The annual flower show in Chelsea impressed us again this year with beautiful garden designs and arrangements and shows us what is currently popular when it comes to planting. The highlights are without a doubt the upbeat flower colors and the lots of green. But that's not all the show had to offer. We'll list the best ideas and every garden trend for 2019 for you.
1. Lots of green as a garden trend for 2019
You might think that green is found in every garden. But at the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show, and more specifically in Andy Sturgeon's garden, green was the main color. Lots of lush plants and arrangements created a natural and inviting look. This was put together with the help of deciduous trees. Scattered around were white flowers and specimens with yellowish leaves, such as parsley, spurge (Euphorbia) and meadowsweet ((Filipendula ulmaria), which not only created subtle contrasts, but also a certain texture. An English garden may be the first thing that comes to mind when you see such a design.
If you want to recreate this atmosphere in your garden, you can also choose the hornbeam, the elder or the field maple and combine them with the marsh herb (Euphorbia palustris), the white California poppy (Eschscholzia californica ‘Ivory Castle), the garden pearl grass (Melica altissima 'Alba') and the perennial Mathiasella bupleuroides. The latter impresses with interesting green flowers. This color theme is a major 2019 gardening trend and definitely worth considering. Since not only sunny and semi-shady areas are usually to be planted, you can also use the medicinal angelica (Angelica archangelica), which is also known as “Angelika” and goes very well with the fat man (also “Schattengrün”,Pachysandra) and the Rodgersia team up.
2. Eco-friendly ideas
Ecological and sustainable are the keywords of this year's Chelsea Flower Show. This applies both to the first steps of preparing for the show and to decorative details. For example, excavators with electric motors were used for landscaping. Pots and tubs made from sustainable and natural materials were used to decorate the gardens and plastics were largely avoided. This is of course also recommended for your own garden and landscaping and is therefore recommended for imitation.
Another garden trend for 2019 in this sense is recycling and upcycling, i.e. reusing old things. An interesting ecologically beneficial system was presented at the show, which you can also copy. More specifically, it is a raised bed system that can be used to grow fruits and vegetables. It consists of a container made of reused brick full of rubble that collects rainwater and gray water from the household. If crop rotation is observed during annual cultivation, nutrient-rich soil is guaranteed. This system could be found in Jilayne Richards' garden.
3. Don't be afraid of weeds
The eternal battle against weeds is over. Another gardening trend for 2019 is letting weeds grow freely, as was also shown at the show. Dandelions (in the garden of Andrew Duff Savills and David Harber), cuckoo campion and clover (in the garden of Laurélie de la Salle) were just some of the examples of how wild plants can also create a beautiful atmosphere in the garden. Native (like in Mark Gregory's garden) but also more exotic weeds are allowed. Aren't you also curious about how your garden would develop if you just let it grow and didn't interfere unnecessarily? Try it! For example, just mow a strip of the garden. This way you can find out what appears in the unmowed areas and better assess whether the wilder garden plants are worth it.
4. Trees as a garden trend for 2019
As in previous years, a particular tree is the focus of this one. While previously it was the birch and sometimes the olive, this year it is the Chilean araucaria (Araucaria araucana) like in the gardens of Jonathan Snow and Sarah Eberle one of the highlights and without question a garden trend for 2019. But also the black pine (Pinus nigra), which was found in Chris Beardshaw's garden, is definitely worth mentioning. Since the latter are very large trees, you can choose alternatives instead and use them to design your garden. One such alternative is the horse chestnuts (Aesculus pavia). They are characterized by a multi-stemmed habit with attractive tube-shaped flowers, which are also ideal if you want to make your garden insect-friendly. The flowers magically attract bees. So if you want to plan your garden according to this year's trends, don't forget to consider a few trees too.
5. Copper for garden decoration
What has been modern in furnishings for a long time is now creeping into our beds and plants as a garden trend for 2019. What is meant is the attractive copper. Helen Elks-Smith demonstrates this with her garden and not only uses a copper-coated green roof, but also decorates the garden with a beautiful water feature made of hammered copper. But there is also an original decoration in the form of a copper hammer in David Neale's paradisiacal garden. Since it is not necessarily a cheap material, copper should only be used as an accent. In this way it is shown to its best advantage and a beautiful garden is guaranteed.
6. Unformed bushes and shrubs
You shouldn't just let the weeds grow. The bushes and shrubs no longer have to be regularly shortened and trimmed (the necessary annual pruning of some plants is of course excluded). While until recently precisely cut and shaped specimens were supposed to adorn the garden, this is no longer the case. TheNaturalness is also very popularin 2019. The boxwood gives way to the yew, pine and beech. This could be seen in the gardens of Tom Stuart-Smith and Kate Gould. With the help of these plants you get a beautiful texture in the garden and show off the flowers and other plants better.
7. Colors as a garden trend for 2019
Colors, colors and more colors: Numerous gardens impressed, including that of Jody Lidgard, who played with the shades of peonies, dahlias and avocados, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of candies and other sweets. Eberle's garden design was also particularly sophisticated and surprising. Your 2019 garden trend is the combination of interesting colors and plant species such as the red-flowering Russian viper's head (Russian horse) as a contrast to the sky-blue perennials (Perennial flax) and the cucumber herb (Borago officinalis) with equally blue flowers. But there was also the color pink. It was represented by the cuckoo carnation (Lychnis flower-cuckoo) with its interesting, spider-like flowers.
8. Original privacy screen and room divider
Instead of metal or plastic, wood is used as a privacy screen. More precisely, these are interesting walls made of logs. If you choose this garden trend for 2019, you will create an eye-catcher that is also nature-friendly and natural. This look may also be due to the fact that such a wall somehow resembles an insect hotel. Open gardens in particular can guarantee the necessary privacy in this way without disrupting the open design. The relatively inexpensive privacy screen idea was spotted in Paul Hervey-Brookes' garden and is also very suitable for onetrendy terraceto protect.
9. Green roofs and walls
Planted roofs and walls are another 2019 garden trend set by the Chelsea Flower Show. It doesn't matter whether the garden is small or large: every free area should be planted and green. A green roof covered in thyme, marshweed and stonecrops featured in Helen Elk-Smith's garden, while a huge green wall with ferns, grasses, ivy and herbaceous plants adorned Andrew Duff's garden.
10. Lots of water
Water features and other elements with water come in a wide variety of designs. So if you want to add water to your garden, you have a huge selection available. But the 2019 garden trend, which was inspired by the show, also relies on naturalness when it comes to water elements. Waterfalls are particularly impressive, especially when they are built very high. One such example is Jonathan Snow's garden. Joe Perkins was again inspired by coasts and especially the waves.
Those looking for more relaxing water features can take inspiration from Helen Elks-Smith's designs. It uses quiet streams and other water features. The gardens of Tom Hoblyn and Andrew Duff feature quiet pools such as fountains or ponds. They are the perfect oases in which you can sit back and relax.
Conclusion
The Chelsea Flower Show 2019 once again showed true works of art in the field of garden design and managed to not only amaze but also inspire many visitors. The trends mentioned are just a small selection of the possibilities for designing your private garden. Also sculptures,lots of stones, art objects and architectural elements are part of the garden designers' fascinating ideas that make each garden a unique area for relaxation. Water features, wilder garden designs, lots of trees and bushes also create an easy-care garden that is suitable even for beginners. In addition, the green and lush landscape provides the area with a pleasant coolness and plenty of shade in the hot summer. No matter which garden trend you implement in 2019, you are guaranteed to ultimately feel really comfortable in your garden.
Find out more about the Chelsea Flower Show 2019here.
