Flowering indoor plants, lush herbs and dried flowers are among the garden trends set to bloom in 2023, predicts the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
The annual forecasts, based on horticultural trends and gardener requests, focus on green gardening. According to RHS, next year will see green-fingered enthusiasts trying innovative sustainable techniques, attracting more wildlife and having more water after a drought summer.
“In 2022, the charity predicted the rise of red-fleshed apples, which that year have benefited from extreme summer temperatures making them sweeter and even more colourful, and confident planting with the RHS flower shows celebrating a riot of red, purple and yellow. says Guy Barter, head gardener at RHS.
“Next year we expect gardeners to garden with respect for nature and the environment more than ever, a trend that is growing year on year and will become a major concern for UK gardeners.”
Take a look at the following trends:
1. Thriving houseplants
Unusual exotics, including cymbidium and dendrobium orchids, are expected to thrive in 2023. As a warming climate causes us to turn down central heating, the RHS predicts that houseplant lovers will be trying new varieties for the first time.
“The heat and dry air of centrally heated homes is not good for most plants, so more unusual exotics will do better in a cooler home,” explains the world-renowned horticultural charity.
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2. Regenerative gardening
Creating the right habitat for wildlife to find shelter and food is vital, but by 2023 the RHS predicts that more gardeners will be “looking towards eco-friendly, wood-based compost alternatives”. With peat-based bagged compost due to be banned in the UK in 2024 – and the RHS pledges to be peat-free by 2025 – many of us will turn to algae and biochar feeds instead.
“Comfrey and winter beans can be grown as cover crops to fix nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil and provide habitat and food for wildlife,” the charity adds. “Comfrey ‘Bocking 14’ can be grown and used directly as a mulch or made into a sustainable liquid feed to support the growth of newly planted plants.”
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3. Gardening becomes technical
Gardening will go digital in 2023, with the RHS predicting gardening enthusiasts will share online what’s happening in their beds, take virtual classes, and use apps to plan and plant. Whether you have the greenest thumb or just like a flower occasionally, this also offers the added benefits of mapping plant health issues and designing research projects.
To help households click the right way, RHS has announced it will be expanding its range of digital services in 2023, building on the popularity of the RHS The Garden Magazine app. Everything you need is available at the touch of a button.
4. Herb Gardens
Fresh herbs from the garden are an absolute must for every kitchen gardener. According to RHS, searches for herbs are up nearly 600 percent this fall compared to 2021, with coveted varieties including classics like mint and coriander.
The charity explains: “Herbs are a cheap and easy way for people to add extra flavor to meals. Most herbs are easy to grow from seed, another cost saver, and can be sown indoors from March to April and outdoors from April to August. Many kitchen herbs are hardy and perennial and get better every year.’
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5. climateresilient gardens
“After the heat and drought of summer, gardeners will be looking for ways to future-proof their spaces for a more extreme climate,” predicts the RHS.
“Gravel gardens and xeriscaping (gardens designed to minimize future watering) will be popular, but a changing climate doesn’t have to mean a completely different look for gardens. There are a few things gardeners can do to get the same feel, including fragrant choisya for hydrangea and phygelius for fuchsia.
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6. Change lawn
Lawns are high on the agenda for next year, and gardeners are expected to push the boundaries for pollinators long. A tightly trimmed, weed-free lawn is not particularly pet-friendly, which is why a big trend for 2023 is tapestry lawn. Easy to try, this one consists of low-standing, intertwined flowering plants like yarrow and self-healer, and mini wildflower meadows of native plants like yellow rattle and cornflower.
Plants that some people mistake for weeds – like dandelions and stinging nettles – bring great benefits to insects. Rather than pull them out, the RHS predicts people will embrace them for their “ability to blend in with their green surroundings.”
7. Green Landscaping
According to RHS, the rising cost of hard landscaping will see gardeners turn to plants to add structure to their beds. Searches for Myrtle on the RHS website are up over 500 percent this fall, while green walls, hedges and swimming ponds are all set to increase.
8. Dried Flowers
Dried flowers continue to be one of the hottest home decor trends — and they’re not giving up. For 2023, expect dried and pressed flowers to make charming additions to rooms in bouquets, wreaths or garlands. Traditions, skills, and crafts that are on the rise include natural dyeing, scythes, and foraging.
• Dried bouquets •
Bleached white bunny tails
Dried lavender bunch
Dried Orange Hare Tail Grass
Preserved Eucalyptus Baby
Dried Craspedia Yellow
Dried wild wheat bundle
Pink Dried Bunch of Acroclinium Flower
9. Embracing nature’s unloved ones
“Even more traditionally disliked species are being embraced by gardeners for the unexpected benefits they can bring,” according to the RHS.
“The RHS Garden Advisory Service is receiving increasing inquiries about bringing more wildlife into their gardens to repel more troublesome species – some of which have themselves been described as garden pariahs in the past. These include wasps, which digest caterpillars, snails, which can help recycle rotting material, and aphids, which provide food for favorites like ladybirds and lacewing and hoverfly larvae.’
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