Allan Armitage on the Ornamental Trends That Will Shape 2022
December 14, 2021 
The demand for plants that offer solutions will likely continue into 2022, and retailers and landscape designers will need to stay updated on what their customers desire. Photo: Allan Armitage
I don’t know about you, but I have had enough of sickness and gloom. I stare out into the unknown, just like the rest of you, and wonder what awaits us this spring season. Will the growth in landscaping and gardening we saw in 2021 continue in 2022, or was that simply a blip on the radar?
Since I am a glass half full kind of fellow, I am gearing up for a bumper year in 2022. All signs point that way.
Everyone in our pool of customers is looking for plants to solve problems. This will continue a trend that started many years ago, but has become obvious in the last couple of years: Plants for shade, plants for wet areas, plants for dry areas, plants for the foundation, plants for fragrance, plants for pollinators, and plants deer don’t eat. People like us will always want to know the newest cultivar, and its hardiness, height, and color, but people like our neighbors, our kids, and the lady in the McMansion down the street do not.
This does not mean new plants are not important. They always will be, so we can recommend them on a job or an order. But they are simply one more tool in our plant box.
Here are some specific trends I see, from the beginning down.
For the Plant Breeder
People are asking for clean, compact, and eye-catching plants. Therefore, your garden center and landscape clients will be demanding the same. The crepe myrtle that is dwarf, the delphinium that blooms well in the South, the annual rudbeckia that stays clean, the shade-tolerant plant that flowers in the fall – bravo to all who have been involved in these and other breakthroughs. The interest in new plants will continue because, like all industries, it gives us something to talk about.
For the Nursery/Greenhouse
With the shortage of trucks, labor, and supplies, we will continue to see the need for ordering earlier than ever, and will have to let our clients know that substitutions will occur. The shortage of plants caught everyone by surprise last year, and hoarding raised its head. This will eventually sort itself out, but in 2022, I expect to see problems with availability to linger, problems with delivery to continue, and prices to rise. If 2021 was any indication, wholesale nurseries that deliver should expect more demand for on-site delivery of even larger orders.
On yet another track, I also see even more wholesale nurseries putting additional resources into mail order. This was a trend that started a few years ago, but became obvious during COVID-19. It is here to stay.
For the Retailer
The year 2021 brought many more newbies into the garden center, and I don’t see sufficient reasons to believe they will not be back. In fact, I believe the season will be busier and longer. They will be looking not for plants, but for solutions (above), and will have little or no knowledge, but lots of questions. Garden centers must do their best to provide useful, basic information their staff can use to make the buyers more comfortable. Place as much value on staff as on the plants. This is not a trend, but a fact; good staff keeps people coming back.
For the Landscaper/Designer
If 2021 trends continue, the jobs will continue to be larger, with demand not for 10 perennials or shrubs, but for a hundred of a given plant. As always, for the landscaper and designer, plants selected will be about the solutions they provide.
For the Gardener
I believe we shall see a bit of a pullback compared to last year, as people go back to work, fingernails get dirty, and backs get sore. However, many will stay. Indoor plants, vegetable gardens, and containers will not lose a beat this year. As above, they will need basic information and a good deal of hand holding, so solutions are the key.
For the Academic, Like Me
So many things have changed in academic institutions, but the product is still the same. Regardless of the never-ending chase for papers and dollars, we still need to provide basic information to the industry and the lay person. The importance of plant trials has become obvious, and getting together to share information at regional and national meetings is more important in 2022 than ever. As an industry, we need to know how to cool the greenhouse and how to breed the next great tomato, and in so doing, we will keep our neighbors coming back for more angelonias and spireas this coming season.
I am excited about 2022.
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