Gardeners will be expected to embrace “green thumb” in 2025, with front gardens designed to accommodate electric vehicles and plantings to protect against flooding, experts suggest.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has predicted what will be popular with gardeners next year, based on inquiries from its members, trends at garden and flower shows and industry insights.
Front gardens will be at the forefront of the ongoing changes caused by climate change, according to the RHS, with more electric vehicles on the road and households wanting easy access to charging points.
Horticultural experts say permeable paver and gravel gardens flanked by low-maintenance plants are cost-effective options for front yards that create space for charging cars while reducing the risk of stormwater runoff and flooding.
It is also likely that “sponge city” planting will increase, with developers and municipalities increasingly providing smaller acreages in more urban areas to absorb heavy rain and protect against flash floods.
Green roofs and walls, which can prevent flooding, cool buildings and solar panels on roofs, and improve air quality, are also expected to increase. The charity RHS Plants' online shop even sells small indoor and outdoor modular green wall systems due to consumer demand.
Guy Barter, head gardener at the RHS, said there would likely be new ways of designing, growing and maintaining spaces in 2025.
“The electric vehicle revolution could bring significant changes to the design of front gardens, while city centers could see much more acreage, serving the dual purpose of providing shelter for people and wildlife, as well as providing all-important flood protection offer.”
He said that where soil allows, planting in corners not used by people and cars could provide the opportunity to grow plants in front yards that soak up excess rainfall, combat dust and pollution, help wildlife and promote well-being.
In clay soils, well-placed planting areas to capture rainwater runoff can reduce and slow unwanted water flows.
And he suggested: “Smart placement of charging stations to allow easy access should not mean neglecting front garden planting.”
“This includes, but is not limited to, low-lying post or fence locations where the disturbance to lay the cable is used as an opportunity for further planting.”
Plants for these spaces could include trees such as 'Leonard Messel' magnolia and 'Adirondack' crabapple variety, evergreens such as Aucuba japonica and Choisya ternata, heuchera and hardy geranium groundcovers, and Portuguese laurel hedges.
The RHS also expects people to grow more edible perennials, which require little maintenance, produce lots of fruit and provide structure and habitat in the garden.
The charity says that 2024 was the year of the blueberry, which is easy to grow, compact and has attractive flowers and autumn colours, and that 2025 will be a new kid on the block, namely honeyberries or edible honeysuckle, which require even less attention.
Meanwhile, the shift from traditional bedding plants to longer-lasting, less thirsty and more hardy plants will continue, particularly in public parks and community gardens, the RHS says.
Plants such as sage, heather and dahlias were particularly popular with community garden groups in 2024, it said.
Carnivorous plants will become more widely available as new peat substitutes are expected in 2024 to help UK growers increase propagation and breeding.
Another popular trend in 2024 that will continue is to start small: Gardeners are purchasing potted plants that are 9 cm (3.5 inches) in diameter instead of larger options, making them cheaper and allowing people to have more variety same price to try.
The RHS also says this year's trend of “gardening for fun”, with green spaces that reflect interests and personalities rather than just looks or food, will be a theme again in 2025, with dedicated shows and gardens coming along for the ride Tat.
The Chelsea Flower Show will feature a garden for dog lovers designed by TV's Monty Don, and a sustainable garden with composting toilet will open at RHS Wisley in the spring.