Was Grandma's Garden Trendy?

The old saying, “What goes around, comes around”, seems to be true with gardeners.  Did Grandma know that some day gardening would be America’s #1 leisure activity and a very huge business?  Was Grandma’s gardening different than today’s Gardeners?

Most of our garden traditions and trends today originated during the period of Grandmother’s Garden (1865 – 1915).  Just as people then were yearning for a simpler life – nostalgia for the past as they faced the new industrial revolution – so we are people looking for a simpler time during the technology and information age. 

Today’s gardener reinvented the past while creating new trends for the future.  Let’s take a look at the hot gardening trends.

We will see more gardening than ever before.  The recession has forced people to stay at home and this has created a need for people to look into their backyards and see if they actually like being there.  People are appreciating the value of their outdoor space as a place to enjoy, relax, exercise and connect back with nature and neighbors.

Now along with belt-tightning and downsizing, there is a welcome trend emerging – a return to Main Street American Values.  Gardeners will dig even deeper into old-fashioned values around the yard today, trend-watchers predict. Tops on the List: another increase in traditional vegetable gardening. Veggie gardening was up nearly 20% this  year on top of a 10% gain the year before, according to National Gardening Association research. 

The leading three reasons:  better taste, saving money and better quality food.  Hand in hand with that came hefty resurgences in seed –starting and the home-canning of produce – two other age-old practices that had tapered drastically in the last generation.

We will see more edible landscapes in the future.  How about a lettuce border for your perennial bed?  People will continue to plant their own food and probably get braver with more interesting varieties (the seed companies had absolute banner years!)  Some predict that people will begin to intersperse edible plants into their garden beds – blueberries, fruit trees, perennial herbs and perennial edibles like strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus – and use them as ornamental plants.  They also predict that more people will try and plant urban orchards – groups of a few trees – as more and more lawn gets replaced.

Organics will continue its take-over.  Eco-Boosting is in and Chemical Dependent Gardens are out.  Get used to terms like:  eco-bounty, eco-frugal, eco-metering, and eco-concierge that are sprouting up on blogs and social media.  Green is the new black as consumers seek products that work with nature not against. It.

As we look to the future we see water conservation getting a bigger play.  The trend to capture rainwater in rain barrels has gained a lot of momentum and will continue.

We will also see the development of more native and wildlife gardens.  More people will also get involved in landscape and garden projects in their communities.

I wonder what Grandma would think of these trends and how things have or have not changed.  Sunflowers were popular then, as they have become once again.   Tropical plants, especially those with bold foliage, were introduced into the more formal gardens, another trend rediscovered in today’s gardens.  Roses, peonies, phlox and hollyhocks were among the perennials commonly planted in Grandma’s time.

The old fashioned gardens incorporated vegetables and fruits for aesthetics, show and food.  They were located close to the house and often used as intimate living space or an outdoor room, much as we see in today’s home garden.

Higher fuel costs are expected to lure us off the highways and keep us closer to home for our entertainment and relaxation needs.  So Grandma, our backyards now serve a playground, living room, kitchen, home offices and havens.

We have come a long way but we are a true reflection of our own gardening heritage. 

What about you?  What are some of your family traditions with gardening and growing?