Troy’s Take On Gardening Trends for 2016

by Troy Grohsman

I’mtaking advantage of this end of winter/early spring time to prepare for the upcoming landscape and gardening season. On my mind today is what is new and trending. Easyto-love new plants with a dash of romance, a cleaner, simpler color palette, crisp geometric design, and accessible technology, all add up to a fresh take on gardening in 2016.

Gardeners and landscapers will “wow” their neighbors with plants that have supersized returns, such as larger blooms, number of blooms, a tendency to bloom two or three times each season, intense fragrance or flavors, and/or bi- or tri-color flowers.

Also trending is the continued adaptation to wild weather, smaller lot sizes, changing lifestyles, and less free time by planting landscapes that are easier to maintain.

Mobile apps, accessible technology, sharing communities and the power of social media, will continue to change the landscape of gardening, making everything from getting the scoop on the must-have plants, to watering, lighting, and anything else in between, easier.

New plants are a huge part of our industry as they feed our clients’ appetite for something new, to be different and flat out interesting. Plants you can trust and are reliable for our climate are what truly make a difference and what I am interested in bringing to our clients.

Another simple, elegant trend are subdued color palettes with whites, creams and “dirty whites.” These plants include: Incrediball® Hydrangea shrub, Boulevard® Chelsea™ Clematis for a climber, Bride’s Dream Peony perennial, and Fire Light™ Hydrangea shrub which transforms from white to a rich pomegranate red. All these plants bring a level of simple sophistication and optimism to our hectic world, creating a place of solace and peace to our backyards.

In every design, we pay special attention to using space wisely and including easy-to-care-for dwarf, compact shrubs in the landscape. These plants continue to dominate and we expect more varieties to keep coming.

Here are a few of my favorites: Lemon Candy Ninebark, Firestorm Rhododendron, and the Golden Duchess® Eastern Hemlock. Do not underestimate the power and impact of containers for what they provide to your home or office. A few of my favorite new varieties of annual flowers are Campfire™ Fireburst Bidens, Superbells® Holy Moly!™ and Superbena® Sparkling Ruby Verbena.

With all of the increasing headlines regarding food safety, record numbers of people are growing what they eat. Edibles are our number one sellers, second only to our spectacular hanging basket combinations. The BrazelBerries® Jelly Bean™ Blueberry was tough to keep in stock as it is a fantastic blueberry that is not only bountiful, but beautiful in the garden.

Apple trees are also very popular.

KinderKrisp, parent to the Honeycrisp, and the First Editions® take on gardening in 2016.”

Sweet Cherry Pie™ cherry trees are set to be the hot ones this year, according to Natasha Strand, Miller Creek’s director of operations.

Celebrating 150 years of service to humanity, the Mayo Clinic has selected a brilliant yellow Coreopsis as the Mayo Clinic Flower of Hope™, to symbolize the spirit of hope and healing through beauty and nature. Electric yellow flowers cover dark green, threadlike foliage from early summer through fall.

Photos and details of all of the plants in this article can be found at houzz.com/pro/ millercreek. D

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