Gardens and Nurturing

Growing a Garden - Gardening Trends

Often a trend can be like fashion. This year's "in" color can be next year's charity shop special.

Sometimes a trend can be more meaningful, like a style tat carries on. I think the developing trend of nurturning falls into this second category.

People are spending more time at home these days so we're starting to see more media attention focusing on "nesting". The art of home baking and making preserves fast gaining popularity once more.

We all know this trend has flowed through into gardening, with growing your own fruit and vegetables taking a lot of countries by a storm. It has become so popular that even Michelle Obama has joined in! The White House is putting in a food garden for the first time in 60 years!

There is another aspect of garden nurturing that is starting to emerge - the landscape around the home. People are spending more time actually "living" in their properties and they're starting to see gardening as an activity rather than just an outside piece of "art".

They're trying new things, learning from their successes (and failures) and are coming to accept a more long-term return for their efforts. In doing so they're coming to realise that the doing is just as rewarding as the end results.

One of the outcomes of this more nurturing gardening approach is that people are starting to realise the "quick fix" designs they did a couple of years ago have been over-planted. For example, it may look good straight away to plant flaxes close together, but it isn't long before they start growing into each other, and some of them need to be removed. It makes much better sense to get good advice, read the plant lavels and then plant them accordingly. They may not look great to start with, but with time they with grow into a great looking garden.

For me the most important thing is creating a garden to fit the owners needs, and one that doesn't end up costing more money in the long run because the plants have to be removed due to improper planting in the beginning. I also believe in getting people directly involved in their landscape.

If you're thinking about improving your garden there's no better time to start than the present. But before you get underway, make sure you get some good advice from a reputable garden centre. They nuture plants every day and they love to share their enthusiusm of gardening!