A lot of new things always happen with a new year. 2025 promises to be a bigger and better year than 2024. And with the new year comes new gardening trends, though they resemble 2024’s trends. It looks as if we are trending more and more towards sustainable and eco-friendly landscapes. I saw this coming, though I was probably 10 years ahead of my time. And now, natives are in and I am ready for it.
The promise of the future is in the plants we grow in our gardens and how we treat them. Ethical treatment of our gardens should mean using little to no chemicals, whether pesticides or fertilizers. We should be doing more to invite nature into our gardens, while maintaining a healthy balance between us and nature. What does that mean? Well, it means that you do what you can for nature in the garden (pollinators, animals, birds, etc.) but not to the point where it becomes stressful having them there (pests). A more in-depth look into the trends for 2025 should help.
Eco-Friendly Landscaping
What is that? By definition, eco-friendly means “not harmful to nature”. This could mean different things to different people. To some, eco-friendly means not using chemicals, pesticides, or traps to kill or maim wildlife. And to others it may mean not changing the landscape as they move into it. I think we need to think of eco-friendly landscaping as a combination of factors which includes:
- Pesticide free
- No death traps or poisons for unwanted wildlife
- Using natives or nativars
- Providing food, water, shelter for desirable wildlife
- Designing landscapes to match the eco-region you live in
Choosing the right plant materials for your landscape is the biggest way to promote eco-friendliness. If you live in a desert region, do not add plants from a mountain or prairie. Choose the right plant for the right place. In some instances, such as my own, you may have 2 or 3 or more micro-habitats within your overall region or location. For example, I live in what many would call a large glade; an open meadow surrounded by forest trees. Within my glade I have areas of meadow, wet meadow, and woodland. So I have to use plant materials to fit each spot separately, yet join together harmoniously. Thus, you must know where you live and find plants that match your location.
Peace with Less Tidy Landscapes
This trend is not surprising, because with eco-friendliness comes less tidiness. Nature is not tidy. And that is okay. But there are a lot of gardeners who do not want to live like that, and indeed, have a problem when others do. But there is balance and peace to be had in a less tidy garden. But you may have to be willing to change your mindset to achieve it.
One of the other trends for 2025 is the return of the cottage garden, which is also a less tidy style. Cottage gardens can be more than a mess, they can be a burst of colors if planned right. When planning such a scheme, it is best to look for continuation of colors and blooms by choosing plants that bloom in succession, or right after each other. And by adding textures such as grasses, broadleaved evergreens, or art, you can create a more harmonious space.
But do not mind if you see a weed here or there, or if there are plants growing over the walkaways.
Sustainability
Definition? It could mean keeping up at a maintained rate. But balance between the resources available is probably more accurate. There are a lot of elements which go into creating a landscape which can nearly maintain itself with few inputs from the gardener. Choosing the right plants is the first start. So again, know your location. A lot of the other trends for 2025 fall into this category: water-wise, eco-friendliness, fire-proof, resiliency, less tidy. Finding the balance in the garden is one we would like to achieve overnight, but it usually takes years.
The biggest hinderance to sustainability is invasive insects and plants. We have to find a way to manage pests like Japanese beetles, emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, Japanese honeysuckle, kudzu, and others in way that does not overcome our goals for sustainability. So far in my own gardens, stopping the use of pesticides has increase the predators of Japanese beetles. I still have to dig out amur honeysuckle, but I can smother other weeds with mulches. And now, there are reports of ash trees which produce their own EAB killing compounds when attacked. Nature finds a way. We can a find a way to work with nature.
Conclusion
2025 looks to be an exciting year for gardeners, no matter what the weather brings upon us. We can become more sustainable, less-tidy, and more nature friendly in the course of our yearly ambitions in the garden. I for one and ready for it to begin.
Happy planting!
