In 2019, which seems like a lifetime ago, we were quietly satisfied with the advance of gardening into communities, families and, through houseplants, to a new generation. Then came covid, lockdowns, and a nation reeling with the effects of the pandemic. The response was to seek sanctuary in the great outdoors and we turned to gardening, gardens and plants for respite.
People suddenly valued their neglected gardens, saw the potential in green spaces to help nature, found their wellbeing enhanced by plants and were comforted in uncertain times. Home horticulture will never be the same again – here are some of my predictions for 2022.
The phenomenal surge in gardening during the initial pandemic period continues, with sales of gardening goods remaining high. After their first taste of success, new gardeners will be tempted to invest in everything from cold frames and raised beds to big ticket items such as conservatories, greenhouses and sheds.
However, with return to work and a resumption of commuting, time to garden will decrease. Time and labour-saving activities, products and services are likely to be especially popular; including growing kits, pre-planted hanging baskets, troughs, and garden maintenance services.
Gardeners will be less willing to use plastics, water, Pesticides are substances designed to kill or control the growth and behaviour of living organisms. They are also known as plant protection products and include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and molluscicides. The RHS doesn’t support the use of pesticides and recommends that gardeners use non-chemical control options whenever needed.
Growing your own is an example of a long-term trend that evolves in waves. Firstly it was seed-raised vegetables, then fruit, then on to Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Coming up in 2022, we welcome more naturalistic, lower input gardening; growing edible crops with no digging, no fertiliser, little watering and a different approach to dealing with weeds, pests and diseases. Using this approach doesn't reduce yield and quality as much as traditional gardeners might expect, and proponents point to other aspects that they hold more important, such as environmental benefits.
How we use our gardens
Whilst alternative leisure activities have re-opened, many people are still wary of public indoor situations. This suggests that high levels of visiting gardens and garden centres will persist.
Climate change remains highly topical and with it, our national obsession with the weather. Activities that revolve around weather will remain important as shown by interest in RHS gardening advice on how to enhance gardening at each end of the growing season. ‘All weather’ gardening is of interest – the boom in gazebos and shelters during lockdown and subsequent shortages of garden furniture suggest this will continue.
Many people have realised that their previously somewhat neglected gardens are rather under-planted. The new-found appetite for plants and planting is likely to continue, making use of the very wide range of easy to grow, quick-flowering and affordable offerings from the horticultural industry: these include clematis, hydrangeas and roses, for example.
The relative scarcity of strong colours in the recent autumn RHS Chelsea Flower Show suggests the tastemakers are still wedded to green. Pastel colours brought comfort in the troubling times of the last 18 months, but as people’s confidence returns so will a taste for more strident tones of blooms.
Part of this is driven by more cut flowers being grown. Vibrant dahlias and zinnias for example, have opened people’s eyes to colour. Fuel costs will inhibit tender bedding plant production (pelargoniums and petunias, for example) but low-temperature plants such as plug-raised Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Houseplants, health and wellbeing remain deeply embedded in people’s engagement with plants and gardens. Nurturing is a key factor for wellbeing and taking care of houseplants plays its part here.
Having limited space to garden, even if the growing space is temporary, for example when renting a home, has played a part in helping boost houseplant growing. Shortages of potting Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.
Wildlife gardening has long been part of mainstream gardening, but increased awareness of the current The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.
A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.
Long-lasting trends tend to develop as In gardening, ‘aspect’ refers to the direction in which a garden or plant is facing. This can affect the amount of sunlight and shade that plants receive, as well as the temperature and wind exposure. South- and west-facing aspects are usually warm and sunny, while east- and north-facing aspects are colder and shadier.
This page is an adaptation of an article published in the January 2022 edition of The Garden magazine, free to RHS members every month when you join the RHS.
