Garden Trends for 2019

Know what's hot 

and what's not for

2019?

Read on....

By now, if you are a loyal reader of this blog, you already have pollinator friendly plants in your yard, you are avoiding glysophate with all you've got, and you're growing heirloom produce.

You have embraced wabi sabi and have an area in your yard that provides a low maintenance

habitat for the fauna that surrounds you. 

But, so you can remain on the cutting edge, the trends for 2019 are:

1.  Planting with a purpose.

Gardeners in 2019 will be choosing plants for their 

landscape with characteristics that allow for

-low maintenance

-water-wiseness 

-habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies

Rain gardens feature plantings that absorb excess rainwater

to reduce runoff and are an excellent choice for lakeshore gardens.  

Plant roots in a rain garden take up the

excess water and filter out pollutants and chemicals. 

Even if you garden organically, run off from streets and pollutants

picked up from the air by rain will find their way to your garden.

There is a nice collection of Minnesota native plants that will provide

blooms from spring until fall that will thrive in a rain garden

and require little to no maintenance.

2.  Planting for habitat

Frogs, toads, and even mice can help you rid your garden of

slugs.  Planting a garden that provides a save haven for 

these small creatures to live, breed, and hide from predators

will also save you from slug damage to your garden veg and hostas. 

3.  Planting for pollinators

Happily, this one isn't new for 2019, but is still trending and getting stronger.

As illustrated in this photo, milkweeds don't just benefit monarch butterflies,

but also other pollinators. You can read more about the relationship between monarch 

butterflies and milkweed HERE

And, speaking of bees, we need to be mindful and provide habitat to 

our native bees, not just honeybees.  Most people don't realize that 

honeybees were brought to the US by European settlers and they are not native bees.

And, while honeybees do a huge amount of commercial pollinating,

the lion's share of pollination is done by native bees.

You can read more about our native bees in this fascinating book

While planting in the greenhouse last spring, I listened to an interview on

MPR with Paige Embry.  Me, as a grower of tomatoes for 30 years, did not

know that only bumblebees can pollinate tomato blossoms.

Of course, I immediately bought the book, and read it from cover to cover.

As page-turning as any bodice-ripper.

4.  Houseplants are making a comeback.

Millennials especially are in to houseplants, and in 2018 were responsible

for 31% of all houseplant sales in the US.

 Houseplants are a way to connect with nature, give us relief from 'digital overload',

 provide a sense of calm, reduce stress and anxiety, and soothe your soul.

And, us baby boomers may believe it or not, but along with houseplants,

macrame hangers are all the rage again.

4. Fun and colorful foliage

Colorful foliage can bring your landscape or your container to a new level.

With the added bonus of no deadheading required, these plants look great 

from spring until frost without any help from you whatsoever.

 5.  Take my watering can, please!

While some people enjoy the act of gardening, many would prefer

the act of enjoying the garden.  Trending now is garden-care service

for busy professionals and older folks alike.

The number of requests for this type of work increases for us every year, and 

is at an all-time high this season.

Whether you need yard maintenance, your containers planted on site,

and/or cared for by professionals, please ask about the services 

available through Gracie's Plant Works.

And, finally.....

6.  Garden Centers as destinations 

Garden centers that only sell plants are losing out to those that

provide more than a retail experience. 

People want to browse, relax, take in the scents of a greenhouse,

enjoy a respite from the outside world by immersing themselves in plants.

I see this every day, and hear things like

"I don't need anything, really, I just wanted to come here and chill out for a while" 

and "I just like to walk around and be with the plants, it relaxes me". 

Workshops, classes, and fun events that bring them together with fellow

gardeners and plant lovers draw crowds.

Talking plants with a knowledgeable person, being able to 

ask questions and get reliable answers, having a connection

to the grower...these are important to people in our busy world.

Perhaps now more than ever with the crazy lives we lead.