5 Top Gardening Trends

Level up your garden with these hot trends!

In these times, gardening has become more popular than ever. Gardeners of all skillsets want to get into the latest trends in gardening. From landscaping ideas, indoor & outdoor gardens, edible & aesthetic plants I have for once – deviating a bit from my favored worm topic – chosen to bring you the 5 top gardening trends as I see them.

1. “Cottage Core” 

This is a new phrase you’ve probably seen thrown around quite often, but you’re not quite sure what it is. For those of you who don’t know it, or haven’t fully grasped the concept, “cottage core” is a hip new landscaping aesthetic that’s all the rage. Cottage core is an homage to the old European countryside gardens. 

No matter where you live in the world, cottage core brings that calm, countryside nostalgia to you. Its main features include pastel, delicate florals that adorn your home.

Here are a couple of ideas for a cottage core garden:

Roses

Cottage core is all about being dreamy, and what could be more dreamy than some beautiful romantic roses in your garden? Rose bushes are perfect for either climbing up the wall, or lining the edge of your house. Not to mention you get a beautiful pop of color when they bloom! 

My suggestion is the iceberg variety of roses. These rose bushes are cold-hardy, easy to care for and come in a variety of beautiful colors that will fit your cottage core aesthetic (white, yellow, pink, and purple). This variety comes in either a bushing or climbing variety, so you can have it your way. 

English Ivy

I don’t know about you, but when I think of an English countryside cottage, I automatically picture a home with some vibrant ivy climbing up the walls. For that real aesthetic look, try growing some English ivy to adorn the outside of your home. You can experiment with one wall, and expand if you love the look. 

2. Food Garden Expansion

If you started gardening in 2020 due to the pandemic, then you’ll definitely want to level up your food garden in 2021! Growing your own food is a fantastic habit to have; it teaches patience, you learn a little bit of science, and you earn serious bragging rights among your friends. 

Check out some ways you can improve your garden:

Fertilizer Glow-Up

Improved fertilization can help increase your vegetables’ productivity, harvest, and longevity; so it’s only natural you’ll want to find ways to make the most of your fertilizer.

My suggestion? Invest in worm composting! Worm castings are a miracle worker in the garden. It’s a rich, organic fertilizer option that helps combat soil-borne diseases and deters garden pests. Worm castings contain a multitude of nutrients, including iron, sulfur, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Worm castings is the end product of worm composting. I implore that you consider this in your future garden.

Try a New Crop!

The easiest way to expand your garden is by adding something you’ve never grown before! Take a trip over to your local garden nursery and browse their seed selection. Choose something that you find interesting, something exotic, a unique variety of an old classic, etc. Growing a new crop can be a rewarding experience and helps push you out of your comfort zone.

For example, this past growing season, I grew tomatillos for the first time. It was a learning experience filled with little mistakes and little successes, but to harvest tomatillos, I grew myself was unbelievably satisfying! I have salsa verde every day all thanks to my new garden addition. 

3. Balcony Gardens

It breaks my heart when I hear people say “I wish I could have a garden, but I live in an apartment.” Nonsense! You can have a bountiful garden right from the comfort of your own balcony. With a little careful planning, you can have a balcony that is the envy of your neighbors. 

Check out some ideas on how to make the perfect balcony garden:

Vertical Vining Veggies

The easiest way to grow vegetables with limited space is to grow upwards. And the best part? It’s easy. I would select plants that are known for climbing; cucumbers, beans, and peas are great selections that require less-intensive care. 

You can purchase trellises at any hardware store and easily stake them into your gardening containers. From there, you just let the plant do all the work; they’ll easily climb up the trellis on its own. 

Hanging Baskets

Another fantastic method of vertical gardening to save space, growing your veggies in hanging baskets helps you conserve space on your balcony all while looking absolutely stunning. I would suggest investing in a self-watering hanging planter to avoid a dripping basket and to keep your plants happily watered.

My favorite vegetables to grow on hanging baskets are any droopy, vine-like vegetables. This can include cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash, just to name a few. 

4. Adventurous Herbs

We all love herbs; they make our meals delicious. But there’s a whole world of herbs outside of the regular rosemary and parsley most of us are too used to. Amp up your herbs this year with some new and exciting additions. 

Try growing some of these herbs:

Thai Basil

Not your average basil! Thai basil has a distinct licorice flavor, which pairs great with the spicy, salty, sweet flavors of Thai cuisine. Thai basil is of course native to Thailand, so it loves the hot, sunny weather. 

Treat Thai basil the same you would with any other basil plant; they’re a compact, container-friendly crop to grow. Basil is also a known deterrent of some common garden pests as well, including flies and mosquitos. 

Culantro

No, I did not misspell “cilantro.” Introducing culantro, cilantro’s pungent sister. Culantro is an interesting herb – it grows straight, serrated leaves that have a stronger cilantro taste and aroma. Cooks use culantro in a variety of dishes, from soups, to chutneys, to stews, and the list goes on!

Culantro is native to the regions of Central and South America, so you should plant culantro in the spring after all threats of frost have passed. Culantro is classified as a biennial, if you live in a hot climate, your culantro plant can survive for two years. 

5. Unusual Houseplants

Gardening doesn’t just have to be outside, either. More and more people are bringing the garden into their homes with houseplants. Houseplants come with many benefits, most notably, cleaning the air in your home. Having a funny and quirky houseplant in your home can be a great conversation starter among your house guests. The more unique, the better!

Check out these unusual houseplants:

Polka Dot Begonia

Don’t be shocked when you see this houseplant- those dots are meant to be there! The polka dot begonia gets its name from the splotches of white dots that adorn their beautiful leaves. This houseplant is very easy to care for, which makes it all the more alluring to homeowners. 

Polka dot begonias are medium-sized plants, so finding room in your home for them should be easy. They prefer indirect sunlight, so do avoid placing them in windowsills. It should be noted that these plants are toxic to animals, so best to keep them out of reach from your furry housemates. 

Albuca Frizzle Sizzle

A plant with a look that’s as wild as its name, the Albuca frizzle sizzle is actually a variety of succulents! The frizzle sizzle is identifiable by its corkscrew-shaped leaves which hold in its reservoir of water. Native to the dry climates of South Africa, this plant is drought-tolerant in the summer months. 

Despite seeming like a high-maintenance plant, the frizzle sizzle is surprisingly easy to care for. Between minimal watering and little pruning, the Albuca frizzle sizzle is becoming a favorite in the household. 

5 Top Gardening Trends In Conclusion

Everyone loves a good trend, and the world of gardening is no different! Gardening trends are an exciting way to get out of your comfort zone and try new things you wouldn’t normally give a second thought. The best part about gardening is that there are endless possibilities of what you can grow. Whether you live in an apartment, or the suburbs, or a farm, there’s a garden out there for you!

And as all of the followers of RedWormFarms know: Your plants grow better with vermicompost produced by my babies, the redworms.

Works Cited in “5 Top Gardening Trends”

Kanuckel, Amber. “Top Gardening Trends for 2021.” Farmer’s Almanac. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/gardening-trends-for-spring-26664. Accessed 26 June 2021.

Nichols, Mackenzie. “4 Gardening Trends You’ll Want To Dig into in 2021.” Better Homes and 

Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-trends/2021-gardening-trends/. Accessed 26 June 2021.

Nielsen, Lori. “Albuca Spiralis: A Twisty Fizzle Sizzle.” Epic Gardening. https://

www.epicgardening.com/albuca-spiralis/. Accessed 26 June 2021.

“Polka Dot Begonia.” Nick’s Garden Center & Farmer’s Market. https://nicksgardencenter.com/gardening-blog/polka_dot_begonia/. Accessed 26 June 2021.