Each year brings the promise of exciting new garden trends that will revitalise and modernise your outdoor space. We have big predictions for how we're going to style, design, and use our gardens for the rest of the year. As you might expect, this year's trends mirror what's happening in the wider world with concern for the environment, worries about the cost of living, and a desire to make our home environs a better place to spend time, all creating an impact.
As we spend more time outdoors for our mental and physical well-being, our gardens will provide a zone that's relaxing, calming, and makes us feel good - the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
We've shared the ten biggest garden trends for 2024 with the expert help of Modern Gardens Magazine writer Jules Barton-Breck, providing you with plenty of new inspiration for upgrading your outdoor space and making it your own personal haven. These fabulous innovations and here-to-stay fads will make our gardens all the more gorgeous, so grab your favourite gardening gloves and dig in...
Peachy keen and lime green
Pantone's announcement of "Colour of the Year" is always met with much anticipation and interest in the home decor and fashion worlds, but there's no reason the chosen tone can't also influence garden design. While it may remind people of a certain age of '80s bridesmaid dresses, "PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz" has been given the thumbs up by those in the know.
According to Pantone, this particular hue "captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It's a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul."
Considering gardening is all about nurturing; both our plants and ourselves, it works for us for a 2024 planting plan. If you want to embrace the peach fuzz, you could consider carnations, roses, dahlias, stocks, and even lilies for the more experienced gardener.
Craig Wilson, co-founder, director and in-house gardening expert at Gardeners Dream has some expert advice on how to incorporate this trend: “If you want to add a little 'Peach Fuzz' to your garden, look to flowers such as Geum Mai Tai, Peach Weigela, peach-hued roses, or if you want to make a real statement, Pink Rosea Cortaderia Selloana Pampas Grass will do just the job.”
Another colour tipped for popularity this year actually pairs well with peach. "Cyber lime" is where our greens are at. Described by Jules Barton-Breck as an "eyeball-shocker" this almost-neon shade of green will bring some modern vibrancy to your outdoor space.
Don't get caught in a thirst trap
2023 was the fourth driest summer since records began in 1887 and the driest since 1976. Last year saw dreaded hosepipe bans across the nations, including one from South West Water that lasted over a year prompting many to invest in rainwater catchers.
It's no surprise then that UK gardeners are looking for plants that don't need a daily dose of H20. Considering drought-resistant planting, even if it's just a certain area of your outdoor space, is a savvy way to ensure you'll have at least one patch of healthy growth if the rain doesn't come.
The Royal Horticultural Society has a golden (or should that be silver?) rule when it comes to choosing plants that can cope with fewer waterings. "Many drought tolerant plants have silver or grey-green leaves, their light leaf colour reflecting the harsh rays of the sun. Some have a coating of fine hairs on their leaves or stems, helping to trap moisture around the plant tissues."
"Using less water overall, creating more plant diversity, choosing ethically and locally sourced materials represents a definite shift in day-to-day gardening techniques. Gardeners are looking at both water-saving techniques, including mulch to retain moisture, creating raised beds alongside collecting and storing rainwater," states the RHS.
Mediterranean + geraniums = holiday vibes
Terracotta, both the colour and the material, was a total vibe last year, and let's be honest here, the Med never really goes out of fashion, but we're now talking about upping the European ante with vibrant tiles, pots of colourful, blousy blossoms, and elegant outdoor seating areas.
Craig Wilson, co-founder, director and in-house gardening expert at Gardeners Dream shares his insight on why we're going mad for the Med: “There is nothing quite like your very own at-home retreat, especially as holidays abroad become more expensive. Since the beginning of December 2023, ‘rustic garden ideas’ have seen a 163% increase in searches on Pinterest. Marrying this with our internal sales data, we expect to see many homeowners looking to the Mediterranean for garden inspiration.”
Grow your own goodness
For some of us "Grow Your Own" has been a mantra we've lived by for many years. Others got into the action during the pandemic and the food scarcity issues that Brexit brought us. However you came to be hovering over a veg plot with a garden trowel in your hand, we can report that we're all getting more ambitious when it comes to DIY fruit, veg, and herbs.
We're also being more discerning about what it is we grow. The RHS Gardening Advice service states it's seeing "remarkable growth" in grow your own enquiries, but says those enquiries are less about yield and more about helping the environment and creating vegetable patches that can be cared for more ecologically.
"Gardeners have turned away from intensive cultivation, fertilisers and watering on a lavish scale and are happy to accept modest yields but benefit from knowing they are tending their plots in a more sustainable way," says the RHS.
Edimental essentials
J. Parker’s, a well-respected garden retailer, predicts we're going to be expanding our growing repertoire to plants that not only look lovely but can provide a tasty snack.
"To put it simply, an edimental plant is both an edible and ornamental plant that’ll add months of interest to your garden", states the site. "They’re usually low maintenance and hardier to the elements. This includes plants like asparagus, currants, gooseberries, fruit trees, and even shrubs".
"It makes so much sense to grow a pretty garden you can eat," says Jules Barton-Breck. Her recommendations are nasturtium, dahlias, and daylilies, all of which can be added to summer salads.
Gardeners Dream concurs with the edimental love, stating it has seen a whopping 400% increase in lemon tree sales, a 120% increase for orange trees, and grapevine sales up 200%, all of which tally with not just the edimental trend, but the Mediterranean feel we've already highlighted.
Pollination inspiration
Our love for the humble bee stays strong this year, while butterflies and our other bug buddies benefit from benevolent planting plans that offer pollen-rich pickings. While more formal planting of the likes of lavender, heather, hollyhocks, foxgloves, rosemary, and thyme can offer bees a vital source of sustenance, many of us will be letting a corner of our outdoor space "go wild".
Simply setting aside such a corner, chucking a pack of wildflower seeds over it and leaving it alone for the growing season can make a huge difference to your local wildlife with minimal effort from you.
"Clover-filled swathes are in," says Jules Barton-Breck. "Leave a section of your lawn to do what it pleases, and wait to see the beauty it brings to your garden."
Cutting it fine
A cutting garden, or a cut flower garden, may have previously been the preserve of our grandparents' generation, but such planting patches are making a comeback with people who enjoy having fresh flowers in their homes, without paying florist prices to do so.
Hyacinths, tulips, roses, peonies, delphiniums, dahlias - the list goes on and on when it comes to flowering plants you can cultivate throughout the year to have blooms ready to cut when you want to fill a vase.
Don't discount flowering herbs when it comes to planning plants to grace your indoor space, many of these are just as lovely as more traditional blooms but offer the added benefit of lovely fresh fragrances.
Bringing the inside out
Making your outdoor space an extension of your indoor living areas is a trend we expect to see grow greatly in 2024. With socialising en plein air ever more common for the health-conscious, creating an outdoor area that feels like an indoor one is a total trend.
Dutch retailer Rizz states "The boundaries between indoor and outdoor living are becoming more fluid than ever." The explanation is that the concept of "bringing the inside out" is all about extending the comfort and aesthetics of your interior design to your exterior spaces.
"Cosy outdoor rugs, plush cushions, and weather-resistant textiles can effortlessly blur the lines between your living room and patio, creating a harmonious transition that invites relaxation and leisure," says Rizz.
Jules Barton-Breck takes this trend prediction a step further suggesting we're all going to be eating outdoors more too: "Outside kitchens are being upgraded for all-weather-every-weekend use, and we're reimagining neglected corners to make every square centimetre count."
Strike a pose
With the crazy popularity of Traitors and the success of Saltburn, it's clear we all wish we lived in a massive country pile with acres and acres of land. While most of us would not be able to turn our modest back gardens into the kind of ornamental grounds such as seen in those shows, adding a touch of upper-class chic can be done.
A classic stone garden statue or sculpture, either a standalone figure or something incorporated into a birdbath or flower bed feature, can help create that sophisticated atmosphere. Training ivy up such a figure will make it look more aged and authentic.
The Midas touch
Related to our garden statue trend prediction with people wanting to get the luxe look, nothing screams money like gold. We're not suggesting you gold plate your patio, but the odd touch of the glam glitter that gold offers can go a long way to make an outdoor space feel special.
Rather than going for all-out bling, we suggest going down the classier burnished gold route. This old-fashioned tone can be used on pots and planters, garden ornaments, and even outdoor furniture to generate some chic elegance.
Jules Barton-Breck says, "Burnished gold is the must-have garden accessory colour of the year… It's such an easy way to bring instant glam to your outdoor space."
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Amy-Mae Turner is a Commerce Content Writer for Modern Gardens, Yours, Take A Break Pets, and A Modern Kitchen. When she's not pottering in the garden or mucking around in the kitchen, she can be found having doggy cuddles with her two beloved cockapoochis.