New Year Garden Trends

A Distinctive Twist on 'Everything Goes'

Informing people about how to use their gardens and inspiring them with ideas and examples is the broad objective of the Stichting Tuinpromotie Nederland (STN, the Dutch garden promotion foundation). An alliance of five sectors of the Dutch gardening industry, the STN regularly commissions research on how people garden and what kinds of information and products they value.

Contrasts
The STN started with one question: What are the most important developments in today's mental climate that will determine the new year's gardening trends?

The answer: Contrasts.

On one hand we want the fastest computer known to man, yet, at the same time, we search high and low for tranquility and often use meditation to achieve it. We look to the future, but our interest in history has never been so great. We place a high priority on individualism, but for comfort and safety we simultaneously seek contact and alliances.

Interior decor trends for 2008 also reflect these contrasts. One side of the coin shows a definite move toward a new romanticism with tiny floral prints, sweet pastels and elegant patterns. Concurrently, the other side of the coin is all about sharp contrasts, black and white and a rough ruggedness.

The challenge for the gardening industry is to offer early spring products and collections that provide these kinds of contrasts.

Following, representing 69% of the STN's study group, is a 'heads up' about four types of garden consumers and their style patterns. The remaining 31% are either 'reluctant' gardeners or true enthusiasts, with research bearing out that neither of these two groups respond to trend information.

The Social Garden Owner (17% of gardeners)
The fresh and weathered garden
This group views their garden as a space with purpose. Room for a large patio with table and chairs, and an adjacent area where the children can play, are important. 'Social' gardeners don't know much about gardening and find little enjoyment in the effort involved, but they still want their gardens to look inviting. They like comfort, convenience and organization and can be tempted by stylish decorative products and instant gardening.

What will appeal to this demographic is the 'Fresh and Weathered Garden', a contrast that suggests the seaside. The desired sense of tranquility is achieved by juxtaposing the bright colors of yesterday with new and weathered whites for textiles, fencing materials, walls and tiles. Elements such as blond wood, natural stone, wicker, canvas and jute combined with plastic, white concrete, aluminum and ceramics coated in thick glossy glazes.

Climbers and trees with gray-green leaves such as olive trees and silver birch, suit this garden's personality as do cottage garden-style flowering plants in pretty tints of purple and lilac.

The Proud Garden Owner (20% of gardeners)
The imperial inspiration garden
These folks love to garden and are proud of the results. Their garden, which they like to think of as different and special, is their showpiece.

The look of the Imperial Inspiration garden is 'history updated'. Contrast comes from the use of Neoclassical elements such as: Greek or Roman sculptures, columns, arches, hedges, 'secret' gardens and mazes set against a backdrop of highly contemporary garden design.

Materials in this garden are stone, mosaic, wrought iron, luxurious ceramics, and fabrics in linen or leather. Use of color is characterized by contrasting white, neutrals and black against warm accents such terra cotta and ochre yellow.

A variety of hedging materials suit this garden, such as: boxwood, hornbeam and privet as well as taxus and conifers. Flowering plants will be used strategically, but in a very limited color palette.

The Eccentric Garden Owner (14% of gardeners)
Elements of fantasy
These people, who tend to find gardening a chore, create gardens in which to entertain and feel independent. Their gardens are green and lush, easy to maintain and have a variety of whimsical decorative items as focal points. These gardens are eccentric combinations of individually interesting and contrasting elements all of which provide imaginative interpretations of nature.

The young eccentric gardeners in particular, enjoy being surprised, inspired and entertained by eye-catching, exciting products that are often used to decorate smaller spaces such as a balconies, decks and patios.

Everything goes in this garden, as long as it is used in unexpected ways. Animal print and leaf patterned fabrics add to the fairy tale ambiance, as do bright colors, pastels and neutrals used in surprising combinations. The most conspicuous colors are blue-greens.

Flowers are bright and cheerful, and plants display conspicuous leaf patterns. Things that look like they might be found in an enchanted forest such as ferns or mosses and eye-catching trees and shrubs like Araucaria and Mahonia would be right at home in this eclectic space.

The Prestige Garden Owner (18% of gardeners)
The rough and refined garden
These gardeners are an enigma from the get-go. On one hand they say they love to garden, yet they are the first ones to have their gardens professionally designed and planted. They love uniqueness, a designer look, specialty plants and want their gardens to reflect their status.

This demographic can be tempted by both products and plant material that are high quality, distinctive, special and have that 'haute couture' look.

This garden combines materials such as rough concrete, fine-quality corrugated plastic, stainless steel, stone, plywood and aluminum contrasted with elegant textural grids and meshes, denim and heavy canvas. Solid grays, and strong cool blue tones predominate, offset with a few light pastels.

This rough and refined garden uses lots of plant material, shrubs and trees with sturdy, leathery leaves. Flowering plants are most often blue or darkly colored and masculine in silhouette such as thistles, monkshood, foxglove, delphinium, angelica and Physocarpus diabolo.

The STN's Trend Report concludes by saying, "One of the most effective ways for retailers to appeal to these four groups of time-challenged garden owners is to create living displays, each of which showcases the contrasting hard and soft elements that will delight the senses of each demographic."