8 Garden Trends We See Taking Root in 2023
Gardening will be all about exuberant color, going big in small spaces, and native plants this year. Here’s what to plant to enjoy these garden trends.
Fashion and design industries are known for celebrating ever-changing trends, but why let them have all the fun? Gardeners can stay up-to-date on the new, fun, and fresh, too. Unlike fashion, these trends likely won’t fizzle out in a couple of years. That’s because garden trends are all about gardening smarter, not harder, and some have earth-friendly staying power that is becoming increasingly important to our ecosystem. We surveyed the landscape and pulled out the top trends we see taking root in 2023. From vibrant flowers (our runways consist of lavishly planted display gardens) to updated garden tech, planting ideas, and new products, we’re ready to get growing this year!
1. Fewer But Better Plants
In response to the volatile economy, gardeners are looking for top-performing plants with a big presence. Instead of filling a container with four to six individual annuals, they’re looking for a single plant that can anchor a container or a big swath of a planting bed. These workhorse plants tend to make a bold statement at less than half the cost of a mixed planting.
For example, many of the new begonias grow quickly to fill a large container and bloom constantly with very little care. One we’re particularly excited about for 2023 is the Hula begonia from Ball Horticultural. It blooms nonstop all season long, and will grow in sun or shade.
2. Magenta Blooms
Every year, Pantone (a color expert company) identifies a color of the year. Viva Magenta reigns supreme in 2023. Experts say this nuanced berry-red tone is brave, fearless, and abounding in joy. A balance between warm and cool, Viva Magenta was inspired by a carmine dye produced by the cochineal beetle. Its influence goes beyond interior walls to bring joyful energy to your garden.
A few exciting newer varieties that can add the energy of magenta to your containers and beds include ‘Glimmer Burgundy Double’ impatiens, ‘Titan Cranberry’ vinca, ‘Ka-Pow Pink’ garden phlox.
3. Embrace Native Plants
From hurricanes to unprecedented droughts to extreme cold, gardeners across the country are facing increasingly challenged weather conditions. So why natives? To put it simply, native plants often can withstand what nature throws their way and emerge resilient on the other side while supporting the local ecosystem.
Choose plants that are native to your region (Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, etc.) and pair them with the unique growing conditions in your landscape. For example, look for natives that thrive in wet shade if you have a boggy backyard with dappled light. You can even reach out to local botanic gardens, your state Extension service, or native plant organizations for ideas.
4. Make the Most of Small Spaces
A cooling housing market is spurring Americans to reimagine the space they have, and come up with creative ideas for making the most of small spaces. For plant-lovers, this means embracing every nook and cranny with pots and hanging baskets. Narrow front entry? Bring it to life with generous containers for a gracious welcome. Minuscule back patio exposed to all the neighbors? Add a living screen in the form of a petite potted tree.
5. Houseplants Galore
Houseplants continue to grow in popularity. Whether your home’s become an indoor jungle or you prefer to add a fresh splash of greenery to every room, there’s a continuous stream of new plants to add to your collection. From mini monsteras to a plethora of pothos, finding interesting indoor plants has never been easier.
You can share the beauty and benefits of plants with friends and family, too. Need a housewarming gift or something to celebrate a special occasion? Give a houseplant that suits the recipient’s tastes.
6. Plant a Tree
In addition to native plants, trees continue to be a clear way to combat climate change. Tree planting initiatives grew out of civic and non-profit organizations with increased gusto in 2022. Bring that enthusiasm to your own yard by planting a new tree this year. If you’re limited on space, look for a narrow, upright cultivar of your favorite species. Keep in mind this key mantra when planting trees: right tree, right place, right way.
7. Growing for Abundance
Plants with ornamental qualities along with sought-after ecological characteristics are on the leading edge of garden design in 2023. Take, for example, oak trees: They serve as shelter for wildlife, while providing a food source for pollinators, and shade for a generous picnic spot. Berry bushes, such as the container-friendly Bushel and Berry series, offer eye-catching interest and delicious fruit. Dwarf fig produces abundant deep brown fruit and grows just 28 inches tall and wide, making it a great food source for small urban gardens. Hardworking plants like these come together to make an abundant landscape.
8. Fall Planting
The outdoor growing season doesn’t have to end when cool temperatures become the norm. Garden centers are offering more and more fall-friendly plant options for both color and food crops. Grab a packet of seeds and start an autumn crop of greens. Pick up a flat of color-drenched pansies and ornamental kale to perk up your entryway as the leaves change.
https://www.bhg.com/garden-trends-2023-7106610
This is an all-volunteer larkspur army that has made themselves at home in my back garden - I didn't plant a one of them:
I found a chocolate rose that I've been looking for for a while now and added it to my collection. Very unusual, hope the color comes out OK:
And from my dedicated bee garden, bees don't seem to like the cool weather and haven't been around much. These bee-friendly flowers are waiting:
My Helpers!
> going big in small spaces
This ^^^
A lot of vertical gardening to maximize space this year. I have 5 trellises for melons and cantaloupes and am adding 3 more for beans between the tomato plants. The trick will be keeping the tomato vines climbing the poles instead of spreading everywhere. They are not well behaved.
> 8. Fall Planting
And this ^^^
The cabbages were growing into early December last year, so I had some growing pretty much 8 months of the year in zone 6.
CLICK ON A WATER LILY IN THIS PICTURE TO RETURN TO THE JUNE 3 - JUNE 9 2023 WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD!
Took about an hour to put it all together. I've got about 50 foot of row so I used half the $60 kit. If I get some more coupler fittings, I can double up on the drip lines and offset them. The drip line has emitters built in every foot. I could make that every 6 inches and water twice as fast and more evenly.
Each leg/row has it's own shut off valve where the black 1/4" hose meets the brown 1/4" emitter hose. I use this one to shut down the peppers & onions and let the maters go for a while longer.
I installed water hose ends on the tank sprayer pump and hook it to a 220 gallon water tank to water. Yesterday I reconnected the suction hose from the sprayer tank to the pump and made up 15 gallons of fish fertilizer and fertilized via drip. Took about an hour to pump the 15 gallons which is about how much time I ran it off the bigger tank to water a few days ago. Definitely a water saver.
Gonna go out now and get those three mater plants out of pots and into the ground. Also got a truck bed full of compost to start spreading as mulch and another raised bed to build and fill with soil/compost mix.
I am trying something different this year: yard long beans.
I put in a 32 foot row because I have many 16 foot tubular cattle panels. The panels are overkill but I wasn’t using them anymore. They taste like beans but do not cross with them, or anything else so I can save the seeds without worry.
They are good for the grill because they get picked at 12 inches which keeps them from falling thru the grill. I will allow most of them to dry on the vine because they can be used just like black eyed peas. Never ate them dry before so it will be an experiment. Never ate them at all yet either. This will be interesting and fun.
‘Treasure’ hunting in the pole barn, looking for lumber (herb garden extension, log holder for fire pit area) & noticed 3 pallets. I saw this idea for pallet gardening & I think I like it!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/218002438196387317/
Other cool gardening ideas, too.
Greetings from southern New Hampshire, where I finally completed the fifth and final raised bed in our garden expansion!
I used rough 2” by 8” lumber, two high, with 1/2” hardware cloth stapled to the bottom and filled with sifted compost.
The Boss will start the fertilization and planting tomorrow, when the weather is supposed to break upwards.
I will plumb the beds to tie into zone 4 of our irrigation system and reroute the back (north) fence to encompass the expansion area.
Now, I have two beds to weed, move a couple of cattle panels to provide a large trellis for luffa and birdhouse gourds.
Here’s a “shout out” out to a new acquisition: “Trek” insect repellent by “Lemongrass Farms.” It’s not cheap ($10 for 8 oz. at Menards, but Menards has an 11% rebate.)
Some sellers are much higher.
“Trek” is a product new to me for repelling gnats and small flies. Those are annoying around our property sometimes, and REALLY bad around some (some) of the non-park lakes and ponds around here in late spring through early fall. My daughter and I were fishing at one of the West KY WMA ponds a few nights ago for not quite ~3 hours. The good news was that I landed a 4-1/2 lb. channel cat. The bad news was the attraction of the little flyers to my headlamp (head worn flashlight). I could only have it turned on for about 10 seconds at a time before hundreds of the little buggers were around me and in my eyes, nose, ears, and mouth (if the latter was open to say AAGGHH!!).
And that was with a good application of 40% DEET repellent. The DEET was doing a good job on mosquitos, but, it was all the other little winged attackers that were the problem. There must have just been a hatch...
So, I tried a little of this “Trek” repellent around my face and head and WOW, what a difference! I’d say at least 90% less bugs flying at me, even if I left my light on, and as time passed, that improved further.
I’ll test this stuff further in other circumstances — I have no idea if it repels ticks, for example, but my preliminary reaction is “Highly Recommended”! if gnats and small flies are the problem.
Otherwise, there’s more going on here than I have time to report! Including knocking down 5 “nuisance” walnut trees, including one growing at a crazy & twisted angle. Quadruple roped that baby to control where it went. Another was within a foot of a power line & leaning a bit that way too. Very tight to get that one down without damaging anything else either, but, all 5 ended up very close to or dead on their “target” landing spots. My Dad would have been proud. The biggest pain is all the cleanup: One tree is (was) 400 ft. from where all the downed wood has to go, with no real way to move it but cut it into carry-able pieces and lug it to the “brush pile”. My ankles are still sore. (And I followed that up by push mowing my Mom’s old place - a good acre. [The push mower died.]) Well, it’s good for me if it doesn’t kill me...
Lots more, but, I have rain & likely t-storms to beat this a.m. We do really need the rain.
Oh, also wanted to mention, if anyone is needing it, Tractor Supply has poultry netting and hardware cloth on sale, sale ends today. I’ll likely order a bit online - who wants to drive to town in a t-storm? :-)
The victory garden is basically in maintenance mode at this point. Pulling weeds, pruning, fertilizing, etc. I need to put some more weed cloth down in a couple spots, and I'm going to have to find the seven dust. The loopers have discovered my cabbages and DE isn't getting rid of them. The wind Saturday night layed my sweet corn down a bit but it will recover soon enough.
I rented a dump trailer Saturday morning and commenced to hauling stall waste from the neighbor lady's horse barn. Each load is roughly 8cu/yd and I was able to get eight loads home before the rain started. We were hoping to haul again yesterday, but after struggling a bit to get out with the test load we decided that we didn't really want to tear up my truck or the trailer or Sharon's arena fence or her barn so I went home and called it good at nine loads for the weekend. I've used all of the compost I had on hand and need to get my pile sized back up so I'll rent a trailer at least one more time this year, hopefully on a weekend that it doesn't rain. Another 20 loads would have me stocked up fairly well.
Picked my first Celebrity tomato this morning! This is very early for our area - most folks shoot for having their first ripe tomato around July 4th & in the past, my plants usually run about 1-2 weeks after that.
This plant was blooming when I bought it, so that’s why the early tomato 🍅 & there is another one that will probably get picked this weekend. I did pick it with a good blush, but slightly green - they are very low on the bush, almost on the ground, & something chewed a hole in a low green pepper - didn’t want my first tomato to get chewed/pecked on! Two dahlia buds are showing color - they’re sort of like a watched pot slow to boil .... watched dahlia buds are slow to bloom!
Did a big, deep watering this morning & hope it will last a week. We might get some “beneficial” rain this weekend. Day before yesterday, we had some showers; however, while the grass got wet, the dirt stayed dry. The bird baths are in heavy use - cleaned them out, so the birds have fresh water.
Every start pole beans in a Jiffy Pot?
PELLET, Jiffy Pellet
I recently saw a couple Youtube videos on how to find any tomato worms on your plants. Get a black light flashlight and go out at night and shine it on your plants. No matter how small they are, the tomato worms will glow and you can easily pick them off......