Plants that do more and cost less. Water-saving strategies. Black and amber foliage. Small-space landscaping. Metal décor. Growing up (vertical gardening). And a bigger focus on front yards over back yards.
These are just a few of the hot gardening trends for
valentines flowers ideas 2012 that have been identified by various experts around North America and beyond.
But arguably the most significant trend is the emergence of what are being called “urban knights” – a growing army of new do-gooder green thumbs who are creating food and flower gardens wherever space will allow – on abandoned building sites, rooftops, balconies, alley ways, and in the limited space of their own front yards.
According to Susan McCoy, of the U.S.-based trend-spotting Garden Media Group, this new generation of gardeners is composed of environmentally-conscious Gen Xs and Ys who believe in the power of plants and regard plants as “no longer a luxury, but a necessity for our lives.”
This new horticultural ground force knows that “plants can live without us, but we can’t live without plants.”
And the primary goal of this emerging gardening movement is to change the world for the better by recycling, conserving and re-purposing in order to “protect the earth’s resources.”
In the process, McCoy says the urban knights believe they can find balance and purpose, as well as cultivate a “new good life” by establishing community gardens, especially for growing fruit and vegetables, and by renewing urban spaces in a way that has a positive impact not only on the environment, but on the economy, health and wellness.
Apparently, signs of this trend – what McCoy calls “the urban grit influence to protect the earth’s resources” – were highly visible at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show, where all sorts of resourceful eco-friendly ideas were prominently showcased, including wind turbines, reclaimed materials, water-saving plants, vertical green walls, rainwater harvesting systems and backyard chicken coops.
Hand in hand with the urban-knight movement is the Occupy Local trend that involves more people supporting local farmers markets – the natural outlets for organically, homegrown products.
“Farmers markets are our new backyard veggie gardens and are becoming our local grocery store,” says McCoy.
According to the Anthony Tesselaar Group, one of the world’s top plant marketing companies, none of the doom-and-gloom predictions for the year will affect gardening.
“From the garden world’s perspective, life will continue to be good with gardeners saving themselves water, hassles and misspent money,” Tesselaar says.
Here’s a look at other key trends for
valentines flowers ideas 2012:
Small space landscaping
With more and more people living in less and less space, there is a greater need to make smart decisions about what to grow and how to grow it. Dwarf conifers are expected to make a big comeback for people who want an easy-care, structural plant that requires minimal watering.
Water conservation
It’s on the minds of many gardeners who will be searching for more drought-tolerant plants that aren’t water hogs, as well as innovative ways to collect and recycle water and monitor its use.
Black and amber
Black and amber, according to the Tesselaar group, will continue to be the hot colour trend in North America, with amber heucheras and Flower Carpet roses leading the way. The Garden Media Group sees colour trends being much more complex with rich gem colours catching a lot of attention as well as deep purples, soothing greens and striking shades of tropical colours.
Low-risk, high-value plants
Gardeners want more bang for their buck and are looking for plants that give more reward for less money. They want to invest in tried-and-true winners; plants that have a high disease resistance, long blooming period, and enduring structural and foliage interest. This trend goes hand in hand with a deepening respect for name-brand plants, such as Proven Winners.
Smaller water features
According to Sharon Coates of Zaretsky and Associates — one of the biggest landscape firms in the U.S. — people are moving away from large ponds and toward smaller water features. “Now people prefer a cut piece of stone, a boulder or beautiful glazed urn with water bubbling out of the top. People either have to be really into ponds and all the maintenance they take or they have to hire someone to do it for them.”
Heavy metal
Fountains and decorative features made of natural stone or metal are going to be hot sellers. Copper and other metals are becoming popular materials for garden statuary and other key decorative features.
More front gardens
Apparently, the back yard is slowly being replaced by more intense focus on front yards. Statistics show that people like their handiwork to be more visible, which in the U.S. has meant a steady increase in the number of front gardens over the last two years, according to Garden Trends Research Report’s spring 2011 survey.
Vertical gardening
This is partly linked to the small-space gardening trend, as people look for more effective ways to grow plants in restricted spaces. It means more trellises, arbours, wall-gardens and climbing plants that flourish in small containers.
Bring back birds
This trend was first spotted in a major way at the garden show at Chicago’s Navy Pier, where there was a wave of interest in ways to bring birds back into the garden, using everything from nesting boxes, bird baths, feeders and birdhouses. But this trend also connects up with the desire to add more plants to the garden that attract birds and butterflies as well as serve the needs of bees.
Mindful consumption
This is really an extension of the gardener’s basic mantra of “do no harm.” Where possible, gardeners want to put their money where it will do the most good, buying plants that support local gardening enterprises and products that spread the wealth. This is consistent with the 2010 Cone Survey that found 83 per cent of consumers want to see more brands, products and companies that support worthy causes.
