Squire’s Garden Centres has revealed their top three gardening trends for 2020, gardening for wildlife, wellbeing, and the world.

1. Gardening for Wildlife

Growing plants as a nectar and food source for wildlife encourages native birds and insects to thrive and increase.

Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, commented, “The more the built environment expands the more vital our gardens become. What is more, gardening for wildlife can also create magical spaces for humans. There is an undoubted trend towards plants that encourage wildlife and it is our job to help gardeners recognise them.”

Combine different flower shapes and varied flowering times to produce a good supply of pollen and nectar for wildlife from spring through to autumn.

Some great plants for wildlife include:

· Hebe ‘Celine’ – an evergreen shrub with white flowers from April to June

· Lavender ‘Melissa’ – highly fragrant flowers from June to August

· Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ – a prickle-free thistle that flowers from June to September.

· Eyrsimum ‘Super Bowl Sunset’ – a new variety of wallflower which blooms from April to September

2. Gardening for Wellbeing

Increased emphasis on mental, as well as physical health has highlighted the proven benefits of being outside and reconnecting with nature. Gardening is a great way to disconnect from screens and find some genuine reality.

Sarah Squire added, “Gardening is creative – you plant your own canvas. White flowering plants remain very popular, but a lot of fun can be had with colour in the garden so don’t rule anything out. It is your garden and should reflect your own tastes and personality.”

White plants

· Choisya ‘Greenfingers’ – glossy evergreen leaves & scented summer flowers

· Clematis Montana ‘Miss Christine’ – fragrant white flowers from May – June

Bold and Bright plants

· Rosa ‘For You With Love’ – repeat flowering bush rose, lightly scented

· Clematis ‘Meghan’ – named after the Duchess of Sussex it flowers from May to June and again in September

3. Gardening for the World

“Gardeners are among some of the most environmentally conscious people I know, always on the lookout for green alternatives, committed composters and totally invested in doing their bit.” said Sarah Squire. “And the industry is working hard to make sure plant pots are made of recycled material, which can in its turn be recycled.”

She added, “Britain has some of the best nursery growers in the world and you may be surprised just how many plants in your local garden centre are grown in the UK, many very locally indeed, thus reducing plant miles. If there is one thing I think we could all do for our world fairly easily it is plant a tree. Trees are fantastic as a habitat and food source for wildlife and as a source of carbon capture. They also give structure and architecture to a garden.”

There are trees for every size and shape of garden, from a small acer in a pot on a balcony or a gorgeous flowering cherry in a back garden, to birch, whitebeam and hornbeam for larger spaces. Plant one today and make our world a better place.