Tearing up your front lawn and its flower beds in favour of a gravel garden with low-maintenance grasses might not seem that appealing.
But homeowners are expected to make changes like this next year as more of us install electric vehicle charging points, experts say.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) predicts a number of other eco-minded gardening trends for 2025, some of which will help us cope with extreme conditions caused by climate change.
This includes ‘sponge city’ planting – where gardens are created in urban spaces to protect against heavy rain and flooding – as well as more green roofs and walls to help cool buildings and improve air quality.
The predictions, based on input from gardeners, experts and growers, also include a move away from traditional bedding plants towards less thirsty varieties that can cope with prolonged dry spells in summer.
Pictured: The eco-friendly changes you can make to your garden in 2025
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) predicts a number of other eco-minded gardening trends for 2025 (stock image)
Salvias, heather and dahlias, all of which are drought-tolerant, were particularly popular in 2024.
Guy Barter, RHS chief horticulturist, said: ‘The electric vehicle 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.’
Mr Barter said that thoughtful positioning of car charging points should not necessarily reduce the attractiveness of front gardens.
Where the soil allows, planting magnolia or crab apple trees, evergreen laurel hedges or hardy geraniums for groundcover in unused corners can help soak up excess rainfall, tackle dust and pollution, help wildlife and support wellbeing, he added.
For example, in clay soils, well-positioned planting areas can gather rainwater run-off and reduce or slow flooding. ‘Clever siting of charging points to allow easy access should not mean front garden planting is neglected,’ he said.
The RHS predictions, based on input from gardeners, experts and growers, also include a move away from traditional bedding plants
Here are some of the RHS’s forecasts of fashions for next year:
- More of us growing our own fruit and veg… specifically via hardier fruit trees and shrubs that require low maintenance and provide a reliable bounty of apples, pears and berries year after year.
- While blueberries were the fruit of 2024, the RHS say 2025 is set to be the year of the honeyberry, a new variety bred from the blueberry that is oval in shape, which requires even less attention for a tasty crop.
- Sponge cities… expect to see a rise in small communal gardens and growing spaces in urban areas as developers and councils cotton on to how plants can offer valuable protection from flash flooding and help slow the flow of heavy rain before it is soaked up by the soil.
- Green roofs and walls… are already popular but they’ll be used more in urban architecture to help insulate buildings, reduce flooding and sewage spills, boost wildlife, filter the air and protect against pollution along busy roads in 2025. They can also be used to cool solar panels on roofs to ensure better functionality.
More of us growing our own fruit and veg… specifically via hardier fruit trees and shrubs that require low maintenance and provide a reliable bounty of apples, pears and berries
The boom in electric cars will prompt more homeowners to replace their lawns and borders with permeable paving and gravel gardens, say the RHS (stock)
- Robust alternatives to traditional bedding plants… the shift away from traditional bedding plants towards more long lived, less thirsty and robust varieties, particularly in community gardens and public landscapes, is expected to continue next year. Salvias, heather and dahlias were particularly popular in 2024 because they require less maintenance but still provide the same sought-after pops of colour and are just as attractive to bees and other pollinators.
- Front gardens on the front line of going green… the boom in electric cars will prompt more homeowners to replace their lawns and borders with permeable paving and gravel gardens to make space for new charging points.
- Cheaper, smaller plants… The trend towards gardeners buying smaller, more affordable 9cm potted plants, instead of the standard 2L or 3L size, proved popular in 2024 and is set to continue into 2025 as people enjoy dabbling with more varieties for the same price.
- Carnivorous plants… The advent of new peat-free formulations means more home-grown propagation and breeding, and less need for importation, of these plants which have long been popular with younger gardeners who enjoy watching them keep flies and other insects in check.
- Gardening for the fun of it… people will continue to rip up the rule book in favour of building gardens based on their interests and personality. Next year the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is expected to include a garden dedicated to dog lovers, while a new sustainable garden complete with composting toilet will open in the spring at RHS Garden Wisley.
