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Garden Media Group releases 2012 trends report

December 8, 2011  By Garden Media Group


NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Garden Media Group releases 2012 trends report

The Garden Media Group has released its 2012 Garden
Trends Report. Here's what styles and ideas will be influencing the
garden this coming year.

Dec. 8, 2011 – The Garden Media Group has released its 2012 Garden Trends Report. Here's what styles and ideas will be influencing the garden this coming year.

In today’s world where news travels at the click of a mouse and
technology changes at the speed of now, people are finding balance and
purpose tapping into the power of plants and cultivating a “new good
life,” according to the 2012 Garden Trends Report from Garden Media
Group.

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Recent garden trends unveiled at the FloraHolland Trade Fair focused
upon the benefits of plants as the 3 Vs: Vital, Vogue and Voyage. Plants
are necessary for health (vital); for their versatility and ability to
elicit emotions (vogue); and for their cross cultural influence
(voyage).

“Plants are no longer a luxury, but a necessity for our lives,” said
Susan McCoy, trend spotter and outdoor living expert. “Plants can live
without us, but we can’t live without plants.”

The power of plants. For a growing army of environmentally conscious
members of Gen X and Y, it’s part of a new lifestyle that includes
recycling, re-purposing and upcycling, and blending old with new, to
preserve and protect the earth’s resources.

Dr. Charlie Hall, holder of the Ellison Chair at Texas A&M, said,
“Gen Ys are embracing a connection with plants based on economics,
environmental impact, health and wellness.”

These rural and urban curators of culture are planting home and
community gardens and renewing urban spaces, with an eye toward
functionality and artistic design.

Why nature? According to Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson, we have an
innate bond with living things and nature called biophilia.

McCoy agrees.”Studies prove that plants are more than just a pretty
face,” she said. “From the power of healing to restoring neighborhoods,
plants are vital for healthy, balanced lives.”

Here’s a glimpse of what McCoy and her team of Garden Media trend spotters see on the horizon for 2012 and beyond.

Urban Knights
Generation X and Y are taking up the mantle to protect and defend the
earth. “These new ‘urban-knights’ are creating oases wherever they can
find a patch of earth,” said McCoy. “They’re planting shrubs, flowers,
edibles and pop-up gardens on balconies, in alleyways, and on street
parklets – even in abandoned buildings and walk-in shipping containers.”

At this year’s Chelsea Flower Show in England the youth urban-grit
influence was apparent. Commitment to the earth’s resources was
punctuated in reclaimed materials mixed with windmill turbines, metal
sheds, water-saving plants, and vertical walls that challenged formal
gardens.

From raising chickens and goats to step gardening, harvesting rain water
and composting, these urban knights are establishing a ‘new good life’
by getting grounded with the earth.

Eco-scaping
From rocks in the garden to rocks in the living room, nature’s influence can be found both indoors and out.

“Borders are blurring between indoors and out as nature becomes more
important in our lives,” said Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, and president of
the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, www.apld.org. “Many people want their gardens and their homes to be sanctuaries of tranquility, reflecting their ideal concept of nature.”

Beauty and sustainability are key. Gardeners want easy, low maintenance
plants like the new Bloomtastic! dwarf butterfly bush series from Hines
Growers (www.hineshort.com).

Occupy Local
People are “occupying” local farmers markets and joining CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) groups for fresh produce, plants and products.

“Farmers markets are our new backyard veggie gardens,” said McCoy, “and are becoming our local grocery store.”

According to the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, sales of “locally produced
food” reached $4.8 billion in 2008.They project that locally grown foods
will generate $7 billion in sales dominated by fruit and veggies this
year.

Mindful consumption
According to the 2010 Cone Survey, 83 percent of consumers still want to
see more brands, products, and companies that support worthy causes.

“We’ve finally moved from ‘me’ to ‘we’ and consider our earth and each other when we purchase,” said McCoy.

Examples of this trend abound in the green industry, including Costa
Farms’ “Plant for the Cure” to American Beauties Native Plants (www.abnativeplants.com) partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.

Water-watchers
“There is no single issue greater than water,” said Hall. And, he added,
Gen X & Y want gardening to be simple with easy, low-maintenance
plants that require less water and are “earth kind.”

Recent drought and regional water restrictions are forcing people to
seek out ways to grow plants, flowers and vegetables with less water.

One method becoming increasingly popular is hydroponic gardening. You
can grow plants year-round in nutrient rich water that actually uses
less water.

In living color
Neon colors, pop art and color blocking are influencing fashion on the runways to fashion in the garden.

Rich, gem colors create a personal piece of paradise for gardeners. Costa Farms is responding to this trend with its Tropic Escape Hibiscus line. And Hines
is getting in the game with its Bloomtastic! Bambino Bougainvillea and
Patio Tropics multi-colored bougainvillea grafted patio trees.

The inner garden
“If you don’t have your health you don’t have anything” is an old slogan with a 21st century upgrade.

Trend watching says our pursuit of health and quality of life is the
number one influence on the goods and services we choose. That said,
decorating our “inner gardens” with houseplants for better, healthier
lives is catching fire.

“Houseplants are a modern interior decorating niche and absolutely
necessary for wellness,” said McCoy. “These natural oxygen machines
clean indoor air and bring life to any room with color and texture.”

And for those who want a fashionable alternative to just another picture
on the wall, vertical green walls are a practical and artistic
expression. “Green walls as living art make a wonderful conversation
piece as plant designs go vertical, horizontal and circular,” said
McCoy. “They freshen and change the atmosphere in any space.”

Techno-gardening
With the rise of smartphone technology, QR-codes, apps and Groupon,
living social is bringing power to the people and consumers into the
buying experience. One example: Costa Farm’s GrowingStyle digital
e-zines, offering designer tips and plant info in a free app.

“From conspicuous consumption of the nineties to today’s savvy shoppers,
it’s easy for consumers to get in on everything from flash sales to
secret finds,” said McCoy.

According to TrendWatching, ‘dealer chic’ is on the rise where securing the best deal is both accepted and admired.

Children’s gardens
From the White House to the neighborhood schools, kids are discovering
firsthand how to grow their own food and take care of the planet.

McCoy said we’ve ignored two generations of gardeners and need to get
kids back to having fun growing things. She said the popularity of fairy
gardens, which has more than doubled since last year, is ideal for kids
and the young at heart to share the whimsical world of plants and
appreciate the joy of gardening.

For a complete look at the GMG 2012 Garden Trends, visit: www.gardenmediagroup.com.


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