Gardening with its cyclical and seasonal nature is often perceived by outsiders as slow to change. But over the last two years we (the Sales Team) have detected some real shifts in how people are approaching their gardens through the questions asked by our customers. A purely anecdotal snap shot we agree, of a limited group, but we wanted to share some of these strengthening trends with you. Some will not be a surprise but we love the way they are all interconnected in support of a greener environment.

Working With What You Have

Interestingly people seem to be keener to work with their garden's existing soil and light conditions rather than try and change them completely. So although they may love lavender and Verbena, they recognise that these are unlikely to work on the heavy clay soil that they have inherited. Instead we are being asked ‘What will work?’ ‘How can I fill a shady spot in my garden with colour?’ These challenges are great for us, we love to put our heads together and come up with solutions that help them, their garden and the environment.

Wildlife friendly

Probably the most frequent question asked is 'Can you recommend plants to encourage bees and wildlife into my garden?' Well, yes we can as we stock a large range of pollinator friendly plants for all types of conditions and which most importantly flower throughout the year. Some customers have been delighted to discover that single forms of Hellebores plus Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ are perfect for attracting winter active bees, providing much needed nectar in the colder months before the spring flowering plants get going.

Less Manicured Gardens

Many of our customers are looking for more naturalistic planting, reflected by the pictures of gardens that they bring in. ‘No Mow May’ has caught on and is mentioned a lot in early summer. People seem genuinely delighted with the wildflowers that appear in their lawns as a result, plus the time off from mowing.

The move away from cutting back perennials in late autumn seems to be gaining momentum too. Seed heads can provide a useful food source for birds through the winter and they look very pretty dusted with frost. Keeping areas of the garden a little untidy by leaving piles of leaves or sticks helps to create habitats for overwintering insects and creatures too.

Making Gardens Work Harder

During the restrictions of the pandemic our gardens became our refuge and many of our customers have plumped to invest in them, whether new to gardening or experienced. As a result they naturally want them to work harder so that they can use them more. Plants that help make the garden look more attractive for longer periods in the year are increasingly being asked for, in particular plants with winter interest such as form or colour or which are beneficial to winter wildlife.

Grasses are definitely growing in popularity especially those that stay up over winter. It begs the question – are we seeing a new type of ‘Winter Garden’ developing based on perennials and grasses?

A Desire to Learn More

As people invest in their gardens, they naturally want to learn how to look after them. We have been happily surprised by the quantity of maintenance questions that we are asked on the Sales Area and by email. After all we want our plants to thrive in your gardens. Rosy’s Youtube channel has been very popular with many more guides planned. We have seen many new faces at Rosy's RHS Partnership Day talks who are quickly becoming regulars – you know who you are.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our love of gardening and growing successfully, long may it continue.

You may have caught Rosy's thoughts on the Horticultural Trends for 2022 that were published by the FT Online on the 18th January 2022. If not, read the article in January's 'News from the Nursery' newsletter to be published 21st January 2022. If you are not already signed up here's the link to our homepage where you subscribe by filling in the details at the bottom of the page.

Hardys Cottage Garden Plants (hardysplants.co.uk)

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