Garden trend forecast for Spring 2022

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With September just around the corner, we take a look at 5 trend that are going to be big in the garden this Spring!

Big statement pots

Pots have seen a massive rise in popularity in recent years, with them giving gardeners the option to have plants where there isn’t any soil. You can now buy small decorative pots everywhere from homeware stores, to florists to post offices!

The problem with lots of small pots is that they dry out quickly and having lots of them makes a space feel cluttered and chaotic.

This spring, we are predicting a move away from clusters of small pots, towards having fewer large, statement pots. 

These pots are more garden feature than garden feature than garden substitute, and are an easy way to give a green space real character. And with a wide range of finishes, there is sure to be one to suit your home and garden style. 

A single large pot on a deck with a sculptural olive or japanese maple needs nothing else to make a huge statement. Or artistically place a textured urn in the garden bed with a simple underplanting of Arthropodium for a low maintenance, but high impact garden. 

The key with large statement pots is to go with quality over quantity. Choosing a high quality finish that will stand the test of time is crucial, as large pots are difficult to move once in situ. 

More edible trees

Growing your own tomatoes, zucchinis and lettuce has been a favourite pastime for gardeners during COVID restrictions. Increasingly we want our gardens to be more than beautiful, we want them to be productive as well. 

We predict this Spring will see home gardeners taking on the next level of productive gardening, by including fruiting trees into their green spaces. 

Lemon trees have long been a staple for Melbourne backyards, but other citrus, such as oranges and grapefruits are experiencing a rise in popularity. Olives have long been praised for their hardiness and silver, evergreen foliage, but more and more customers are hoping to preserve their own olives for table use.

For those wanting something a little different, fig fresh of the tree will surpass anything you have ever found in a supermarket. Or try a Feijoa, these prolific fruiters are compact in size and easy to maintain. 

The great things about fruiting trees is that they can be more than just productive. They have lots of ornamental value as well and can provide shade and screening in the garden. 

Forget the rules and mix garden styles

More and more, home gardeners are less preoccupied with sticking to a standard garden style, and are more interested in creating a space that is fun and playful. 

No longer restrained by traditions, we are finding that our customers are excited to try out new planting combinations and are looking to include plants into their gardens that they have never seen before. 

We are so lucky in melbourne that we are able to grow such a wide range of plant life. There are few other places where a tropical Giant Bird of Paradise will grow happily next to a cold loving Heuchera. 

We encourage our customers to think less about what plants “normally” go together and consider more the unique characteristics of each plant to decide what works together. Contrasting textures, repeated colours and including shapes and forms that compliments one another is the best recipe for creating a garden that is uniquely you own! 

The easiest way to plan a garden without relying on old tropes, is to select a hand full of garden elements you love and then finding plants that will tie these elements together. 

Perhaps you love Jacarandas and Hydrangeas? You can carry the purple tones throughout your other plant choices, and include plants with a strong vertical element to contrast against their rounded forms. 

More green!

With garden sizes generally on the decrease, and a desire to create our own personal oases, gardeners are opting for less hard, flat surfaces and more lush greenery. 

Lawns are getting smaller or are being entirely foregone and paving is being interspersed with ground covers and is made to blend into the edges of the garden beds. 

Further to this, we are squeezing in plants into every available space. As previously mentioned, pots are increasingly being used to garden in all manner of spaces, while fences and walls are being covered with climbers and espaliered trees. Star Jasmine has long been the stand out favourite for greening up a wall, but gardeners are getting creative and trying out varieties of Clematis, Roses and Parthenocissus.

Add to all that our love of indoor plants, many homes truly are becoming urban jungles!

Spending time in the garden

As the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, we predict that the Spring of 2022 will be the year that Melbournians rediscover their backyards. More than just a pretty picture to look at through the window, we can see people living and working out in their gardens. 

Setting up for a days work under the shade of a vine covered pergola, reading stories together and doing homework on a picnic blanket on the lawn, or enjoying dinner out on the veranda. Gardens are an extension of our homes, and this will be the year we learn just how valuable this space is.