With the world in a lull due to the pandemic, 2020 has isolated many people to their homes. Having limited outdoor activities to partake in, many have sought the relaxation, fulfillment, a boost in health, and the pastime of gardening. The scope of those practicing gardening has grown in 2020 significantly, and with it, has brought certain gardening trends that are set to continue into 2021.
Landscapers in Orange County, CA, and across the nation have seen a boost in activity as well. With many people wanting to beautify their properties with gardening enhancements, especially those in weather-friendly geographical locales, many gardening trends are being implemented and 2021 is looking to be a year that continues to propagate for many of them.
Here are a few gardening trends to expect to see more of in 2021.
Outdoor Living Spaces
By shutting people out of many popular outdoor activities and confining them to their homes, the COVID pandemic has actually done more to push people to want to do more outdoor activities. In the process, more and more people became interested in enhancing their outside living areas. For instance, in Orange County landscape design interest went up more than two-fold between January and May 2020. More pergolas and gazebos went up, more decks got constructed, and even entertainment systems began popping up outside. With the stay-at-home lifestyle not likely to change in the near future, expect this trend to continue in 2021.
Home-Grown Food
With the additional precautions, safety concerns, and challenges of going to stores, many have tried to cut down the frequency of their trips by growing more food in their own summer houses. Not only have people who have not engaged in gardening before opted to try out the endeavor for food growth, but many seasoned gardeners also expanded their green-thumbery. They began experimenting more with what they grow, pushing the boundaries of just the commonly garden-grown fruits and vegetables.
More than that, where the gardens appeared has also changed. While traditionally food and plant beds reside mostly in backyards, people have begun to expand the growing spaces by leveraging their front yard spaces for the venture as well, planting visually friendly foods like rainbow swiss chard and red Russian kale in the front. Not only was this not an awkward thing for neighbors to see, but it has also started conversations from fellow residents interested in growing their own food too.
Bee-Friendly Gardening
Some trends went beyond simply beautifying and focused on wildlife and saving our planet. It is said that if the bees disappeared from the world, humanity would follow within a decade. With the bee population plummeting, people have begun transforming their gardens into bee-friendly environments, giving these essential creatures a new habitat, as many of theirs have been threatened. This trend will hopefully last far past 2021, as it can be of great significance to preserving the bee population.
Pest-Repellent Gardening
One of the biggest challenges in gardening is the fact that outdoor plants and foods are a common invitation for curious, hungry wildlife to come feast on plants. Wildlife can come in the form of insects, vermin, or even deer. With the expansion of gardening, people have had to get creative about their approaches to keep wildlife at bay. Keeping deer out is the toughest challenge, but planting daffodils not only enhances the visual of gardens but also deters deer from getting to the other plants as they want nothing to do with daffodils. In the summer, allium, lavender, and lilac can serve a similar purpose.
These same aromatic plants will also keep away other pests, especially those of the insect variety. Planting lemon balm, catnip, citronella, and marigolds is a good way to deter mosquitoes away from the gardens.
Safer And Convenient Garden Shopping
One of the biggest conveniences that have come out of social-distant shopping is the growth of curbside pickup and other currently available adjustments. Even when the pandemic quells, these conveniences are likely to stay. The growth in gardening has vastly helped gardening centers, but with the adjustments of being able to pre-order gardening necessities, sometimes in bundles, has made the purchase and the pickup easier for shoppers, and the sales easier for garden centers who can put everything together and bring it out to customers.
This has also made life simpler for landscapers working to put up and maintain many of the gardens. From Boston to Orange County lawn care services have been bolstered by these trends. 2020 won’t exactly go down as a year for many good memories, but its contribution to the environment’s cleanliness and the expansion of gardening can be the positive asterisk in the historical record of an otherwise year to forget.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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