Happy New Year to all of you, and let’s enjoy the rest of this winter, whatever it may bring, until our favourite season arrives.  Each year the Garden Media Group presents its Trends Report (sub-titled What’s in What’s Out) to garden writers and editors.  It’s a look ahead to what will be happening in gardens for the upcoming year.

Here are some of the highlights of that report.  Perhaps they’ll give you inspiration for some January dreaming while you gaze out into the snowy landscape:

Outdoor Living is in.  Indoor Living is Out.  This doesn’t surprise me.  We are spending more time outside in our gardens and on our decks and patios, fuelled by an ever-increasing availability of products which are weather-resistant.  We’re cooking and entertaining more and certainly relaxing more outside.  My big outdoor living purchase last year, aside from a few hundred dollars worth of plants for the numerous containers on my deck, was a wireless speaker and transmitter so we could relax with our favourite music out there.

Larger than Life Accents Are In.  Peek-a-Boo Accessories Are Out.  There is a trend towards a more streamlined, simplified and more structured look in gardens, and larger plants and accessories help to create this look.  Big containers, with big and bold foliage plants like cannas, yuccas, agaves and similar types of plants are popular.

Foliage in Focus Is In.  Flowers Only Are Out.  The choices in plants with colourful and interesting foliage are astounding, and more become available each year.  Look at the transformation of coleus, the popularity of heucheras and ornamental grasses, and the appearance of shades of purple and chartreuse seemingly everywhere in garden centres, not only in annuals but in perennials and flowering shrubs as well.

Multi-taskingl GardenslaceType Are In.  Time Consuming Gardens Are Out.  We have become multi-taskers in our lives, now we want our gardens to do the same.  Look for more edible plants that are attractive enough to star in perennial or annual beds or containers, and tropical plants that can grow outdoors and then be easily moved indoors when the weather cools.

Designer Veggies are In.  Store Bought Veggies Are Out.  Is vegetable gardening the new chic gardening activity?  According to some it is, especially when you grow varieties with an unusual appearance or a distinct flavour.  I think we’ll be hearing the term “food miles” much more in the future, and growing your own vegetables is perhaps going to be the “in” thing.  And that’s a good thing, don’t you think?

24-Hour Gardens Are In.  Day Only Gardens Are Out.  We like living outside so much that we’re reluctant to come back indoors when it gets dark.  Gardens or containers with predominantly white flowers that reflect the moonlight, or plants with evening fragrance are one aspect of this trend, but so are all-weather sofas and easy chairs, outdoor floor lamps, candles and lanterns, and night-lighting.

Eco-Chic Gardens are In.  Chemical Needy Gardens Are Out.  We will most definitely see more environmentally-friendly products to use in the garden, whether we’re fighting pests and diseases, improving our soils or conserving water.  There will be even more roses that require minimum care and virtually no spraying, and more seed companies than ever are offering organic seeds.