Horticulture industry expert Matthew Appleby reveals his predictions for the next 12 months
Idiot-proof gardening
Garden plants suffered badly from pests and diseases and poor germination in the wet spring of 2024, meaning foolproof, bombproof plants will be a big thing for 2025.
With lockdown a distant memory, more people back in the office and increased demands on leisure time in what is almost certain to be a better weather season in 2025 (though El Nino-led forecasts remain inconclusive), that means planting maintenance-free bulbs, self-seeders and wet weather-resilient bloomers are set to be the order of the day.
Think plants with easy-to-remember names such as cyclamen, primrose, hardy geraniums, wallflowers, elephant’s ears, daffodils, lavender, peonies, aquilegia and heather.
Low maintenance, fuss-free plants such as peonies, lavender, aquilegia and heather are set to be big in 2025
Slugs
Few will argue that 2024 has been one of the worst years for slugs after a wet and mild winter and spring. Slug-eradicating products sold out in 2024, but the trend now ( which AG absolutely follows) is to use natural methods to deal with any pest issues. A so called ‘hug a slug’ approach and to use barrier and predator methods to defend your plants.
Grow in pots says Sheila Das, a rising gardening star known for promoting sustainable veg growing, who moves from RHS Wisley to become National Trust gardens head in January 2025.
If you’re choosing a product, environmental-friendly Slug Stoppa from Ecofective has won multiple awards. The barrier spray product features 55% less plastic in its pouch packaging than the usual plastic bottle, following a shift to using less plastic in consumer products.
Agroforestry
The new Government published a guide to agroforestry in August 2024 which can be found at gov.uk/guidance/a-guide-to-agroforestry
In a larger garden, allotment or smallholding, growing some trees will enhance soil health and boost protection from challenging weather, which can increase crop production. Trees can shelter livestock and crops from extreme sun, wind and heavy rain and can even be profitable, if you use them to make wood-based products or sell their fruit and nuts.
A new book called Silvohorticulture, A Grower’s Guide To Integrating Trees Into Crops will be published in January 2025 by Chelsea Green Publishing, who say this is the first book to offer a detailed, practical guide on how to effectively integrate trees with vegetable growing.
Heritage seeds
She Grows Veg’s Lucy Hutchings says heritage veg seed is back in fashion. One very untrendy crop is mangelwurzel – historically used as animal fodder, but now starting to be used widely in the kitchen for its leaves and roots, which have flavour a bit like beetroot.
Garden centre changes
There could be dozens of garden centres set to close, with some bought by other companies but many going for other retail.
Homebase is being broken up, Wilko has gone and 17 Dobbies are due to shut too, though many will find new owners from within the garden retail sector. The trend for town centre houseplant shops has peaked.
Prices
Prices are rising because of higher overheads for growers. Christmas trees are setting the trend, and are up £1-£2 each wholesale this year. Post-Brexit red tape on imports, designed to stop pests and diseases entering the UK, plus higher wage and National Insurance employer contributions is also causing prices to increase.
Disease issues identified at the border mean a shortage of some varieties of imported tomato seeds, and bad weather last year means fewer and smaller tulip bulbs.
Gardening and pets
Dog friendly garden design takes centre stage for Monty Don’s 2025 Chelsea Flower Show Garden
Monty Don has designed a dog-friendly garden for Chelsea Flower Show 2025. Chelsea doesn’t allow dogs on site, but Monty’s best pal Ned the golden retriever is likely to make a promotional appearance at the show before the crowds arrive. Look out for up-and-coming Jamie Butterworth, the face behind the garden’s design.
Advice for a doggie garden is to have a fence, avoid poisonous plants such as yew and laburnum, and have open spaces and places to play and hide. A kennel and water are good too.
There were 3.2 million pets bought during lockdown, so that means a lot of pet-proof gardening needs to be done.
Talking of water, the RHS said pond plant sales are up 35% as more people build ponds for wildlife. If we are seeing more ponds dug, that is a cheap way of bringing insects, birds, fish, mammals and amphibians into the garden to help with natural pest control.
Garden shows
After just one year, the much-vaunted RHS Urban Show has stalled. In spring 2024, Manchester’s first urban event showcased indoor gardening aimed at a younger demographic. But 2025’s event has been dropped from the calendar, though another is promised for 2026.
And don’t forget the return of our own fabulous National Amateur Gardening Show, which takes place on July 12-13 at the South of England Showground at Hayward’s Heath.
Come and meet the team and dive into two fabulous family days celebrating gardening, local crafts, food, drink and so much more.
Girl power!
As a BBC Gardeners’ World presenter since 2016, could she become the show’s first lead female presenter?
Frances prefers to be working in the garden without the cameras on her, but could be persuaded. She believes she was the first solo woman to anchor the programme, which she has done six times.
She said: “For all women who are gardeners, to be a woman to be able to do that is such a privileged position and I feel really grateful for it. But the pressure of anchoring a programme like Gardeners’ World every week having your garden shown to the world and not having it as a place you can enjoy and make it messy or whatever you want to do with it is a massively huge thing and I haven’t watched a single programme I’ve anchored because I find it too nerve-wracking.
“To put myself through that every week, I don’t know how Monty [Don] does it and I’ve got massively more respect for him now. So, in one sense to be that woman would be amazing, in the other sense, absolutely terrifying and I can’t think of anything worse. Give me gardening any day! But that doesn’t mean I won’t be persuaded to do it if they want it.”
Sustainability
Garden Industry Manufacturers Association director Vicky Nuttall says garden product sustainability is ‘no longer just a trend, it is a reality’.
Vicky says the plant pots category has undergone the biggest change, with Elho making them from used coffee grounds, Primeur using recycled tyres and LifeStyleGarden recycling recovered sea plastic such as nets to make furniture.
Meanwhile, the Government is demanding that councils collect plastic plant pots from kerbside recycling bins, something that almost 90% have not previously done.
Upcycling and sustainability is a reality and furniture is now being made from recycled materials
Peat ban
A horticultural peat ban is on the agenda, though is still a long way from becoming law. Sarah Dyke’s Bill is set for a second reading in January 2025. The LibDem MP wants a cessation of bagged peat sales, and plants grown in peat, by the end of 2025. The RHS plans to end peat use by the end of 2025 and many retailers will too.
Lifestyle gardens
Primetime garden makeover shows are out of fashion with TV producers, but magazine-style, more relaxed daytime and weekend lifestyle programmes are in.
Makeover series Love Your Garden finished a long peak time run on ITV in 2024, but the success of Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club, Love Your Weekend and Garden Rescue (and Gardeners’ World) prove gardening is alive and kicking on TV.
Fungi
Growing them at home has never been easier. Caley Brothers and Grow-It both had books published in 2024 on the vegan and peat-free friendly gardening niche.
This year’s colour
Pantone colour of the year 2024 was peach fuzz, and on December 5 a new one will be announced, possibly a contrasting darkly mysterious, escapist purple blue, which will provide a diversion in these difficult economic times and suit plants such as anemone, hyacinth, iris and salvia.
Youthful gardening
Cleanfingers v greenfingers: Young People in Horticulture Association founder Nat Boynton says the older gardeners have greenfingers but younger ones are ‘cleanfingered’. This means they decorate the garden rather than get their hands dirty.
Refillable ‘show me off’ planted containers, suitable for instant beautification of patios for barbecues, is the trend. The theory didn’t hold water this year as few people could confidently plan a barbecue because of the weather, but as a 10-year strategy, it’s the way forward.
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