2016 Gardening Trends

The gardening trend we expect to see most in 2016 is: "Syncing With Nature."

Connecting with nature for your health

Take it from us, gardening is great for your spiritual, mental and emotional well-being. This year, while spending time in your garden, be sure to inhale deeply and savor all the fresh air around you. When your hands are covered with dirt after a hard days work, think about how dirt sustains life. 

Incorporate more native plants in the garden

When planning your landscape this year, try to utilize as many plants and shrubs that are native to your area as possible. They are critical for maintaining biodiversity, which is what ensures a well-rounded environment for other plants, insects and wildlife to not only enjoy, but flourish in.

Create a hardier landscape: More trees, shrubs, and evergreens; fewer annuals.

While annuals need to be replanted yearly, using a majority of trees, shrubs and evergreen will create a landscape that will last year after year when cared for properly. An established landscape will also do wonders for your home or business' drive up appearance. 

Tiny gardens for tiny spaces.

No matter how much or how little space you have, you can create a garden best suited to your needs. There are countless DIY instructions out there for container gardens and raised beds. Get creative!

Reducing chemical use in the garden.

We recommend using as many natural gardening products in your landscape as possible. While chemical treatments might seem to be more efficient, they are actually more harmful to our environment in the long-run. Using natural products will protect your plants without causing unnecessary harm to their surroundings. 

Meet the Corpse Plant: Smelliest Plant Ever!

One of the world’s largest and rarest flowering structures, the corpse flower is a pungent plant that blooms rarely and only for a short time. While it is in bloom, the flower emits a strong odor similar to rotting meat or, aptly, a decaying corpse.

There is a good reason for the plant's strong odor. “It all comes down to science," said Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. "The smell, color and even temperature of corpse flowers are meant to attract pollinators and help ensure the continuation of the species.”

Pollak explained that dung beetles, flesh flies and other carnivorous insects are the primary pollinators of this type of flower. These insects typically eat dead flesh. The smell and the dark burgundy color of the corpse flower are meant to imitate a dead animal to attract these insects.

“Corpse flowers are also able to warm up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 Celsius) to further fool the insects,” Pollak told Live Science. "The insects think the flower may be food, fly inside, realize there is nothing to eat, and fly off with pollen on their legs. This process ensures the ongoing pollination of the species. Once the flower has bloomed and pollination is complete, the flower collapses."

Source: http://www.livescience.com/51947-corpse-flower-facts-about-the-smelly-plant.html