Each year, industries try to predict what will be the new trends for the upcoming year. After a year of uncertainty and the unexpected occurring, this year's trends are a reflection of how our world has changed.
For 2022, Pantone has announced that its color of the year is Very Peri (PANTONE 17-3938). This beautiful color helps us embrace a time of transition, from a time of isolation and quarantine to a new world of possibilities and hope.
"Encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time possessing a violet-red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression." (pantone.com)
If you want to incorporate this color into your garden, you can look to annuals like violas and pansies in the spring and evolvus and petunias in the summer. Or to perennials like forget-me-nots in the spring and delphiniums and bellflowers in the summer.
NATIONAL GARDEN ASSOCIATION
Each year the National Garden association choose an annual, perennial, bulb, edible and flowering shrub to be the plants of the year. For 2022, they have also added a houseplant of the year. For 2022, they have chosen:
- Year of the Gladiolas (Bullb)
- Year of the Verbena (Annual)
- Year of the Salad Greens (Edible)
- Year of the Phlox (Perennial)
- Year of the Lilac (Flowering Shrub)
- Year of the Peperomia (Houseplant)
These are all great plants and could be fun to try in your garden this year if you haven't already planted them. You can get a head start with your garden by trying to plant salad greens to grow indoors or add a peperomia to your home décor.
Post-Pandemic Life: The Great Reset
As we all aim to get back to “normal” life, the way we live is changed forever as a reaction to the pandemic. Here are the trends that look like they are here to stay:
Shopping local is one of the biggest trends as so many small businesses suffered during the pandemic. Many Americans shifted their shopping habits to support their community and shop at smaller, local businesses rather than heading out to the big box stores. Whether they are buying gift cards or ordering to-go dinners, these local purchases help everyone with the tax dollars staying local.
Extending your living space has become a HUGE trend due to us all spending so much time at home. People have made the most of their outdoor living space by creating a paradise on their porches, with furniture, entertainment centers and more planters for plants to surround themselves. They are also creating entertainment areas in their yards with outdoor games like corn hole, pools, kitchens, or a place for their kids to play. Many have even created a space to work outdoors in warmer weather.
Inviting the outdoors in is another trend. According to The Spruce, including houseplants as a part of your decor is a way to make a connection with nature.
According to the Garden Media Group, 18.3 million people started gardening during the pandemic and most say they intend to keep gardening! Most of these new gardeners are under age 35, and don’t necessarily have large yards for gardening. This means container and vertical gardening will continue to grow in popularity.
Finally, another hobby that increased during the pandemic was bird watching. This activity grew so popular as it is great for all ages, and as a family activity, takes place outdoors in open spaces and away from crowds. If you found yourself looking through a pair of binoculars over the last two years, you can help your hobby by planting bird-friendly plants in your garden.
No matter how you find yourself gardening this year, just be sure to get out there and garden!