The “Garden Media group” looks at future trends and the 2021 report, “The Great Reset”, looks at what may be trending for horticulture and gardening.

Here are the six trends that the garden Media Group says will shape the future of gardening.

1. Improv Era: Many garden centers are shifting their way of doing business to include delivery and curbside pickup. Shoppers may also see more in the way of electronic payments and touchless transactions. The study shows that consumers want EXPERIENCES and they want them OUTDOORS, so business in the garden industry are forecasted to follow this trend.

2. Broadacre Cities: This idea was inspired by the great Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Broadacre Cities are super grids of family plots on one or more acres of land. They are basically the idea of little homesteads that are designed to help the community thrive. Remote workers especially will like this idea since it allows more self sufficiency and ability to live close to the home and family.

3. Backyard Aficionado: There is a new survey that says that there are over 16 million new gardeners since Covid-19. These new customers are interested in 3 basic things: Food, backyard activities and wellness. With the increase of “at-home-cooking”and a fear of food scarcity, many people are turning to growing their own food. Also, with the decrease in vacations and travel, landscapers are seeing an increase in the desire for backyard activities by these homeowners. They desire things such as raised garden beds, patios, fire pits, etc. Then, the interest in wellness is also related to the increase in gardening as a trend. If you grow your own food, you can control what is in the soil and if the food you are growing is organic or not. You can also have activities in your yard that promote an active, healthy lifestyle such as having a swimming pool installed.

4. Tiny Gratification: Many Backyard Aficionado’s are discovering ‘tiny plants’, especially in edible gardening. Tiny edibles tend to grow faster and finish faster. We are all about ‘instant gratification’, right? Consider small vegetables such as ‘Micro-Tom tomato’ or ‘Mini Bell Peppers’. Houseplants are also trending.

5. Design Abundance: This trend is all about a shift in the industry that will return us to nature, and ultimately lead to a greener society. As cities are basically shutting down, people are yearning to return to nature. A shift will happen away from viewing mulch and plants as purely ornamental to seeing them as co-creating with nature. Edible plants in the landscape which serve dual purpose of being ornamental and have the capability of providing a food source if needed is becoming popular. People will also invest in ways to provide hands-on-learning for their children. This includes a working knowledge of gardening and food production.

6. Turn out the lights: Many people are interested in a ‘conservation’ landscape which helps to preserve nature. One idea here is to literally ‘turn out the lights ’in your landscaping at night. This will help to preserve the insect populations that have been drastically affected over the years. As you know, insects are drawn to lights at night and are susceptible to death because of the lights. Insects can help in germination and are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem. If the lights are turned out at night, not only will you reduce your electric bill, but you will help save some of the insect population.