A – Aquatic Plants
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Maybe the biggest trend for 2018 is going to be aquatic plants. Just think about it. You can’t accidentally overwater or underwater. No messy dirt either of a potted plant.
These types of plants live in fish tanks and underwater gardens. Glass jars and vases among other unique containers work well too. We are smitten with marimo “Moss Balls” shown to the left in our fish tank. Betta fish love them too! These fuzzy balls are adorable, don’t require much sunlight to thrive and prefer a cool, dark spot. Fish tank = ideal spot! Moss balls photosynthesize as they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen while consuming nitrates. Nearly indestructible, your fish can’t harm them making them easy to care for. Moss balls are more closely related to algae than moss. Who knew? And they are cheap! |
B – Bright – Bold Colors & Bromeliads in the Bathroom!
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Neutrals may be “all the rage” in home decor, but vibrant bursts of color reign supreme in the garden.
Instead of soft creams and pastel pinks, flower beds will boast bright orange, hot pink, rich red and electric yellow. Bright fuchsia and bold purple popping color exists everywhere. Zero drab gardens. Enter lush tropical plants. Bromeliads are taking over both indoor and outdoor gardens by storm. Indoor growers should consider their bathroom or kitchen as an ideal spot because bromeliads love humidity. Especially if these spaces can provide plenty of indirect light with a window. Tropical and exotic, they look stunning grown as a border in a garden. If you live in a colder climate, they may have to be grown in a pot so they can be winterized. But when they are in bloom….swoon. At least for 3-6 months. |
C – Container Gardening
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With populations set to rise only in cities over the next 30 years, it sounds like container gardening is here to stay. And the scoop is that tiny homes are totally on trend.
Why? Because two big populations – millennials and retirees are seeking smaller spaces. These two groups still want to dig in the dirt – just on a mini scale. But living in close quarters equates to more noise. Dense plantings can buffer sound, block eyesores and act as a privacy fence. Think vining plants and their heavy foliage. The most exciting part is that growers are keeping up with this trend by hybridizing favorite plants into dwarfs. So chances are if you have a plant you love, you’ll probably now be able to find a shorter, smaller variety of it. |
D – Dwarf Shrubs
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Bigger homes with smaller yards? Tiny homes on tiny properties. Crazy but both hold true for 2018! Outdoor space is shrinking but that doesn’t mean beautiful plants aren’t still a must.
Enter evergreen dwarf shrubs. Who wants big, high-maintenance bushes anyhow? Trimming shrubs…who has the time? Compact bushes are perfect for fitting into those small spaces without lots of extra effort. We’re talking pruning once a year. Doable. Consider hydrangea’s or for a more edible landscape mini blueberry and raspberry bushes. They offer flowers, fruit and fall foliage. Yes – you can have it all! |
E – Edible Pots & Landscapes
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No yard? No space to garden? Who cares. And who’s to say you can only grow flowers in pots. That’s so old school.
Fruits and veggies have a say in the matter, too! Yes you can grow eggplant in a pot, it’s roots aren’t that deep. And this is true of so many of our edibles. Now is the time to try that purple kale or cauliflower in a pot. You’ll never know if you don’t try! Other veggies to whirl? Cabbage. Corn. Broccoli. Spinach. Lettuce. Onions. Their shallow roots lend themselves better to pot life. |
F – Forcing Indoors Bulbs
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I don’t think there’s a hotter trend than forcing indoor bulbs. In these bleak months, nothing cheers more than real flowers to remind you that spring will come again. And the scent? Intoxicating.
Now is a great time to force your paperwhites. In fact, if you stagger your bulb plantings, you can enjoy fresh flowers indoors until your crocus emerge outdoors in a few months. |
G – Great Groundcovers
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Raise your hand if you want to mow the lawn. Nope. Raise your hand if you want more attractive groundcover because it looks nicer than turf and still doesn’t need to be trimmed. All hands up…right?
Not to mention dealing with those areas the mower simply won’t go. Hello embankments, small hills, and difficult spaces such as narrow side yards, terraces or even challenging soils. Hardy groundcovers also make for a more beautiful pathway over a traditional paver by adding interest in texture, color and shape. Groundcovers are a smart trend for those with landscape problems such as erosion and can even prevent it. Areas with heavy rainfall or that are prone to wind can greatly benefit from a good groundcover as well. We love creeping Phlox as a low-maintenance groundcover solution to grass. The eye-popping colors alone! They even provide nectar for pollinators. And after the blooms fade, the green foliage is still attractive. |
H – Healing Houseplants
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Plants revitalize your indoor space by absorbing toxins and releasing clean, fresh oxygen through photosynthesis.
Certain plants kick it up a notch by reducing these airborne toxins, including carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and benzene from the air we breath in our homes and offices. This is important when you consider all the synthetic building components and furnishings found within a modern building emitting yucky chemicals into the air. In fact, many household item such as carpets, drapes and stoves, contain pollutants, and lots of commonly used items like glue, detergent, grocery bags, toilet paper and facial wipes, emit toxic compounds. Plants do their part to reduce the bad side effects these toxins emit by acting as natural air purifiers. And plants increase humidity in your home. In our heated and dry homes in winter, our space feels like a desert. Your nostrils and throat get dry, irritated, and scratchy, and we all become more susceptible to infections. Not to mention dry and itchy skin. Plants help to reduce these problems by increasing humidity. Did you know? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average American spends a whopping 93 percent of their lives indoors! |
I – Ice Plants
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Okay, okay, I had a really hard time coming up with an I! So ice plant it is. Seriously, these are some nifty plants indeed!
Native to South Africa, the ice plant grows naturally on the coast in hot, semi desert locations. This lower growing succulent with daisylike flowers blanket your garden in bold reds, pinks, yellow and purples. Fleshy leaves are three-sided in green and even gray-green shades. Yet another succulent to add to that rock garden or in slopes next to your groundcovers. |
J – Japanese Art of Wabi-sabi
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Good news! for those of you who can appreciate a more hands-off approach to gardening, there’s hope.
So welcome “Wabi-sabi” a Japanese art form that simply accepts the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. This is the time and the place for natural materials like wood and stone. Translation for you and me? Laid-back gardening. Non-fussy plants. Picture overgrown perennials, moss-covered stones, rusty iron gates and weathered pots all on trend for 2018. It’s time to go with the flow in your perfectly imperfect garden. Let’s celebrate our flaws with comfy, worn furniture next to chipped pots. |
K – Kumquat & other fruit trees
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Speaking of dwarf, desire for dwarf fruit trees are on the rise. You don’t need the space of an orchard to have fruit at your fingertips.
Enter dwarf shrubs. Easier to trim they’ll also bear fruit quicker in the 3-5 year range. {Standard fruit trees are 7-10 years}. These compact varieties won’t get too large for your living room, and can be brought outside when the weather finally turns warm again. Citrus trees are spot-on trend, they bloom in the winter, have an intoxicating smell and sport dark green foliage the rest of the year. Think Meyer lemons if you don’t like kumquats. But we love how you can eat the kumquat skin and all! And the skin is the sweetest part of the fruit. |
L – Lawn Reimagined
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Ahhhh. Yes. The ginormous lawn next to the white picket fence. Symbolic of the American dream. The huge, perfect and neatly manicured lawn is taking a hit these days.
Concerns range over drought, water shortages, environmental impact of fertilizing, pest-control treatments and other hazardous but traditional maintenance. Lawn-like alternatives are hot, hot, hot for 2018. How about a grass mix that doesn’t need to be mowed. That’s reality not fantasy. Or turfgrass. How about taller, prairie-type mixes? Buffalo grass anyone? And ornamental grasses are awesome. And this is where groundcovers come back. Yep. Yep. Less lawn to mow. |
M – Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
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Portulaca bloom. And then they bloom out their little rose shapes some more. Bursting on the scene in hues of red, orange, yellow, white, and bicolors on a single plant.
Moss rose grows naturally in South America in dry, sandy soils while basking like a lizard in the heat. Give them full sun and they will never fuss over infrequent watering. Translation. Hard to kill. And they are truly the best of both worlds. A flowering succulent….this is one hot and trendy plant for 2018! Use them in your rock garden, succulent bed for color, or borders where a shorter plant is preferred. Or just trail them as a groundcover in mosslike fashion. I even stick a few plants in hanging baskets for an explosion of color. |
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