A New Natural Connection is Trending in the Garden
September 25, 2018 
The Garden Media Group’s annual Trends Report is a useful tool to help members of the horticulture industry understand the topics and concerns that are top of mind among their end customers.
The Garden Media Group’s 2019 Garden Trends Report, “Rooted Together – Reconnecting with the Natural World,” dives deep into the intrinsic connection people have with nature and how banding together could be the best defense to protect the earth.
According to the Report, today’s “social clock” society is online 24/7. In a desert of work, stress, and the internet, nature — both indoors and outside — has become an oasis.
“We are finding joy in nature to achieve peace and purpose,” says Katie Dubow, Creative Director of Garden Media Group. “Our 2019 Garden Trends Report showcases trends in design, color, and technology that will strengthen our relationship with Mother Nature.”
The 2019 Garden Trends Report predicts a move toward a higher value on increasing our connection with nature and dives deep into cultivating a healthier relationship with expanding technology.
The team of trendspotters at Garden Media, who have had their finger on the pulse of trends for almost 20 years, sees the beginning of a change from the “me” generation to a focus on “she” — Mother Nature.
One of the reasons nature is calling us, says environmental author Michael McCarthy, is thousands of years of evolution.
“We have a link to the natural world. It’s where our minds evolved. It’s where we became who we truly are, and it’s where, really, we are most at home,” McCarthy says.
Scientists and arborists worldwide are warning of the “thinning of the insect world” which Garden Media has identified as a one of eight trends for 2019.
“As flying insects decline, invasive ones, such as spotted lanternfly, are spreading,” says Dan Herms, Vice President of Research and Development at Davey Tree. “We need to garden to save all beneficial insects by planting bee-friendly trees, such as oaks or flowering trees, to help reinvigorate the pollinator population.”
From robot bees to pruning blue screens, the 2019 report demonstrates how changing habits can cultivate a healthy lifestyle, healthy community, and healthy planet. The eight garden trends show how our love of nature will become an emotional, physical, and spiritual resource to help us connect and find a common focus to save the planet.
The report also captures more good news from the National Gardening Association’s (NGA) annual survey, which says more people are gardening and spending more money on lawn and garden retail plants and products than ever before. The average households set a spending record of $503 — up nearly $100 over the previous year, setting a record $47.8 billion in retail sales. And Millennial gardeners (18-34 year olds) set a record high last year, making up 29% of all gardening households.
According to Justin Hancock of Costa Farms, “Millennials have become ‘plant parents,’ with a sense of purpose and a new connection with nature.” Millennials are responsible for 31% of houseplant sales, according to NGA.
“We are in a new awakening. People are getting off their devices, going outside, and getting back in touch with their roots,” Dubow says. “And gardening is a natural fit.”
The complete 2019 Garden Trends Report: Rooted Together is available for free download now.
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