LIFE

2015 gardening trends emphasize natural, fresh

Anna Jeffries
Reporter
Farm fresh food concept
  • The gardening trends of 2015 include outdoor entertaining, vegetable gardening and natural products.

It might be hard to tell now, with all these April showers, but warm, sunny days will be here before we know it.

When the weather does finally get nice, there's no better place to be than outside.

But don't just daydream about your backyard oasis. Now is the time to make plans for future gardening projects.

Need some ideas?

Check out a few of this year's gardening and landscaping trends for inspiration.

Think about entertaining

In the past, many gardeners focused on creating places where they could relax and experience peace and tranquility, said Katie Dubow, creative director at Garden Media, a public relations firm focusing on the lawn and gardening industry.

This year their focus has changed. It's all about entertaining, Dubow said.

Homeowners want to spend more time outside and they consider their outdoor space an extension of their home. That means a demand for more ready-made items, such as patio furniture.

Consider a vegetable garden

People have been growing vegetables for decades, but the hobby is becoming more popular this year, Dubow said.

"People are growing more of the foods you can't find in the grocery store ... and super foods, like kale, in their own back yard," she said.

Men and millennials, the generation born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are helping to drive the increase in vegetable gardening.

Gardeners appreciate being able to create delicious, home-cooked meals with ingredients they've grown themselves. Some enjoy making beer with their own hops or salsa with their own hot peppers.

Focus on what's natural

As people place more importance organic products and pay more attenting to where their food comes from, they also are more interested in natural gardening products, Dubow said.

Home gardeners are shying away from pesticides and looking at natural methods to combat weeds and pests, said Lori Swihart, program coordinator for the Licking County Master Gardeners and an Ohio certified volunteer naturalist for Ohio State University Extension.

Gardeners are using integrated pest management techniques, determining what insects are harmful to plants and encouraging more bugs, such as butterflies and ladybugs, who eat pests.

"They don't just grab that spray," Swihart said. "That's another trend. People are going more organic and using less chemicals."

ajeffries@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8544

Twitter: @amsjeffries