Whether you have a sprawling ranch like the Drummonds, a nice-sized backyard, or a cart of plants in your living room, everyone can relate to wanting to up their plant and flower game this time of year! And in 2024, that means thinking outside the (plant) box and curating a space and plant collection that fits your specific vibe. If you don’t know where to start with your spring refresh, don’t worry, because we’ve compiled the top gardening trends to try in 2024, and you’re sure to find what you’re looking for!
Maybe a whimsical cottage garden complete with wildflowers and arched trellises that transport you to the English countryside is what you’re craving. Or perhaps, a zen space with neat rows of flowers, some flowing water, and pollinator-attracting plants. Maybe you’re even looking for a way to green up an indoor area with bright houseplants galore! Whether you’re more of a minimalist or a maximalist, crazy for color or into neutrals, or a mix of all of the above, the latest gardening trends for 2024 have something for everyone! Read on to find out the hottest ones and get pro tips on creating your own natural wonderland.
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Color Blocking
Bunching groups of flowers by color was in full bloom at this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest one in the country. It’s stunning in flower beds and window boxes, like the one above featuring groupings of purple and yellow petunias.
Cottage Gardens
Cottage gardens are all about a beautiful yet controlled mess—slightly unruly rose bushes, a winding vine on a trellis, and curving stone paths. A mix of flowers works great! When Laura Hooper, a horticulturist and founder of the floral studio Foxhill Garden in Mount Vernon, Virginia, created her dream cottage garden, she says, “I included specialty varieties, a lot of beautiful perennials, and wildflowers.”
Sensory Gardens
Imagine a garden filled with colorful flowers, thick shrubs, herbs, and a little water rock garden. It’s a treat for the eyes and the senses, too. That’s the sensory garden that plant specialist Hilton Carter, author of Living Wild, created at his house in Baltimore. “There’s some nice lamb’s ear, rosemary, a bigger sage, and boxwoods,” he says of the blend of gorgeous visuals, soft touches, and aromatic scents. He also made it ear-pleasing: “I did a little water-rock scene with water that circulates,” he says. “It not only has a great flowing sound, it brings birds around.”
Electric Hues
Seriously bright colors are taking over gardens, especially cyber lime, the color of the year according to the Garden Media Group’s 2024 trend report. This color (seen on this Wedding Gown hydrangea) can look so vivid, it’s as if AI generated it! Growers have also been pairing lime with other radiant shades including orange, fuchsia, pink, purple, and yellow.
Sustainable Gardening
“Over the past few years, there has been more sustainable gardening and more organic types of gardening,” says Laura. Sustainable gardening means maintaining soil health with compostable organic matter and planting flowers like lavender, lilac, and honeysuckle that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other precious pollinators. It’s also about nature-friendly pest prevention. “If I spray for pests or to fertilize the flowers, it’s all organic-certified, and at times of day when it’s not going to be disturbing wildlife or the pollinators,” she says.
Giant Topiaries
The ancient Romans pruned plants into animal and geometric shapes and even human forms. Over the years, ornamental topiaries have become common front porch and stoop fixtures but now home gardeners are sculpting boxwoods, arborvitae, junipers, and other shrubs, says Hilton. And they’re taking a more free-form approach—think shrubs that look like clouds and other abstract shapes. It’s easy enough to do with a sketch and a pair of garden pruners.
Rare Variegated Plants
Unique indoor plants are in demand—specifically, variegated plants. They have leaves with splotches, stripes, or edges in shades of pale yellow, green, or white (like this Monstera Deliciosa). Next time you’re plant shopping, also look for Monstera Albo, Monstera Thai Constellation, Variegated ZZ, and Syngonium Albo. Hilton notes that the variegated money tree, which has a marbleized look, is also getting popular.
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