WHAT with rows over ‘rewilding’ your garden, desperately searching for new drought tolerant plants, and the constant social media one-upmanship of Dahlia blooms – it’s been an interesting 2024 for gardening.
But what does 2025 bring us? I asked influential horticulturalists their predictions.
BBC Gardeners Question Time regular and Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy at The Royal Parks, Matt Pottage said: “I predict the trend towards more environmentally-sensitive styles of gardening will continue, as gardeners strive to be ‘greener’, although there is a lot of scope to showcase colourful, vibrant and pollinator-friendly planting, which doesn’t necessarily look like a ‘wildlife garden’.
“Not everyone wants meadows and log piles, but equally those same gardeners might not want tight mown grass and bedding plants either.
“So, I think that 2025 will be the year when new styles of planting begin to emerge that feel ‘horticultural’, but have a consideration for the environment too.”
Chelsea Gold winner and Your Garden Made Perfect regular Tom Massey said: “Waterwise gardening is poised to become a leading trend in the UK by 2025, driven by increasing awareness of climate change and the urgent need to adopt sustainable water use practices at home and in gardens.
“With unpredictable weather patterns — wetter winters, widespread flooding, hotter summers, and frequent hosepipe bans—gardeners are prioritising resilient landscapes that thrive with less water or adapt to excess moisture.
“Homeowners are embracing strategies such as rain gardens, permeable surfaces, mulching, and the principle of “right plant, right place, right purpose” to create biodiverse, visually appealing and sustainable spaces.”
Chris Bonnett, founder of online superstore Gardening Express, told Sun Gardening: “2025 is likely going to be a year of thrifty gardening for many so there will be even more upcycling and recycling going in across peoples plots.
“That also means more people having a go at growing their own and benefiting from their own food supply – go for things you’d normally spend a small fortune on such as cherry tomatoes and strawberries as an easy start or even pumpkins for when Halloween rolls round again.
“It’s tasty, healthy and fun to grow your own. When it comes to flowers, long blooming and long term plants that provide the best value all year round will be on the shopping list – be it evergreen shrubs or long lasting perennials.”
Matthew Butler and Josh Parker, designers of the innovative Garden of the Future, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at next year’s RHS Chelsea said: “Switch it up by growing slightly more unusual, climate-resilient veg such as chickpeas and sweet potatoes, all staple crops in countries with warmer climes but now hardy for much of the UK – and really nutritious.
“Mix edible crops with ornamental planting to create a DIY foraging experience. Add tasty favourites such as strawberries between flowers and shrubs in your borders, or grow a hedge with edible berries and nuts such as hawthorn or hazel – you will still have a beautiful outdoor space and you can snack as you garden.”
Chris Young, landscape designer and Editor in Chief of RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design, said: “Two clear trends are happening.
“The first is planting ‘edimentals’ – these are edible plants that look great as ornamental plants.
“Mix edimentals in with your other plants, – it’s a great space-saving device so you get to grow a range of interesting, beautiful and productive plants in your garden.
“The other trend is to reduce costs and reduce impact on the environment by using what’s already in your garden.
“Like taking up your existing patio and relaying it in a different design; digging up plants, dividing them, and replanting to give them a new lease of life; or keep existing hedges or trees in your garden.
“You can ‘leg them up’ which means taking off some of the lower branches to reveal their trunks – and let more light in to the plants underneath.”
Jamie Butterworth, RHS Ambassador, and MD of leading nursery Form Plants, will be working with Monty Don on a dog garden at RHS Chelsea 2025.
He told Sun Gardening: “Based on what we are hearing on the nursery, people want to create a ‘garden they can garden’.
“And, while we have an eye on rewilding, conserving water, understanding climate change, most home-owners want a garden they can sit in, enjoy and tend.
“Everyone should plant trees. We are seeing a shift towards smaller trees and larger shrubs, like Cersis, Heptocodium (known as seven-sons plant) and Styrax japonicus – these trees grow ultimately to 6/7 metres, adding architectural interest.
“Finally, colour is coming back – we are growing lots of colourful plants in blues and oranges for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show next year!”
William Dyson, from Great Comp Garden, Sevenoaks told Sun Gardening: “Rosemarys have been reclassified recently as ‘Salvia rosmarinus’, and they’re interesting plants, not just for cooking, but as a colourful addition to your flower border.
“They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from medium upright to creeping and trailing varieties which look fantastic tumbling down the edge of a stone wall.
“A multi-use plant that flowers in April and often again in the autumn – Salvia rosmarinus ‘Capercaille’ has fantastic leaves and has flowered for me with lots of blue blooms in profusion.
“And new potatoes in May roasted with garlic and rosemary is the best thing ever!”
Andy Bourke, professional topiary artist, aka The Hedge Barber, said: “In 2025, the art of topiary is set to make a remarkable comeback. Once associated with grand estates and formal gardens, topiary is now finding its way into contemporary outdoor spaces of all sizes.
“I always recommend starting with geometric shapes first, like balls, cubes and pyramids. When you’ve mastered the more standard shapes, you can branch out into single or double spirals, tiers with multiple trunks, arches, animals and even letters!”
Kim Stoddart, Amateur Gardening magazine Editor and author of The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden, told Sun Gardening: “Forest gardening – where you mix trees with shrubs, flowers and edibles is set to be all the rage for the year ahead.Not only is it fruitful (especially if you add in lots of lovely easy-to-grow soft fruits) but it’s also great for natural pest control and means less work and more time to kick back and enjoy your garden instead.
“It involves layered planting in a way that works for you, so that could be some edibles like Swiss chard, herbs and lettuce in gaps around your beds and borders, or you could grow flowers mixed in with your edibles, that type of thing.
“It basically means out with straight lines and uniform beds of cabbages and in with a free-spirited, fun and more resilient mixture of plants all together, replicating nature and better able to stand firm whatever the weather as a result. Magic!”
