In 2025 the charity predicts gardeners will be tearing up traditional planting choices with front gardens and urban areas reimagined for a greener future. While gardening will increasingly have a purpose, it will also be sure to include plenty of fun and frivolity as people grow in ways that matter to them.
Guy Barter, Chief Horticulturist at the RHS, said: “Gardens never stand still and 2025 is likely to see not only new, exciting planting choices but new ways of designing, growing and maintaining spaces. The EV revolution could usher in significant changes to what front gardens look like while city centres could be punctuated by many more growing spaces that serve the dual purpose of providing refuge for people and wildlife but also all important flood proofing capabilities.”
2025 RHS Gardening Predictions
1. More edible perennials
Fruit trees and shrubs as well as perennial vegetables will continue to grow in popularity owing to their reliable annual bounty, low maintenance, and provision of shape, structure and habitat for wildlife. 2024 was the year of the blueberry owing to it being easy to grow on compact bushes with attractive flowers and autumn colour. Honeyberries, a new crop bred from the blueberry that is oval in shape, requires even less attention and is increasingly available across the UK, including via RHS Plants, meaning it will start to appear in gardens and community growing spaces very soon.
2. From community water butts to sponge cities
Community gardens are increasingly at the centre of local water capture and storage, helping to meet the needs of the immediate space but also local people during extended dry spells. The proliferation of smaller scale growing spaces in more urban areas is also seen as valuable protection from flash flooding with plants helping to slow the flow of rainwater before being soaked up by the soil – nature’s largest natural water butt. 2025 is expected to see a growth in so called ‘sponge city’ capabilities as developers and councils increasingly cotton on to the broader benefits of planted spaces.
3. Green infrastructure goes green
As research continues apace to evidence the benefits of plants, they’ll start to feature in towns and cities in more creative but practical ways. Green roofs and walls will be sought out to provide all important thermal regulation for buildings, reduce flooding and sewage spills by capturing and slowing the flow of water, boost habitat provision, filter the air within spaces and along polluted roads and be used to cool solar panels on roofs to ensure good functionality, known as hortivoltaics. RHS Plants also now sells small modular green wall systems suitable for internal and external use owing to consumer demand.
4. Border and basket planting alternatives bed in
2025 will see a continued shift away from traditional bedding plants towards more long lived, less thirsty and robust varieties, particularly in community gardens and public landscapes. Salvias, heather and dahlias have proved particularly popular alternatives with community gardening groups over the last 12 months, requiring little maintenance but providing the same sought-after pops of colour and pollinator appeal.
5. Front gardens on the front line
With ever increasing numbers of electric cars on the road, homeowners will be looking for landscaping options that provide easy access to charging points. Permeable paving and gravel gardens flanked with low maintenance plants are low cost, and prevent pooling or run off of rainwater, making them an ideal option in dense, urban areas.
6. Gardeners start small
9cm potted plants have proved popular in 2024, being cheaper than the standard 2 or 3L potted varieties and meaning gardeners can dabble with a greater variety of plants for the same price. These smaller plants take a little longer to reach maturity but have been effectively used in the new Piet Oudolf Garden at RHS Garden Wisley which is already well established just one year on.
7. Carnivorous plants take a bite of the market
Carnivorous plants have long been popular among younger gardeners and loved for keeping house-bound insects in check. The advent of new peat-free formulations in 2024 is expected to benefit UK based propagation and breeding with increased availability, variety and appeal for sustainably minded growers. This is welcomed by retailers who have found it difficult to import these plants in the quantity needed from abroad.
8. Gardening for the fun of it
2024 saw a noticeable ripping up of the rule book with people growing in ways that reflected their interests and personality rather than just for aesthetics or subsistence. This theme is set to continue in 2025 with a garden for dog lovers and one to inspire artistic creation set for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, while a new sustainable garden complete with composting toilet will open in the spring at RHS Garden Wisley. The RHS’ Your Space, Your Story campaign will help to showcase creative and personal approaches to design over the next 12 months.
Clare Matterson, Director General of the RHS, said: “The UK’s 30 million gardeners hardly conform to type. You just have to look at the wide variety of gardening styles on display at our shows and down our streets to see that inspiration can be taken from anywhere, something the RHS will be celebrating in 2025 through the theme of Your Space, Your Story. But issues of sustainability increasingly unite this difference with plants chosen not only for the emotional response they illicit but their broader environmental benefits.”
For growing advice, inspiration and news visit the RHS website
www.rhs.org.uk
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