The Garden Media Group has released its 2018 Garden Trends report, which this year offers seven trends that growers and retailers can use to inspire mental wellness.
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Garden Media Group 2018 Trends
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Trend #1: Climate Controlled
Research from Cornell University shows that this is the first generation of gardeners who won’t be able to rely on zones. Drought is a concern, but there are other concerns, such as excess water and wind.
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Trend #1: Climate Controlled
Garden centers can use these trends to market to new garden types by setting up an area to display the best types of plants and garden accessories to deal with these conditions (including the growing number of people adding greenhouses to their properties).
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Trend #2: Social Network
Garden plants have diverse social networks, but we don’t always plant them that way. We need to think of gardens as social networks instead of planting individually. This trend focuses on management, not maintenance. You can help reduce stress in gardening by promoting plants with more robust roots, leading to less weeds. Some public and private gardens are reflecting this new trend by setting up their gardens as ecotone (a transition area between two biomes), and adding plants that work in harmony, including the use of native plants.
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Trend #3: Imperfect Gardening
The previous theme of social network, which focuses less on maintenance, means that gardening won’t always be perfect. But just like wabi sabi, the ancient Japanese thought of aging gracefully, things happen naturally in nature.
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Trend #3: Imperfect Gardening
The Garden Media Group sees this trend being carried out in three areas: design (more use of natural and rustic settings); lawns (allowing some clover and dandelion to embrace the imperfect), and in the garden (planting for pollinators even if they end up eating some of your plants).
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Trend #4: Breathing Room
This theme has a dual meaning: getting away from the addction to your phone, and reducing indoor air pollution by focusing on how houseplants can be used to clean the air.
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Trend #4: Breathing Room
This trend is taking shape in the sales of hanging planters, which are a much easier way to use little space and still grow something.
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Trend #5: Make a Splash
Managing storm water runoff creates healthier cities. Public garden attendance is growing quickly, and many of them have designs featuring big pools of water. There is also the environmental aspect to consider. For example, Montgomery County in Maryland is now providing money to homeowners to recycle rainwater. Capturing rainwater is one of the keys to water management.
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Trend #6: Grow Your Own Protein
Edible gardening is sticking around at the same time that there is more awareness of the environmental effects of factory-farmed cattle. Around 30% of Americans are eating more plants, and 38% go meatless at least once a week. Consumers now have more options for eating less meat, the biggest one being to eat more plants. There are opportunities to offer protein-rich foods, including spinach, kale, broccoli, and many others.
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Trend #7: Purple Reign
Purple foods are flying off the shelves. They are unusual, and more importantly, they offer health benefits in the form of antioxidants and improved mental health. Some nutritionists are also advising people to eat more purple food, including berries, eggplant, and purple carrots. Pantone’s 2018 palette, Verdure, even features vegetable-inspired colors.
“Wellness isn’t just about keeping the body healthy anymore; it’s about keeping the mind and spirit healthy, too,” says Katie Dubow, Creative Director at the Garden Media Group. “The 2018 report, ‘Nature’s Rx for Mental Wellness,’ introduces seven trends that inspire a cleaner, more relaxed state-of-mind. It shows that when we disconnect from media and reconnect with Mother Nature, we can make steps toward rebuilding our mental wellness.”
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The report includes information on:
• What is driving the increasing consumer desire for mental wellness
• How the climate is changing the way we garden globally and locally, indoors and out
• How to inspire Millennials to garden year-round
• The hottest color of the season
Check out the slideshow above for an overview of the seven themes included in the 2018 report, which is now available for download. You can also take a look back at past trends predicted by the Garden Media Group and how well they succeeded.