flower found along the shore while traveling on your honeymoon.
5. Cultivate a Day of Relaxation
Whether it’s through Instagram reels or your own Facebook feed, you’re likely to come across people trying to create the perfect spa day experience. Sure, you could pluck strawberries to dunk in chocolate or slice cucumbers for your eyes, but why not elevate the experience a notch higher?
In your own garden, a variety of plants can be grown to create a serene environment, perfect for unwinding after work while enjoying your favorite romantic comedy. Here are a few:
Lavender: Renowned for its delicate and sweet fragrance, lavender is celebrated for its stress-relieving and anxiety-reducing properties, as well as its potential to alleviate mild forms of pain.
Aloe Vera: Recognized for its natural moisturizing properties, aloe vera can hydrate the skin without leaving an oily residue. Additionally, it is known for having anti-aging properties and possessing both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics, making it particularly advantageous for skin prone to acne.
Jasmine: Known for its sweet, floral aroma, jasmine is known for its potential ability to instill a sense of calm and uplift the mood. It can also moisturize the scalp and nourish hair strands, and it’s traditionally used as an herbal remedy to help ease digestive discomfort.
Chamomile: Famed for its gentle and calming qualities, chamomile can potentially alleviate skin irritations like eczema, rashes, and sunburn. Additionally, when consumed as tea, chamomile may aid in relieving menstrual cramps and soothing digestive discomfort.
6. A Futuristic Oasis
The surge in fascination with science fiction has birthed the term “hortifuturism.” Picture a scene filled with neon elements and innovative lighting, mirroring the ethereal glow of moonlight. This trend includes selecting plants with an otherworldly or futuristic appearance, such as striking succulents, ethereal air plants, and captivating, unusual flora that turns heads.
Moreover, enthusiasts of the hortifuturistic movement can adopt a forward-thinking approach by including advanced technologies such as intelligent irrigation systems, solar-powered LED installations, smart plant sensors, and even automated lawnmowers or robotic weeders. To complement the whimsical ambiance, finalize the hortifuturistic garden with modern, streamlined, and minimalist design elements.
7. Hanging Around
The rise in urban living has propelled the increasing popularity of small-space and container gardening. Their advantages encompass maximizing vertical space, enhancing aesthetics, producing food, and establishing privacy.
Plants with cascading forms often necessitate lower maintenance, benefiting from improved airflow that minimizes the risk of rotting. This setup encourages vines to naturally cascade and spread.
Arranging plants in this fashion also fosters a layered appearance, reminiscent of the diverse canopies found in untamed rainforests.
Wrapping Up
As we bid farewell to 2023 and embrace the dawn of a new year, the evolving trends in gardening reveal a canvas ripe with innovation, sustainability, and aesthetic elegance. The coming year holds the promise of an exciting journey through novel horticultural explorations, inviting gardening enthusiasts to embark on an odyssey through uncharted and imaginative gardening landscapes.
To help you get started with the new year ahead of us, be sure to check out your closest Homegrown Outlet!
Danielle Dixon
Danielle is a content writer at Homegrown Outlet. Aside from having a longtime passion for literature and writing, she is also an animal lover who enjoys crafting and watching documentaries.
