People have front and backyard gardens, gardens on their rooftops or balconies or plots in community gardens. Gardening is no longer a hobby for only boomers and seniors. With outdoor-loving millennials forming 25% of the gardening population and expected to rise each year, this trend is here to stay for the long-term.
It’s more than just making the yard look pretty. There’s a growing interest in native plants, which aid birds, bees and other pollinators. Plants indigenous to an area are also often lower maintenance, more disease and pest resistant and far more tolerant of local growing conditions. Heirloom vegetables are making a comeback as people see unique and colorful varieties at Farmers’ Markets. Well-known for their incredible taste, the seeds can even be saved from one year to the next.
As part of the Drink-Your-Garden trend, windowsill and backyard herb gardens are becoming popular for DIY cocktails. Since it’s hard to grow flowers and vegetables without water, conservation is a hot topic for gardeners: rain barrels, container gardening and more drought-tolerant ground covers are very trendy. Even urban farmers are on the rise in many cities, with people raising chickens and bees in their backyards.
