Trends have a way of coming and going, and even if you don’t intend to follow them, they can inspire a new way of looking at your space. Before you start planting this spring, emerging garden trends can help you decide on everything from which flowers to choose to your garden’s layout. We’re keeping you updated every week on the latest news in the home improvement world, recommended reads, deals and sales worth your while, and more. In this installment of our news digest, we’re covering the abundance of garden trends, mortgage rates, smart shades, and other news you can’t miss.
This Year’s Garden Trends Emphasize Using Space and Resources Efficiently
2025’s garden trends might be a sign of the times: while the trends themselves seem to vary depending on who you ask, they all have a few characteristics in common: they emphasize space and resource efficiency, resiliency, and re-wilding. That’s not entirely surprising, and those characteristics tend to go hand-in-hand: due to the impact of climate change and the “make due” attitude around smaller spaces, homeowners are finding creative—and beautiful—ways to make their gardens both a peaceful retreat and a small but impactful way to mitigate the worsening consequences of a warming climate. Here are some of our favorite trends so far.
Vertical gardening: When there isn’t enough square footage to scratch your gardening itch, it’s worth thinking about how you can better utilize vertical space. Whether you’re planning out your garden in a balcony setting or in a smaller yard, there are a wealth of new ways you can take advantage of walls, pergolas, and even high-tech vertical gardening systems to grow a wide variety of plants beyond climbing plants. If you’re looking for ways to fence in a yard, consider using structures such as walls and existing fences in conjunction with plants to build a more naturalistic border between your property and your neighbor’s.
Naturalistic planting: Vertical gardening can be a way to achieve naturalistic planting, which continues to grow in popularity. Many gardeners now are more climate- and wildlife-conscious, and this way of planting can help build a bridge between your space and native landscapes. It emphasizes native plants and grasses, the use of sustainable materials, a layout where wildlife and pollinators can thrive, and the re-wilding of certain spaces with blooms like wildflowers.
A “lived-in” feel: Many gardeners are also embracing a more lived-in feel for their gardens and are moving away from well-defined lines and well-manicured laws. Letting a garden grow as if it were wild makes the space seem more charming, comforting, and relaxing—and requires less work to maintain.
Edible gardens: Concerns about food security on top of climate change are driving many to carve out some of their gardens for produce. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs are popular choices, but edible flowers are surging in popularity: a plant that’s pretty and edible checks many gardeners’ boxes.
Efficiency and climate resiliency: While many of these trends so far are already helping gardeners save on resources like water, landscape choices can make or break some gardens, especially those that face extreme conditions. Both drought and flooding have been more frequent and extreme in recent years, prompting homeowners to find sustainable solutions to combat the damage. Choosing native plants that are used to dry conditions is one tactic for a more drought-resilient garden. Homeowners who live in flood-prone areas can use rain gardens in their landscape.
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More News Worth Reading
Daylight saving time is on Sunday, March 9. Other than “springing forward”, here’s what else you should know about the time change. You probably already knew that it doesn’t actually help you save energy, but did you know that it also killed the drive-in movie theater? Tragic.
Older Americans are moving, and not necessarily because of retirement. High property tax rates (hovering around 2 percent) are a key reason why this demographic is moving to more affordable states, impacting states like New York, New Jersey, and even parts of Texas and Illinois. There are many plausible reasons why some retirees are moving that don’t necessarily have to do with the cost of property taxes alone, but the trend is growing.
Mortgage rates dip, just in time for a new season of home buying. 6.63 percent is still high, but not quite as high as the 7 percent seen last month.
Need new blinds? Consider SwitchBot’s new cut-your-own smart shades. Sure, they’re smart—but the real selling point is how customers can adjust the width of the shade’s headrail and the fabric to fit their window frame after buying them: no more measuring mistakes! Buy them at SwitchBot.
How many ‘Colors of the Year’ can you count? KitchenAid announced their own, and it’s…appropriate. See it here.
New and Noteworthy Deals
Target is hosting a spring sale with outdoor living and garden deals starting at just $2.39! Some of our favorite items with deep discounts: a cast iron griddle press for under $20, LED outdoor spotlights for under $15, and a beautiful 18-piece acacia wood patio dining set for over half off.
It’s also not too early to start preparing your lawn and researching which products to use. Sunday has 20 percent off its lawn plans. Our tester loved Sunday so much, it landed a top spot on our list of the best DIY lawn care subscriptions. Read her review.
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