Growing trends for 2021
Experts tell Hannah Stephenson how we’re all more likely to take a more relaxed approach to the garden this year
So, what will your garden look like in 2021? Will it be full of wildflowers, or festooned with fruit and veg? Will you have a bountiful balcony or a pretty patio?
Experts are predicting a continuing focus on sustainability, and a more relaxed approach to our outdoor spaces.
Garden designer Andrew Duff has seen a huge change in attitude among his clients. He says: “It used to be the cliched gin and tonic sundowner in the evening, dinner on the terrace when you get home, and an immaculate garden.now it’s much more relaxed. People are seeing the amazing benefits of their space. It’s putting gardens back into our hearts. It’s an exciting time.”
Marcus Eyles, horticultural director and resident gardening expert for Dobbies Garden Centres, predicts: “There are a number of gardening trends that will continue to grow as we enter 2021, including a focus on sustainability – planting styles that will help encourage pollinators and wildlife to help gardeners become greener.
“To encourage pollinators, plant simple single flowers, rather than blousy doubles, as this will give them the chance to access the nectar.”
Duff adds: “There will be great excitement for spring again, so I think there will be loads more bold planting and spring-flowering shrubs, particularly those which are scented, including old English viburnums, winter sweets and honeysuckle, which are really memory-jerking.”
He continues: “The big change is going to be about making a garden that is right and appropriate for the individual to use, and how people are going to maximise the space.
“There’s this new thought that a garden will be used throughout the day, which didn’t really happen before unless you already worked from home. People will be thinking about where the morning sun is and where they can have a cup of coffee and do Zoom meetings.
“Big tables are being put in the corner, whereas little bistro tables and a couple of chairs outside the door is becoming really important to people.”
At Dobbies, Eyles predicts that things in our outdoor spaces are set to get wilder. He says: “Dedicating an area of the garden to wildflowers, even if a small square metre, can have a big impact. Just think of the cumulative effect if even a small portion of those with outdoor space planted wildflowers.
“Jungle style gardens are on the rise, with our love of big leaves and lush foliage showing no signs of slowing down. Go tropical – think banana plants, cannas and citrus, and dense planting with pops of bright colour.
“Whether it is a few statement plants, or a garden filled with exotic greenery, you will be transported to an outdoor oasis.”
Eyles continues: “Container planting for compact spaces is a top 2021 trend, offering an alternative way to grow homegrown produce and brighten up spaces with flowers, foliage and colourful pots.
“Growing edible plants in the garden combines two passions – gardening and cooking. From fruit and vegetables to herb gardens, the discovery that you don’t need a huge space and that lots can be grown in a container, means this will continue to trend.”
Duff agrees that the appetites of gardeners are changing. He says: “It’s an exciting time because the aesthetic of the garden is changing.
People are trying to maximise use, so we’ve seen a lot of fruit and veg being grown throughout lockdown, which will continue into 2021.
“If not replacing perennials and annuals, edibles will certainly be an addition and mixed among them. On balconies you might have tomatoes with their amazing foliage, runner beans cascading over railings, and people are seeing the beauty in a plant that’s giving back. It’s a return to humble gardening, really.”
But the garden is no longer just a natural oasis, or a source of food in these testing times. “People who invested in exercise equipment during lockdown will be using it in the garden,” Duff predicts.
“And a whole generation has discovered how gardening is a fitness thing.”
People are seeing the amazing benefits of their space. It’s putting gardens back into our hearts. It’s an exciting time