The Top 7 Garden Trends for 2020

Don’t let the cold weather fool you; the gardening season is coming. It’s the perfect time of the year to start planning, not to mention a great distraction from the cold. So, what will everyone be growing this year, as we begin a new decade? Here are the top 7 garden trends for 2020.

Native plants are exactly what they sound like: plants that grow natively in your region. They grow without cultivation and, in general, without any human intervention at all.

As we shift towards sustainability in garden trends these plants thrive in the soil and climate conditions of your region, they often don’t require as much watering (which is great for the environment and you). Similarly, because these plants naturally occur in your region, they don’t encounter as many pest problems as the average perennial, meaning you can cut down on the number of chemicals you introduce to your garden—and the community as a whole.

Pro Tip: Invest in a great pair of protective gardening gloves before handling certain sharp or thorny native plants. These plants are great at surviving where they’re meant to be planted—often because they’ve developed features to protect them, like thorns. Protect your green thumbs (and the rest of both of your hands) with these Cut and Puncture Resistant Gardening Gloves.

With the ubiquitousness of “farm to table” fare, more and more of us are growing food for themselves and their families. It doesn’t require a lot of land to grow your own food. All you need is enough room for a small plot in your yard, or enough space for a couple of pots on your balcony, patio or terrace.

Feel free to start small with an herb garden, or some hardy heirloom tomato plants. From there, it’s easy to expand your modern garden in whatever direction you’re interested in. The only thing more satisfying than harvesting fresh produce you’ve grown yourself is eating it!

Pro Tip: Make sure you have a well-made, Strong Garden Digger. Also, make sure you have an effective watering system in place. If you’re gardening in containers on your patio or terrace, invest in an heirloom, high-capacity watering can, like this elegant copper one. If you’re gardening instead in a plot or box, try this Essential Watering Kit, which is great not only for watering your garden but your lawn as well.

It’s 2020— garden trends include more gadgets and gizmos for your garden than ever before. We are mostly a low-tech company, so we don’t think you’ll need much other than what you personally find fun. After all, we’ve lived thousands of years without them.

Pro Tip: This Soil Condition Test Kit is one exception to our no electronics modern garden focus. With its 8” long sensor probe, this soil test kit offers three very helpful readings for your soil: pH, moisture content, and soil temperature. This will allow you to know when it’s time to recondition your soil (due to pH), when it’s time to plant (due to temperature), and so much more.

Long gone are the days when gardening was an older age-exclusive hobby. Nowadays, Millennials are gardening at a rate even greater than Baby Boomers—and they’re encouraging their children, the grandchildren of Baby Boomers, to get their hands dirty, too.

So start small with the little ones in your life, and let 2020 be the year they learn how to grow things from seed. If nothing else, engaging them in garden trends is a great way to limit kids’ screen time during the summer when they’re out of school.

Pro Tip: Gardening is like everything else; to do it well, you need the right tools for the job. So treat your little one to a set of Garden Tools and their very own gardening apron. By using tools that are sized correctly for them, young gardeners will get to work on their dexterity while learning how to handle high-quality tools in a safe, effective manner.

Sustainable practices are more important than ever, as global temperatures continue to rise. And in 2020, you can expect to see an increasing number of gardeners and farmers turn to sustainable garden trends.

Some things you can do to make your garden more sustainable this year include being mindful about your use of water and cutting back on waste, using only organic pest control solutions, replacing chemical weed killers with good old-fashioned elbow grease, beginning to use and make your own compost, and more. Your modern garden will flourish with this extra attention—and so, too, will the environment.

Pro Tip: Weeding has a bad rap for a reason—it’s hard, time-consuming (and often back-breaking) work. The good news is: It doesn’t have to be. The right weeding tool for your needs—and body—will completely revolutionize the work. If bending over is an issue for your back, try Grampa’s Weeder, which will allow you to do the job sitting or standing up. If the problem isn’t your back, but the density of your soil, try these Hand Weeding Tools for Exceptionally Difficult Soils. If, instead, your weeds are hard to reach, springing up between bricks or all along your driveway, you won’t find better tools than this Set of Three Japanese Weeding Tools.

Blame the gravitational pull of Netflix—or the increasingly unpredictable growing seasons of many regions across the globe. Either way, in the 2020 garden trends, you can expect to see many gardeners bringing their gardens inside.

Many plants—from herbs to succulents, flowers to dwarf trees—will grow perfectly well indoors. Just make sure to pay attention to their water and light needs; if you don’t have a lot of natural light in your home, for example, you will want to leave your full-sun-requiring plants outdoors.

Pro Tip: Just because you’re gardening indoors doesn’t mean the rules of gardening outdoors don’t apply. You will still need to prune and trim your plants as they grow. Invest in a pair of compact, sharp shears, like these Classic Shears. They’re more than powerful enough for the job, while still being small enough to comfortably fit in any drawer.

Buying and planting existing plants from a nursery just doesn’t hold the same magic of growing your own plants from seed. If you haven’t tried it, for whatever reason, let 2020 be the year that changes. (This is one of the garden trends that is much easier than you think!)

Because while growing a modern garden from seed does take some extra planning and care, with just a little knowledge, preparation, and the right tools, it’s not half as hard as you might think.

Start by organizing your seed packets. Not all seeds should be planted at the same time, and some may need to be started indoors and then transplanted outside. Don’t be intimidated! With the right organizer, getting organized is easy—and surprisingly picturesque.

Pro Tip: If you’re just starting out with growing things from seed, do yourself a favor and invest in a good dibber. A dibber is used to make holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. When you’re just starting out, this tool is extremely helpful in knowing how deep you should plant your seeds. It’s also a great idea to mark and stake your rows, when planting outdoors, to ensure even, well-organized rows. These beautiful, French-made row stakes do the job exceptionally well.

Whether you find yourself following these garden trends or sticking to your old standbys, let’s hope 2020 brings a productive, abundant season for us all. Happy gardening!