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The lay of the land: gardening trends in 2019

A green-fingered look at the year ahead sees potential in veganism, plastic pot alternativ­es and rhododendr­ons – but trouble for blackcurra­nts and peat-free compost. By Matthew Appleby

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LESS PLASTIC PLEASE

Taupe-coloured recyclable plant pots are the response of the horticultu­re industry to the anti-plastic movement that began with David Attenborou­gh’s Blue Planet II. The issue was given a horticultu­ral context by Monty Don on BBC’s Gardeners’ World.

A September special on plant pots was the most-watched edition of the year, and a follow-up broadcast on plastic pot alternativ­es will be featured in the next series this year. About

500 million pots are used annually – and millions of taupe pots will be available in 2019.

Taupe (and any other lighter colour) is detectable by recycling machines (black isn’t), so is better suited to kerbside recycling schemes. However, there is evidence that 87 per cent of pots are still not recycled by councils, even though many could easily be made into new plastic products.

Plastic alternativ­es include

Haxnicks bamboo seed trays and pots (£5.99 for 6in/15cm pots) and coir pots, as used by the Hairy Pot Plant Company (sold via thenatural gardener.co.uk). Aluminium foil containers have been trialled by the National Trust and jute is another option. US company Ecoform offers biodegrada­ble pots made of renewable grain fibres (not yet available here).

However, plastic makes by far the most practical container for growing and transporti­ng plants so recycling is still an important option.

VEGAN TAKEOVER

I’ve said for the past few years that vegan gardening is the next big thing. As vegan and flexitaria­n numbers explode, the animal-free trend is spreading to areas such as beauty products – and gardening.

The drive towards vegan gardening is fuelled by climate change, animal cruelty and human health concerns. pattern follows through it could mean a cold start to spring.”

However, if this winter is drier than expected it could mean drought is more likely in 2019 thanks to a knock-on effect: last year, after the joint-hottest summer on record, reservoirs in many areas, including Yorkshire, north-west England and Northern Ireland, were depleted by half.

RHODO DRIVE

 ??  ?? URBAN JUNGLE Instagramw­orthy house plants in Hackney, main; below right,Alan Titchmarsh fronts theteam
URBAN JUNGLE Instagramw­orthy house plants in Hackney, main; below right,Alan Titchmarsh fronts theteam
 ??  ?? WHO NEEDS PLASTIC? Biodegrada­ble flowerpots should be popular in 2019
WHO NEEDS PLASTIC? Biodegrada­ble flowerpots should be popular in 2019

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