Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
If you love your garden as it currently exists, congratulations! You’re way ahead of most of us. But, if there’s any doubt that your garden isn’t the best it can be, perhaps reading about what’s trending for gardeners in 2022 will point the way to perfection.
The overall forecast for 2022? “Intentional Gardening” ─ considering how everything ─ each plant, piece of garden art or furniture, structure, material, pot and more—contributes to your space as a whole.
Of course, you’ve done that ─ maybe subconsciously ─ as you’ve purchased new plants, garden art, etc. or moved plants from one location to another where they will fare better. Consider these ideas that are gaining popularity for 2022.
Bringing the Outdoors In
You’ve no doubt seen suggestions for how to take the indoors out to extend your living area. Having spent so 
much time confined to being indoors during the pandemic, gardeners are looking for ways to bring the outdoors in.
You might set up a small herb garden in front of a sunny window. Grow lights will help to bring light into rooms that don’t get natural light. Hanging pots of houseplants (e.g., ivies, philodendra, etc.) in front of a window provide a view of greenery as you look out. A climbing plant on a trellis next to a window achieves the same effect. Try ivies and philodendrons, or something more exotic such as hoya, blackeyed Susan, rex begonia vine, tradescantia zebrina (wandering jew/purple heart) or string of hearts. Nurseries carry a wide assortment of indoor plants to fill the demand.
Gardening for Climate Change
Changes in our overall climate have resulted in increased danger of fires and floods in some locations. Trending for 2022 are ways to guard against these pending disasters. If there is a threat of fire in your location, choose drought-tolerant plants that retain water and are less likely to immediately ignite. Avoid plants that have a lot of sap or resin ─ materials used to start fires. Add features such as stone paths or walls that function as a firebreak. Prune back branches of trees that hang over structures. If flooding may occur – more likely than fires in our area – look for ways to improve water drainage on your property by creating rain gardens that restrain water runoff. Planting water-loving plants in areas where water collects will also help, and that means less hand watering for you. Include permeable surfaces to allow water to seep into the soil instead of running off. Choose plants with deep roots for erosion control, especially on hillsides.
Growing Your Own Food
This trend continues to grow, with edibles planted both in garden plots and in containers. Increasing in popularity is growing plants from seed. Remember to order early from catalogs so the seeds you want will still be available. If growing your own food is new to you, give it a try. Some benefits you’ll gain are ensuring “clean” eating – you control the soil type, fertilizer and seeds used. Grow “organic” without the more costly purchased organic produce. You can save money by planting seeds vs. buying seedlings. If you involve your kids, they are more likely to eat the veggies they have grown. You will enjoy presenting meals you’ve made with produce from your own gardens or containers! And, you’ll definitely be reducing all the plastic containers from purchased produce that cannot be recycled, benefitting the ecology as well as your family.
Using Available Space
It’s amazing how many plants can fit in a small space! If you are space-challenged, try these tips: Plant in large pots that can handle multiple plants. Mix edibles and ornamentals in the same pot. Install shelves for smaller plants such as herbs and annuals. Grow vertically – trellises, ladders, pallet planters. Hang pots from the roof or from a railing.
Creating Zen Gardens
For gardeners, finding the time to actually sit in the garden and enjoy the results of hard work is rare. Finding that time – by “intention” ─ planning for it, is a 2022 trend we should all take into consideration! When you look at your garden, decide what elements you could add that will make you want to pause awhile. Maybe there’s a plant that evokes a memory of a loved one you could add to that place. What colors make you feel good? Add some plants in those hues. Give yourself the pleasure of fragrance. Plant scented plants in areas where you sit or walk. Include plants with soft textures to touch as you rest. The sounds of water and/or rustling grasses in the wind are always lovely to hear. Whatever it is that will inspire you to stop, look and listen – plan to incorporate that in 2022.
Enjoying Every Season in the Garden
People are starting to look to their gardens for enjoyment all year ’round. Each season in the garden provides a different view – if you look. Start a journal of your observations – enjoy reviewing a year’s gardening in December and a helpful reference for next year’s plans. Photograph your garden regularly – more for documentation than spectacular photos. (But you never know what you might capture to submit to photo contests that several gardening magazines offer.) If there’s a gardening task you abhor, change the time or the way you do it. A different perspective may change the way you view the chore.
The trendiest thing you can do in your garden is whatever makes you happy! Best wishes for planting the 2022 gardens that will bring you happiness, contentment and satisfaction with your efforts.
Article Source: “2022 TRENDS IN GARDEN DESIGN” By Justine Guidry – Garden Design Online Newsletter – 10-29-21. Photos courtesy pexels.com.
