Our UK garden editor Clare Foster on the big gardening trends for 2021

The single dominating factor when it comes to gardens this year is of course Covid-19. The virus has completely changed the way we view and use our gardens, which can only be a positive thing, and more people than ever are waking up to the benefits of the physical and mindful act of gardening. From the basic concept of the garden as an outdoor room to its role in our mental health, the garden will continue to play a huge role in our lives in 2021.

The outdoor room

Entertaining in our gardens has become a necessity, and we have all equipped our gardens to accommodate this, turning our gardens into an extension of our homes. 2021 will see this trend continuing, with more products than ever available to help us decorate our outside spaces. Weather-proof soft furnishings such as rugs, cushions and tablecloths will be popular, as well as the all-important sources of heat such as fire pits and chimineas. Outdoor cooking is a top trend, with more people building their own outdoor kitchens and pizza ovens as they get more accustomed to spending time outside.

Gardening

Gardening itself has never been more fashionable, and it certainly isn’t a pastime reserved for the middle-aged or elderly any longer. People are discovering for themselves the benefits of gardening on their mental and physical health, and the way it can connect them with nature and the seasons. The mindful activity of sowing seeds or tending to plants can help alleviate mild depression and anxiety, and the physical act of digging over the soil can raise endorphins and mood levels. Even getting your hands dirty can be good for you, due to serotonin-stimulating microbes in the soil! Sue Stewart-Smith’s new book, The Well-Gardened Mind, is well worth a read on this subject.

Micro-gardens

As a result of the desire to garden, people will create their own personal gardens in the tiniest of spaces, from balconies and side returns to windowsills. Making use of every inch of space is key, so vertical growing systems for walls and fences will be particularly popular, as well as raised or hanging planters, and all types of containers. Herbs and micro-greens are the easiest plants to grow on windowsills, with house plants still very much on trend for indoor gardening.

Grow your own

Growing your own fruit and veg is more popular than ever, particularly with the continued movement towards more plant-based foods. People are being more imaginative about where and how to grow their food. Fruit bushes and vegetable plants will be combined with ornamental flowers in borders, or grown in containers, and raised beds will pop up in urban front gardens to replace gravel or concrete.

Growing from seed

Buying plants is always an option, whether flowers or veg, but more people than ever will be growing from seed this year. There is nothing as therapeutic as sowing a seed and watching it grow, and with more time at home, there is more opportunity to experiment and try this gardening magic for the first time. First-timers should try failsafe flowers such as sweet-peas or marigolds, or a container full of salad leaves. Gardeners will also have time to save their own flower seed at the end of the season, which is again one of the most enjoyable and satisfying ways to create more plants for the following year. My own book, The Flower Garden, includes a carefully-chosen selection of the prettiest and easiest flowers to grow from seed.

Sustainable gardens

Sustainability is high up the agenda in most people’s gardening practices now, with the climate crisis fuelling everyone’s motivation to do their bit. Merely the act of growing plants in a garden is a positive step, encouraging wildlife and increasing biodiversity, so we will see areas of concrete and hard landscaping disappear in favour of densely-planted borders. More recycled and local materials will be used to build gardens, with natural materials such as wood and stone favoured above metal.

The new natural

Nature-inspired planting has been in fashion for many years now, but the New Perennial Movement of the late 20th century has morphed into something broader and more thoughtful, with the emphasis on true sustainability and biodiversity. Selected for their suitability to soil condition and site, and for their longevity and performance, plants of all types from shrubs and bulbs to perennial flowers, are combined in a loose, unstructured way to create a new, wildlife-friendly planting aesthetic, as demonstrated by leading garden designers such as Dan Pearson.

Gravel gardens

We are more likely to get longer periods of drought nowadays, so planting drought-tolerant plants in a gravel garden makes sense. Covering your garden with a mulch of gravel and letting plants self-seed is one of the most rewarding – and low maintenance – ways to garden. Mediterranean shrubs such as lavender and santolina can be used for structure, while self-seeding annual and perennial flowers such as verbena, poppies, valerian and many others can be scattered throughout: just let nature do the rest. The most famous gardener to promote the idea of the gravel garden was Beth Chatto, whose book Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden is still a bestseller.

Composting

Recycling your own organic waste is central to good garden practice, and more and more people are realizing its benefits. An increased understanding of the importance of good soil management and its role in reducing carbon in the atmosphere is fuelling this drive, with more people recycling their waste in worm bins and bokashi bins, both suitable for city-dwellers.

Online gardening

With the desire to learn more about gardening, everyone will look online for courses, talks and information to teach them the basics. From the RHS to Garden Organic, there are many organisations and resources to tap into, so even the most novice gardener will soon be ready to create their own plant-filled garden.

Original article appeared on House & Garden UK | Author Clare Foster