In 2024, our gardens will evolve into havens of sustainability, wellness, and style. Whether you’re looking to create a lush retreat, experiment with new plant varieties, or embrace a nostalgic or futuristic theme, there’s a garden trend for everyone this year. Let’s dive into the top eight trends that are set to dominate gardens everywhere.
1. Eco-Conscious Gardens
Eco-conscious gardening is taking center stage as more people strive to create sustainable outdoor spaces. This trend goes beyond just planting for beauty—it’s about making gardens beneficial for both humans and wildlife. In 2024, gardeners are focusing on soil health, reducing lawn areas, and incorporating edible plants. Pollinator-friendly gardens, filled with native flowers like coneflowers, are not only attractive but also vital for supporting local ecosystems.
Compact berry bushes, like the ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberry, are perfect for small spaces, offering both beauty and a bountiful harvest. You can also add a culinary twist with edible flowers like the Flavorette Honey-Apricot Rose, which is both disease-resistant and delicious. To top it off, a tea garden filled with plants like lemon verbena, bee balm, and chamomile offers a soothing, eco-friendly oasis.
2. Colorful Houseplants
Houseplants continue to be a hot trend, especially as biophilic design—bringing nature indoors—gains popularity. In 2024, it’s all about colorful foliage. Houseplants like the ‘Chameleon’ ZZ plant with its golden yellow leaves or the variegated ‘Lemon Meringue’ pothos bring a splash of brightness to indoor spaces. These plants are not only beautiful but also thrive in low light, making them ideal for any home.
3. Gardening for Wellness
Gardening is increasingly seen as a form of outdoor therapy, helping us disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life. In 2024, more gardeners will create spaces specifically designed for relaxation and wellness. Adding a meditation nook or a cozy seating area surrounded by fragrant plants like the Eau de Parfum rose or Gardenia jasminoides ‘Buttons’ can create a peaceful retreat. These aromatic plants enhance the garden’s calming atmosphere, making every deep breath a little bit sweeter.
4. Heat-Tolerant Plants
With temperatures on the rise, heat-tolerant plants are becoming essential for gardeners. 2024 is all about choosing plants that can handle extreme weather conditions. Mandevilla vines, now available in convenient six-packs, are perfect for covering large areas quickly and thriving in the heat. Lavender, especially the ‘Phenomenal’ variety, and heat-tolerant roses like the Grace N’ Grit series are also great choices for gardens facing hotter-than-ever summers.
5. Container Gardens
As urban living continues to grow, so does the popularity of container gardening. Perfect for small spaces, container gardens allow you to maximize your planting area, even in the smallest of yards or balconies. Hanging containers are especially trendy, with climbing and trailing plants adding movement and drama to vertical spaces. Plants like the Itsy Bitsy Peach miniature rose, tiny tomatoes, and the ‘Sapphire Cascade’ blueberries are excellent options for container gardening, offering beauty and bounty in compact forms.
6. Nostalgic Flowers
In uncertain times, many gardeners are turning to nostalgic flowers that evoke memories of simpler days. Roses, hydrangeas, and peonies are making a strong comeback in 2024. New varieties like the Heavenly Ascent climbing roses and the Eclipse hydrangea offer the charm of classic plants with modern improvements, such as better disease resistance and striking color contrasts. These old-fashioned favorites are perfect for creating a timeless, romantic garden.
7. Hortifuturism
For those who love bold, vibrant colors and a touch of sci-fi, hortifuturism is the garden trend of 2024. This fashion embraces vivid, neon colors and unusual plant varieties, which draws inspiration from the popularity of science fiction. Lime green, dubbed “cyber lime,” is the color of the moment, featured in plants like the Bloomables Wedding Gown hydrangea and Queeny Lime Zinnia. Night gardens, alien-like succulents, and indoor terrariums filled with carnivorous plants add to the futuristic vibe, creating a garden that’s straight out of a science fiction novel.
8. Moody, Broody Plants
Gothic gardens are trending thanks to a fascination with the dramatic and dark. This trend is all about embracing deep, rich colors like burgundy, dark purple, and blood red. Moody gardens feature plants like the ‘Sterling Moon’ Lunar Lights begonia and Pharaoh’s Mask colocasia, which bring a sense of mystery and intrigue to any outdoor space. Accent your garden with moss-covered stones and aged urns for a truly Victorian gothic feel.
These eight trends offer something for every gardener, from the eco-conscious to the bold and futuristic. Whether you’re looking to create a peaceful retreat, experiment with vibrant colors, or simply make your garden more sustainable, 2024 is the year to explore new possibilities in your outdoor space.
