Brian Minter: Darker hues, more insects and climate protection top gardening trends for 2024

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Welcome to a new year in which nature and eco-gardening are going to become even more important in our lives.

I really appreciate my friends in the Garden Media Group, based in Pennsylvania, who have now become well known for their annual Garden Trends Reports.

Their overall theme for 2024 is Eco-Optimism. Despite an emerging anxiety, especially among younger folks in the 18-23 age range, about the increasing number of climate related disasters there is a sense of optimism because they are actually seeing and making positive changes.

According to Garden Media, 68 per cent of people aged 15-24, or about 1.2 billion folks in our world, are making measurable climate improvements. In the U.S., wind and solar power broke energy records and the U.S. Department of Transportation provided $350 million in funding to improve wildlife habitats.

Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, who are now the predominant demographic in colleges and universities, are action-oriented and equally vocal about climate action and are influencing all generations.

Out of this Eco-Optimism trend, the Garden Media Group has identified some interesting new practices, which are both eco-oriented and going in some new directions. They are pointing out that Gen Z, often referred to as Zoomers, will reshape the future of the horticultural industry.

When it comes to the challenge of home ownership, they are ahead of both Gen. X, those born between 1965-1980, and Millennials, born between 1981-1996. Apparently in 2022, in the U.S., 30 per cent of those 25 years and older owned their own