Skip to main content

Change up your garden: The 2022 gardening trends that will liven up your space

As you plan out your indoor jungle and outdoor garden beds, take a look at 2022’s gardening trends for inspiration. Outline your project ideas ahead of time to make sure that you find the right plants at the right prices. From growing native plants on your patio to accenting your borders with dark foliage, there are trends for every type of plant enthusiast. If you’re curious about upcoming garden trends, read to learn more about them and how you can incorporate them into your available space.

Tricolor Beech tree

Use native plants in your garden

With concerns growing over climate change, low-maintenance gardening will be one of the biggest trends this year. In addition to planting drought-tolerant foliage, you can also make your garden more eco-friendly by going for native plants. All you need to do is take a trip to your local nursery to see which plants naturally grow in your area. Plants that are native to a region will naturally adapt to its specific climate conditions. As a home gardener, you won’t have to worry too much about fertilizing or watering these plants — they should already be acclimated to the soil conditions and rainfall patterns of the area where you live.

What’s also great about native plants is that they’ll provide food and shelter to native wildlife to increase biodiversity. In turn, some native animal species will help your plants with pollination so that your garden can thrive. Growing native plants is a win-win: You won’t have to spend much time or money on supplementing your plants, and you’ll be supporting biodiversity in your region.

Wildflower garden

Plant wildflowers for a meadow garden

The cottagecore trend is here to stay. Looking ahead to 2022, expect to see wildflowers bloom. In place of tropical jungles and manicured lawns, find meadow landscapes. For an English countryside feel, place wildflowers by beds, borders, and trees in your garden. Consider which foliage plants (such as ferns) share the same needs, as well as the ones that look great next to them. While you can prune and pull wildflowers to tailor them to your aesthetic, the idea is they can grow with abandon. If you have a wide, open garden space, consider allowing them to spread naturally.

From coneflowers to wild cosmos, there are many options when it comes to furnishing your garden with beautiful blooms. Try mixing warm and pastel tones for a variety of colors. Many wildflowers that you’ll find at your local garden center are native plants, meaning you won’t need to supplement them with much water or fertilizer. Once the last frost passes, go wild and scatter seeds into your garden. There’s no need to add soil amendments; wildflowers can usually tolerate poor soil conditions.

Potted basil growing in a kitchen

Maintain a kitchen garden

Kitchen gardens are incessantly trending — and for good reason! Planting herbs and vegetables doesn’t necessarily require that much space; though a garden bed in a yard outside is ideal, not everyone has access to that type of space. Growing herbs is easy, and you can often do it from your balcony or even your kitchen if you live in a small space. Plus, growing your own food helps cut down your carbon footprint — your food won’t be traveling long distances to get to you and you can opt-out of using potentially harmful fertilizers and pesticides.

All it takes to start an herb or vegetable garden is sowing some seeds and giving them adequate moisture and bright indirect light. You can also buy ready-to-go seedlings and plant them into a bigger container. Larger veggies might take some time to grow, but herbs will take no time at all. You can prune and enjoy herbs as they grow. Pruning, in fact, encourages more robust growth. The perk with growing them right in your kitchen is that you’ll have immediate access to your harvest for garnish! Just make sure you have a bright windowsill available.

Black magic colocasia

Accent your garden with black and dark foliage

Cheerful, light-toned meadows might be in, but the opposite color scheme isn’t going away. To complement bright flowers, try black and dark accent foliage plants. These won’t just be around for Halloween — expect to see them around all year. Check out black varieties of common garden plants such as black rose aeoniums, black magic colocasias, and black devil pansies. Even if you’re not growing an all-black garden à la Morticia Addams, you’ll still find that darker leaves and blooms provide visual contrast and balance in your garden. For anyone who only has space for a houseplant, there are also plenty of indoor options. Incorporate plants such as the raven ZZ and burgundy rubber plant into your home for a sleek accent.

Whether you want to let wildflowers bloom with no limitations or finally start that herb garden, 2022 will be full of exciting trends to try. All of these trends can start with picking up some plants or seeds at your local garden center. Start planning your projects now to make sure that you can find all the tools and plants you need before they fly off of nursery shelves!

Editors' Recommendations

Could electrogardening be the way of the future?
What you need to know about the electrogardening method
A person holding a seedling

Every year, new scientific advances are being made to help improve our lives, but unless you’re actively seeking out these studies, it can be hard to keep track of them. One new development you may have missed is electrogardening. Studies into how we can use electricity in gardening have been ongoing for years -- with shocking results! In this guide, we’ll break down what this new science is, how it works, and what it could mean for you and your garden.

What is electrogardening?
The electrogardening gardening method, sometimes also called electroculture, uses electricity to promote healthy plant growth. This can be done by electrifying the plant, water, or soil directly, but it can also involve creating an electromagnetic field around the plant.

Read more
Climate zone 3 plants that will thrive in cool temperatures
Flowers, foliage plants, and fruits to grow in climate zone 3
A person holding a seedling

A climate zone 3 garden can be a challenge to maintain. Zone 3 winters can reach well below subzero temperatures, and with the cold also comes harsh freezes, high winds, and dry air. But planting a thriving summer garden in this region is possible, and you can take protective measures that don’t involve keeping your plants inside at all times. If you’re a zone 3 gardener, here are the most suitable plants for your region and tips on how to safeguard them against extreme weather.

Where is zone 3?
First and foremost, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of what a climate zone is. Essentially, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has divided the country into 13 climate zones based on annual minimum temperature ranges. Zone 1 faces the coldest winters, while zone 13 experiences the warmest ones. On store labels, plant retailers will often indicate the zone range where a plant is perennial — that is, where it can enjoy more than one growing season.

Read more
Do you live in climate zone 10? Here’s our guide to choosing the perfect climate zone 10 plants
What you need to know about caring for climate zone 10 plants
Tomatillo plant

One part of the country that many gardeners envy is climate zone 10, a warm sanctuary for a variety of plants, thanks to its very long growing seasons and mild winters. Made up of the southernmost parts of the country, this region has a climate that's ideal for multiple rounds of harvests. While it has specific challenges with blisteringly hot summers, it’s an overall welcoming environment for plant life. Below, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about zone 10 and all the plants that you can grow in it.

Where is climate zone 10?
Before we get into the specifics of climate zone 10, let’s talk about the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. When shopping for plants, you may see labels indicating a zone range — that basically tells you where the plant will be hardy for more than just one growing season. Essentially, the United States Department of Agriculture has divided the country into 13 regions, or climate zones, based on annual minimum temperature ranges. Zone 1 faces the coldest winters, while zone 13 usually has the warmest ones. Bearing this in mind, inhabitants of zone 10 will often experience warmer winters.

Read more