What plants for 2025?
By John Fitzsimmons
We’re out of the starting blocks for 2025 and the trend trajectories were probably set last year (or earlier) anyway. Nevertheless, a quick run around the traps of those with crystal balls reveals a few common themes across various domains.
Firstly, however, this is Australia, and (so?), (at the time of writing), large tracts of the country are still actively in flame, while floods and storms inundate others. So just what greenlife industry scenarios emerge, from production to retail, are likely to be reactionary rather than planned or expected across the landscape? Any predictions made in other hemispheres are likely to be just as unrelated to our realities as theirs; think of the recent unprecedented Californian fires in their winter(!) and the almost unexpected extremes of storms in Ireland. So, ‘crystal balling’ is just that – an educated guess at best. And that’s not considering the geo-political situation.
Also, given the lead times required for plant breeding and propagation programs, it’s almost impossible for the broader industry to change course at this late stage. It’s certainly not like the automotive, fashion, or appliance sectors, where colour choices, trims, and, to some degree, forms can be tweaked to meet market variances in weeks, months, or even days if need be.
Since 2000, one influential guidepost is Pantone’s ‘Colour of the Year’. Pantone LLC is an American company known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS). This proprietary colour system is used in many industries, including graphic, fashion and product design, printing and manufacturing. It supports colour management from design to production in physical and digital formats. The Colour of the Year, determined by a consensus of colour specialists, is intended to reflect the ‘spirit of the times’.
For 2025, this is ‘Mocha Mousse’, “a warming, brown hue imbued with richness … answering our desire for comfort (and extending) our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe”.
Holding that thought in mind, and considering the forecasts of a range of observers and interested parties across the world, the following themes could be front runners in greenlife and landscapes through 2025:
- woodlands and wildflowers, native plants
- organic materials, green infrastructure, sustainability
- creativity and artistry, individuality
- affordability and practicality
Perhaps it is largely summed up in one of the themes suggested by the Florists’ Review (USA) – ‘meadow modernism’ – “a new era of nature-inspired floristry has begun”. However, before you get lost in thoughts of soft floral landscapes, there are also a number of predictive international references to wider (re-)adoption of ‘brutalism’, an architectural style about 70 years old based on ‘simple, honest, functional’ buildings, and ‘bold textures … raw, utilitarian materials’. In our gardening environment, think of timbers and natural stone (for walls, pathways and structures), and stark architectural plants. The style has been described as “unapologetic”, but while ‘brutalist’ themes might be back, the landscape designers clearly say curves and natural flowing lines are more engaging and welcoming.
What plants fit into these ideas?
Some of the cues have already been made obvious – wildflowers and native Australian plants. Perennials appear to be favoured over annuals – a threat to bedding plants and colour pots? Whatever the plant selection, sustainability is a keyword.
Green infrastructure keeps coming up, green walls, green roofs, rain gardens, and wildlife habitats, in both private and public settings. What selections work best in these situations? Take a lead from the plant breeders focused on identifying cultivars that don’t just survive but thrive in your ‘right plant, right place’ models, be it wet, dry, hot, or shady.
In the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) director general, Clare Matterson, observed that, while the country’s gardeners rarely conform to type, “issues of sustainability increasingly unite this difference, with plants chosen not only for the emotional response they illicit, but their broader environmental benefits”.
Her comments were echoed in another RHS prediction: a movement away from traditional “half-hardy short-lived” bedding plants towards “more long-lived, less thirsty and robust varieties”.
RHS observations also note “a noticeable ripping-up of the rule book with people (gardening) in ways that reflect their interests and personality rather than just for aesthetics or subsistence”.
Likewise, the American floristry sector expects a “departure from traditional floristry, infusing creativity, environmental friendliness and sustainability, and individuality” into arrangements.
In Australia, the venerable consumer gardening show Better Homes & Gardens looks forward to the likes of stepping stones with infills of groundcovers (dichondra, native violets, pratia), “more organic” paths, patios, decks, balconies and fences utilising permeable gravels, stone and timber. This is allied to a move to “softer landscaping” incorporating plants that attract birds and pollinators, and self-seeding annuals.
Given our many recent references to the cost of living, it was notable to see references to preferences for perennials reflecting their longer-term value for money, more edible perennials (ditto) and one observation of a trend away from more advanced plants back to smaller 9cm pots so “gardeners can dabble with a greater variety of plants for the same price”. This is interesting, given the history of affordable potted plants, which boomed during the Great Depression. These are but a few observations and predictions gathered from near and far. Make of them what you will. But I think there are some common threads to discuss with your plant breeders, propagators, wholesale nurseries, landscapers, and retail customers, as appropriate.