Comfort planting – everything you need to know about the latest gardening trend

The Royal Horticultural Society has revealed its annual gardening predictions, including the comfort planting trend. Along with this enriching, consoling approach to gardening, the RHS predicts more home-grown vegetables, soil recycling, and – our personal favourite – the ‘lazy lawn’.

But what is comfort planting, exactly? Well, as the name suggests it's simply the idea of filling our gardens with tried and tested favorites that make our hearts sing. Poppies, foxgloves, delphiniums, lupins, roses and hydrangeas – basically anything to give your plot a dose of color and joy. 

It’s estimated that three million people got into gardening for the first time over the past year. No doubt the newly green-fingered portion of UK gardeners will be shaping garden design ideas and the way we nurture our plants as a nation.

Given that many of us turned to gardening as a source of solace and calm, it makes total sense that the idea of ‘comfort gardening’ would bloom this year.

RHS Chief Horticulturist, Guy Barter echoes this idea. ‘2020 ushered in a period of experimental gardening – for those that picked up a trowel for the first time and trialled new ways of growing old favorites,’ he says.

‘However, lawns and big blooms, long stalwarts of the garden, remain an important draw for UK gardeners as people continue to seek out the familiar during these less than familiar times.’

Comfort planting trend

Roses and hydrangeas were particularly popular last year as gardeners turned to old, reliable favorites with big blooms and long flowering periods. But the RHS points out that this demand will translate to shortfalls this year, so other colorful classics like foxgloves are likely to be top choices for those creating cottage gardens.

TV Celebrity Interior Designer & Co-Founder of La Di Da Interiors, Steph Briggs comments that it encapsulates our desire to feel reassured by something reminiscent of past times. 'With all of today's uncertainty, this 'cottagecore' for gardens harks back to a bygone era when life seemed so much simpler and freer whilst tapping into our fond memories of exploring Grannie's garden as small children.'

If the unpredictable weather is impacting your garden, our gardening tips for spring weather changes piece has lots of advice to make sure your plants make it through the last of the frost.

Equally topical, the immunity garden trend reflects an increased interest in protecting ourselves from illness and using our garden as a way to help us stay healthy. The way garden trends are defining a moment suggests we're finding a renewed connection with nature, which can never be a bad thing.