Garden Media Group releases 2025 Garden Trends Report

Garden Media Group has released its 24th annual Garden Trends Report, with a theme of "Nature's Renaissance."

The group highlights eight upcoming trends expected to impact consumer gardening behaviors in the coming year.

The report's theme, "Nature's Renaissance," highlights the movement to reintegrate natural elements into our lives, landscapes and cities.

For example, in the U.S., 84% of newly built single-family homes sold in 2022 were part of a homeowners' association often imposing strict garden standards: clean, green, tidy, mulched and weed-free.

Plus, more than a quarter of U.S. cities are covered in pavement.

"This renaissance isn't merely an aesthetic appeal — though more plants are certainly better — it's about a growing recognition of the vital need for green spaces everywhere," says Katie Dubow, president of Garden Media Group. "Cities are increasingly adopting strategies that weave nature holistically into our daily existence."

The "renaissance" theme focuses on people's desire for social communities by reclaiming barren lots and allowing nature to take hold.

"As cities adopt these green strategies amid the deepening climate crisis, they are creating better environments for both nature and humans, enhancing stormwater management, cooling, improving air quality, reducing noise, boosting mental health, reducing violence and supporting urban wildlife," the report reads. "This shift fosters a community affinity for living in these sustainable landscapes, marking a significant step toward integrating horticulture more holistically into our everyday lives."

2025 gardening trends

The eight trends are: 

1. Social retreat: the decline of major social platforms and the increasing consumer preference for in-person community interactions.

2. 'Grow' your own way: music in the garden. (To that end, Garden Media Group created a 2025 Garden Trends Playlist on Spotify.)

3. This place doesn't exist: the surge in artificial intelligence and shifts toward anti-reality.

4. Lived-in gardens: a genuine and seasoned aesthetic for authenticity.

5. Living fences: hedges and beyond.

6. Foraged: a rising interest in local, fresh flowers and amateur foraging.

7. Holy moly plants: more interest in plants with deep fenestrations, mirroring current fashion trends.

8. Color of the Year: teal.

Garden Center magazine will be writing more about each of the trends in the coming months.

The report is meant to help businesses stay ahead of these changes and better engage their customers.