Jhb North - Feb 24

Growing trends
Resilience is the word that seems to crop up in most garden trend predictions for 2024. But
the mood is one of eco-optimism, and the desire to respond creatively to climate change.
Climate change is having a sobering
effect on gardening. We are looking
for plants that survive feast or famine,
strategies for making every drop of
water count and natural habitats that
provide sanctuary for garden wildlife
that is increasingly under pressure.
In their 2024 Garden Trends Report
the Garden Media Group have coined
the term eco-optimism. Led by Gen
Z, there is a swing away from ‘climate
doomism’ and an approach that sees
climate change as ‘an opportunity to
make meaningful change.’
A browse through Google offers plenty of creative ways to use less water and
make every drop count. There’s a push to replace lawn with gravel, permeable
paving, rainwater harvesting, and how to safely use grey water. Permaculture still
leads the way with sustainable water use and re-use.
Extreme weather? Be prepared by stocking up with shade cloth for heat, frost
cover for colder winters and tuning into the shifts of the seasons by adjusting
sowing and planting times.
We’re adapting ... at every level of
gardening, in our plant choices, garden
styles, and how we garden. When
choosing plants, labels count and
words like heat or weather tolerant,
low water use, disease resistant, non-
GMO, pollinator friendly, make the sale.
Guzmania bromeliads in tropical garden
Grasses
We’re planting ...
gardens with hardier plants like perennials, succulents and
grasses as well as tropical plants that cope with heat and a
shortage of water.
Tropical gardens have blossomed and one can only
speculate that the popularity of indoor plants (mostly
tropical) has something to do with it. Also, they are easy to
maintain and are green all year round.
Large leaved plants like Delicious Monsters and
Philodendron, are back in fashion, and the brilliance of
coloured foliage plants almost makes flowers obsolete.
With tropical plants there is ample opportunity to play with
texture, form and colour. Many can start as indoor plants
before graduating outdoors. There’s also the aspect of
hardiness, such as bromeliads that multiply quickly. Cannas
are also making a comeback and coleus too.
28 Get It Magazine February 24