Nature is the heal all for stress, anxiety, and many other physical ailments. Whether your into walking, running, hiking, biking, or gardening, getting outside and back in touch with nature is essential to living a happy and healthy life! Every year gardening trends change. Whatever your gardening style and needs are, we have curated a list of our four favorite trends in gardening this year, that we are sure will appeal to just about any garden lover!

Dogscaping

Are you a nature and dog lover? Need to find a happy medium for your garden and pet? Enter the ideology of dogscaping! To eliminate potential digging, eating and any other rough play in the garden, consider strategic fencing and design when incorporating your furry friend. Investing in proper training, to train your fur ball to stay out of certain sections of your garden, may be a notion to consider as well. Also, with 1 in 3 dogs getting cancer each year, the general populous is trending towards eliminating poisonous plants and chemicals, creating a more environmentally sound garden.

Container Gardening

This has been an ongoing gardening trend for some years now, but this trend is here to stay. There are a few reasons for this… The onset of the first wave of baby boomers retiring and downsizing their homes, as well as other generations opting for smaller spaces, makes way for smaller gardening spaces. Container gardens are the perfect solution to continue to keep up with a garden, without the maintenance involved in a larger yard. The upward trend toward bold colors and textures, including tropical foliage, alongside succulents, not only adds variety to your garden, but all species can be planted in a small space garden.

The increasing interest in the farm-to-table trend of where our food supply comes from has sparked interest in planting berries and homegrown herbs in container gardens. The upkeep is not too daunting for either and children and adults alike can enjoy growing fresh herbs, various classic berries, or newer varieties like pink blueberries and yellow raspberries! When you grow your own herbs or berries there is no need to worry about toxic chemicals being sprayed and then ingested. Not only is there the benefit of growing your own food, but there is a comfort in knowing your taking control of your health and what’s going into your body!

“NaTECHure”

Why can’t nature and technology get along? We don’t see why not… It is very possible and in fact is common amongst the younger, millennial crowd, to not only be into tech, but also have a strong environmental connection. Using the Internet, apps, solar and other technology in conjunction with the your garden, can actually help your garden be more efficient, while making gardening attractive to every generation. For instance a watering reminder app or stationing plant monitoring devices in the garden, to monitor garden conditions wirelessly, poses as a huge benefit to gardening more efficiently.

Naturalistic Native Plant Gardens

Due to increased urbanization, native species and animals continue to be in danger. For instance the pollinator/bee issue, is one proponent for gardeners interest to plant native. Planting pollinator-friendly native plants, alongside host plants, such as a Black-Eyed Susan or Milkweed, will attract pollinators and benefit the environment for years to come. Blending the native plants with some non-native low maintenance plants, not only gives the garden a natural nature appeal, but will save your body from the grunt work involved in mulching, trimming and lawn-mowing. The combination can lead to a classic traditional garden, to a modern farmhouse, or give off a more contemporary look and feel!