Monstera, no-dig and the other gardenings trends we've loved in 2017 - according to Google
For gardeners, the end of one year and the beginning of another are much the same: short days, hard ground and the nagging feeling that one should probably be scrubbing pots. But for those intrigued by how gardening will change in the months ahead, there is clear distinction between December and January.
In January, those foolish enough to predict what gardening trends have in store cast a look ahead and speak to those in the know. Eleven months ago I decreed that propagation, ferns and olive trees would rule 2017. I don’t think that was an unfair assessment – a certain branch of Morrisons was selling olive trees for £10 a few weeks ago, which feels like a kind of arrival.
But there is one clear way of ascertaining what gardening trends rose up the charts this year, and that would be in Google’s search findings for the year. Here are the main things we’ve been looking for - “olive trees”, for what it’s worth, were fourth on the list.
A return to retro
Chrysanthemums and dahlias have come back with such aplomb it’s hard to believe they were ever passe, but Google Trends’ list of the top 10 trending gardening searches – ie, the ones that have increased most significantly in the past year - have a distinctly vintage feel. David Austin roses are number one, which isn’t surprising if you’ve kept an eye on how the big and blousy blooms have been creeping back into fashionable flower arrangements. Camellia, in ninth place, backs up the trend for romantic flowers.
In third place are begonias, which have been enjoying a fondly nostalgic resurgence outside, but have had their reputation entirely recast as houseplants. With an increased focus on interesting foliage indoors, the sheer variety offered by begonia leaves – from polka-dot to reptilian - has seen them feted as the hot new houseplant to have.
Monstera aren’t going away – 200 - 450 per cent increase in searches
A post shared by Alice Vincent (@noughticulture) on Dec 19, 2016 at 1:22am PST
How can you tell if you’re a new-gen gardener? If you refer to this recently revived specimen as a “Swiss cheese plant”, then you’re firmly of the old guard. Monstera have been fashionable in interiors for a few years now, with their splintered fronds popping up everywhere from textiles to stationery. But the real deal is proving increasingly difficult to get hold of, with some sellers telling me that demand is outstripping supply. That might explain the 800 per cent global increase in people searching for “purchasing”, too. And if you still call it a Swiss cheese plant, you’re not alone - there’s been a 60 per cent increase in searches for that, too.
No dig-gity – 160 per cent increase in UK searches
No-Dig guru Charles Dowding has made quite the name for himself among the Instagram crowd, attracting 26,400 followers. A further 10,000 people have joined the ‘Undug’ Facebook group, and his book, No Dig Diary for Vegetable Gardeners, was released at the beginning of the year. He’s definitely noticed “changes happening”. “Many gardeners are interested in no-dig techniques because of the time it saves, above all. Not only cultivation time, but the reduced weed growth when soil is mulched and not disturbed,” he explains. “Cutting out the digging makes gardening accessible to older and less active people too.”
No-dig isn’t just proving popular in the domestic market, either: National Trust properties Knightshayes, Clumber Park and Sissinghurst have all turned their gardens no-dig, as has Kew, with its kitchen garden. Meanwhile, a third of the new edibles garden at Wisley, opening in spring 2019, is a no-dig plot.
For more gardening trends, follow Alice on Instagram.com/noughticulture.
