5 Unique Garden Trends to Watch for 2022

5 Unique Garden Trends to Watch for 2022

By Garrett Wade

With all of the challenges facing the world today, we’ve never spent more time in our gardens. It can be hard to keep up with all of the gardening design trends, but here are a few that bring a little modernity to classic, timeless themes — so you can spend less time working in the yard and more time enjoying it.

1. Top Gardening Trends Include Tropical Plants for Staycation Vibes

Can’t travel? No problem. You can create your own backyard oasis in any hardiness zone with plants that scream “South Seas Island Magic.” Unique island plants to grow come with big leaves and/or blowsy, fragrant flowers in shades of bright fuchsia, red, orange, and purple. We’re talking cannas, Japanese aralia, and hardy bananas for bodacious foliage; hibiscus (including hardy varieties for cooler climates), Aztec lily (Sprekelia spp.) and bougainvillea for splashes of tropical color; and hardy jasmine, angel’s trumpets (Brugmansia spp.), and honeysuckle for heady fragrance. If you want to grow plants that are outside of your hardiness zone, no worries — our Large Adjustable Indoor/Outdoor Plant Caddy lets you roll tender plants into protected indoor areas when the weather turns nippy.

2. Witchy Plants for a Magical Garden

If TikTok is any indication, this year, gardens with an eye toward astrology, the playfully sinister, and hedgewitchy medicinals are going to be popping up more. These gardening trends don’t mean you have to commit to the full Addams Family look, though — just punctuate the garden with moodier, spookier, and night-blooming specimens. Unique plants to grow include a moon garden of creamy nicotiana, silvery moonflower, and night-blooming jasmine. Black plants like chocolate cosmos, black dahlia varieties (like “Black Wizard” and “Arabian Night”), and black mondo grass bring mystery and drama. You can even include plants thought to have magical properties, like datura, rue, and vervain. Add a few lanterns or a bird bath full of crystals for a full effect.

3. Aesthetic Edibles

Vegetable gardens are more popular than ever according to the latest gardening trends, and it’s all thanks to an increased interest in self-reliance and smaller carbon footprints. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style — a functional vegetable garden can still be the focal point of your yard. To grow unique plants, consider planting heirloom varieties for visual interest, like striped tomatoes (“Berkeley Pink Tie-Dye” and “Black Strawberry” are two varieties to look for), purple-podded snap peas and beans, and vining Fairytale pumpkins. Don’t be afraid to work edibles into the ornamentals in your landscaping — a bright Swiss chard or flowering amaranths with giant sprays of bronze and magenta blossoms look equally at home in a flower garden as they do a raised bed. Add attractive trellises and arbors for your vining veggies to climb. For instant gratification, try setting up a new bed in our Large Metal Garden Bed — the galvanized metal is rot-resistant, and the sleek design fits with any architectural style.

4. Earth-Friendly Garden Designs

If you could summarize one of the top gardening trends in 2022, just one word would suffice: sustainability. Sustainable gardens can come in many forms. For instance, you could create wildlife gardens that create their own flourishing ecosystems by helping animals like amphibians and pollinators. To stay in line with 2022 gardening trends, consider also adding rain garden elements to the design of your garden. For example, strategically place water-loving plants in areas that are prone to natural flooding resulting from over-irrigation. Alternatively, if you want something more extensive, design your garden to include a handy water reservoir for preventing floods while also watering your plants as needed.

5. Living Garden Walls

2022 is also the year of the living wall—a panel of vegetation grown vertically. Never tried it before? Now couldn’t be a more perfect time to give it a try. Living walls stand out for being natural looking compared with solid fences. Plus, they embody the current gardening trends focusing on maximizing the space available for plants, including a garden’s vertical space.

Perhaps your garden already features a fence or garden wall. In 2022, consider covering this wall with some rambling roses. You could also disguise the wall or fence with some shrubbery or trees for a beautiful natural touch.

Elevate Your Gardening Techniques with the Help of Garrett Wade

At Garrett Wade, we can help you to grow unique plants in line with the latest gardening trends with our heirloom-quality gardening tools. However, we also offer a wide array of durable tools for other hobbies around the home, ranging from woodworking to cooking and outdoor activities. Our products are designed to save you time or effort on tasks, and they’ll last for generations to come.

Take a look at our broad selection of tools at Garrett Wade, and see for yourself how they can enhance your gardening life. Ordering today!