Our Garden Predictions for 2024

By Victoria Fuller Time to dust off our botanical crystal balls and make our predictions for what we think gardening is going to look like in 2024! Which trends do we think are going to stick around from the last few seasons and which emerging trends do we think are going to catch their stride? Let’s dig in and predict which trends we think we are going to see in the gardens of 2024! GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD WILL BE ESSENTIAL There are literally an infinite number of reasons why growing your own food is a fantastic idea, and it seems that the general public have finally realized “hey I don’t have to spend so much of my hard-earned money on sub-quality produce coated in goodness knows how many pesticides: I could grow my own food myself!”. We are confident that this year will see a huge uprise in people cultivating their own vegetable gardens at home in order to save money, save time, save emissions, ensure food security and quality control, protect the environment, and improve their overall health and wellbeing! It is also worth noting that when growing your own food at home you want to ensure that your garden bed is made with food-safe materials (like a Cedar Planters raised garden bed or planter box!) to ensure that you aren't accidentally consuming any harmful chemicals! GOING WILD! We predict that many people will let their gardens “go wild” this growing season as opposed to the manicured lawns of yesteryear! Wildflower and meadow lawns are pretty and attract pollinators with minimal maintenance required. Everybody wins! CLIMATE CHANGE WILL REAR ITS HEAD It’s no surprise to anybody that weather patterns have been changing drastically over the previous decades and this year does not look like it will be any different. This year we can expect to see temperature extremes, altered growing seasons, an increase in certain pest and crop diseases, impacted soil quality, a change in water availability in certain regions, and a potential rise in extreme weather conditions. Our advice would be to keep an eye on weather predictions in your region so that you can plan a garden that stands a greater chance of surviving whatever the climate can throw its way! Also whenever possible try to support garden companies who have the environment and eco-conscious practices at their forefront! TIKTOK TRENDS WILL MAKE THEIR MARK With so many billions (with a b) of people turning to TikTok every month looking for inspiration on anything and everything that we can imagine, gardening is no exception! The “garden” hashtag on TikTok has over 23 billion views at the time of this blog post being published, so we can safely assume that in the coming year we will definitely be being influenced by whatever garden creators are planting and showcasing on the app! (Also if you are looking to follow some great garden-based content creators on the app then check out @cedarplanterss for some great tips and tricks!). ENCOURAGING POLLINATORS It is incredibly important to encourage pollinators such as bees, birds, butterflies, and other insects to visit our gardens as they play an essential role in our ecosystems, agricultural success, and overall well being of our planet. Somewhere between 75% and 95% of plants on earth rely on pollination in order to thrive and succeed, so planting certain plants to encourage pollinators in your garden is a fantastic idea! Some popular plants to attract these friendly pollinators to your garden are Milkweed, Lavender, Sunflowers, Herbs, and basically all flowering plants! BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY Reducing plastics and concrete in your outdoor space is a fantastic way to support the environment and encourages the local ecosystem to thrive! Plus it looks beautiful and is less expensive than cultivating a concrete jungle in your back yard! Replacing your unsightly plastic or metal raised garden beds with some Western Red Cedar raised garden beds can be a great place to start! PURPLE PURPLE EVERYWHERE! Purple produce has been receiving widespread media attention recently and there is no secret as to why! Before genetic modification, many types of vegetables were originally purple in colour but were altered to appear more "pleasing" to consumers. Purple varieties are being cultivated more frequently nowadays as they are less prone to failing as crops and “non-fruiting”. Some varieties of produce that you could potentially see popping up in a purple hue are: carrots, cauliflowers, tomatoes, broccoli, peas, radishes, and lettuces! SUCCULENTS TAKE CENTRE-STAGE With worldwide water shortages being an unfortunate prediction for the coming year, growing succulents could be a fantastic option! By the nature of their water-storing nature, succulents can thrive in traditionally barren environments and can thrive during extreme heat! Certain parts of the world have experienced droughts and extreme heat in recent growing seasons, if you happen to live in one of these locations then perhaps choosing to cultivate a cactus garden could be a great way to incorporate some colour into your outdoor space without worrying about the weather. So there we have our garden-themed predictions for the year ahead! What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of our picks? Please feel free to let us know in the comments below as we always love to hear from you and to talk “all things garden!”. Also please let us know if you are planning on implementing any of these suggestions into your own outdoor space as we would love to see your gardens!