For nearly 20 years, Garden Media Group has attempted to predict future trends for the garden industry. Most of the time, they are spot on, including last year’s trends forecast.
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Garden Media Group 2020 Trends Report
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Cities of the Future
Right now, half of the world’s population lives in cities, and that number is expected to rise to 70% by 2050. Thriving cities of the future will combine green infrastructure and horticulture to positively impact the well-being of their citizens and the environment.
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Cities of the Future
Sustainability will be the key to managing this growth. Central Recreational Districts are the new Central Business Districts and include parks, historic places, and other places to gather. As a result, property values will rise, and so will population and jobs. These sites are especially attractive to younger, well-educated inhabitants.
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Cities of the Future What You Can Do
Think about how your business can make an impact in your community. What services will you provide in the city of the future to stay relevant? Will this impact the assortment you grow? More city tress, green walls, edible plants, more landscape worthy native plants?
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Circular Economy
A circular economy uses nature as a template. It minimizes waste, makes the most out of resources, and replaces planned obsolescence with restoration. This is forecasted to generate $4.5 trillion in new output by 2030.
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Circular Economy
This new ethos is not just for dreamers, either. Big companies such as GM and Unilever are getting on the circular bandwagon. In fact, Unilever’s sustainable brands grew 46% faster than the rest of their business in 2018. “As leaders in our industry we have a responsibility to act sustainably and find ways to renew, repair, reuse, and recycle,” Dubow says.
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Circular Economy What You Can Do
Are you a leader of change? What products do you sell that could be circular instead of being trashed? Could this impact the number of SKU’s you sell? Would you focus on plants that provide multiple services to the environment?
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Green Collar Jobs
Urban growth will create a massive demand for green collar workers. Garden spending is expected to reach $49.3 billion dollars by 2023, yet horticulture jobs already outnumber grads by 2 to 1. We need to be thinking about diversity in education.
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Green Collar Jobs
However, Generation Z doesn’t want the burden of massive student loan debt. While many important jobs in our industry require higher learning, there are many green jobs that require less college education, perhaps an associate degree or vocational training. The jobs are there; we need to get creative about how to train future generations.
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Green Collar Jobs What You Can Do
What on the job training do you provide? Are you looking only at employees with four-year degrees? Would you consider working with vocational/ technical institutions and for an apprenticeship, like our European colleagues?
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Endangered Soil
Erosion, deforestation, and other damaging land use practices have already washed away one-third of our top soil. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warns that if we continue on this course, we will lose it all by 2050. These concerns have sparked a new movement called regenerative gardening, which builds on organic gardening.
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Endangered Soil
Regenerative practices are meant to improve and regenerate the soil. Many across the globe are moving away from factory farming toward regenerative practices, and they are turning a profit. In fact, a new certification is in the wings as a response to customer demand. One half of U.S. consumers would buy a brand if it is committed to the environment.
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Endangered Soil What You Can Do
How are you contributing to the health of the soil instead of depleting from it? Is there a seal that you would like the industry to have that would better serve your products? Do you have composting facilities on site to regenerate your soil? Have you considered planting native wildflower strips to encourage beneficial insects?
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Think Outside the House
The houseplant trend is still growing, with no end in sight. Younger generations finding themselves with less space, time, and money, are turning to indoor plants for their benefits. They clean the air, reduce stress, enhance creativity, and connect people with nature. Thanks to “Plant Parents,” the houseplant obsession is seeing greater percentage growth than perennials, shrubs, or trees.
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Think Outside the House
It’s clear that green industry players who offer education and cultivate community win big. Meet and greets with plant influencers allow people to interact with their favorite Instagram celebrities and make new plant buddies. More and more affinity groups of plant lovers are spinning off to create their own groups. This is key to forwarding a company’s diversity agenda.
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Think Outside the House What You Can Do
Houseplants are the big trend now, but what is next? Landscape plants. Creating materials and images that speak to this next generation can help you get ahead of the game when they start wanting our products in their homes. Container gardening seems like a natural progression from house plants. Will you offer DIY packages for sun, shade, pollinators etc.?
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Frog-Friendly Spaces
Just like the plight of the pollinators, amphibians like frogs and toads are going extinct at an alarming rate. Habitat destruction, pesticides, pollution, increased UV radiation, and climate change all play a part in population decline.
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Frog-Friendly Spaces
We will see increased awareness and interest in ponds and other water garden features. Water brings so much life to the garden and homeowners want their children to be familiar with these remarkable creatures and do the right thing for the environment.
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Frog-Friendly Spaces What You Can Do
What products do you currently offer that support this trend? What could you realistically add? Have you considered growing aquatics? Consumers love frog, toad, and dragonfly assortments. Can you highlight plants you already grow that are suited to rain gardens or wet soils?
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The Future of Fungi
Mushrooms are a super food, super fun to grow, and just might turn out to be super for the planet. Fungi could potentially solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, like plastic use in our industry.
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The Future of Fungi
In 2012, Yale students came across Pestalotiopsis microspora, a mushroom from the Amazon that loves to eat plastic and can live without oxygen. It could clean up landfills from the bottom up. Katharina Unger at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found other mushrooms ate plastic and reportedly tasted good afterward. “It’s time for the green industry to tackle this plastic problem before we go the way of the plastic straw or plastic bag,” Dubow says.
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The Future of Fungi What You Can Do
How can you play a role in eliminating plastic usage?
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue
Garden Media Group predicts that indigo will be the color of the year in 2020. Plants with blue flowers are always the best sellers. Think of blue hydrangeas, salvia, and lavender.
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue
The lost art of indigo dying is making a comeback. Shibori – the Japanese technique of creating patterns on fabric – is a trendy workshop for all ages.
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue What You Can Do
What do you usually do with the yearly color trend? Don’t change your entire business model, but use the color in marketing materials and on social media to promote the plants you already sell. Refresh your messaging with current color trends.
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Garden Media Group 2020 Trends Report
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Cities of the Future
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Cities of the Future
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Cities of the Future What You Can Do
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Circular Economy
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Circular Economy
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Circular Economy What You Can Do
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Green Collar Jobs
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Green Collar Jobs
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Green Collar Jobs What You Can Do
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Endangered Soil
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Endangered Soil
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Endangered Soil What You Can Do
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Think Outside the House
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Think Outside the House
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Think Outside the House What You Can Do
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Frog-Friendly Spaces
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Frog-Friendly Spaces
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Frog-Friendly Spaces What You Can Do
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The Future of Fungi
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The Future of Fungi
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The Future of Fungi What You Can Do
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue
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Indigo, the Sweetest Shade of Blue What You Can Do
This year is no different. The theme of the 2020 Garden Trends Report is “Seeing 20/20” and offers a peek into what will be trending in horticulture in 2020 and beyond.
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According to Katie Dubow, Creative Director at Garden Media Group, staying on top of trends allows you to take advantage of new opportunities and stay on the cutting edge.
“For years we’ve identified shifts in habits and growth that affect both consumer and professional horticulture,” Dubow says. “From the way we design our cities to the people who work in them, the green industry will be at the forefront of urban growth and development in 2020.”
This year’s trends, Dubow notes, are reinventions from a bygone era, helping to reconnect with nature and soil and leading a more thoughtful approach to life.
Learning Opportunity: How Biochar Could Be a Superior Peat Replacement
Check out the slideshow above for a closer look at the predicted trends for 2020, as well as suggestions from Dubow on how you can take advantage of them. You can also download your own version of the report here.
225Eight Gardening Trends for 2020, and How to Benefit From Them
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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.
September 14, 2019 
