As we continue to dive into Nature’s Rx for Mental Wellness, the theme for the 2018 Garden Trends Report, we start to look more to how we can create spaces that help ease our minds.

Imagine walking through a forest and you’ll see that almost every bit of soil is covered with interlocking plants. Trees are covered with moss; the ground is covered with leaves, debris, grasses and moss.

Everything is working in perfect harmony.

Why do we think our garden should be any different?

Read more to learn about one of our 2018 Garden Trends: Social Network

Social Network

“Garden plants evolved from diverse social networks.”

Thomas Ranier, Landscape Architect

How do you utilize social networking?

Whether it is mingling with new people IRL, friending each other on Facebook, following each other on Instagram or connecting on LinkedIn, what you are doing is inviting another into your life.

Plants do the same thing. Plants in gardens benefit from networking among themselves.

Choosing plants that work in harmony allows management of the garden instead of maintenance of each plant, which in turn makes gardening less stressful.

It’s time to shift from thinking of plants as individuals to thinking of them as a community. With plant communities, you manage the entire planting, not each individual plant.

Margaret Roach says, in a recent New York Times article, plants in combinations “solve challenges that many of us have: beds that aren’t quite working visually, and garden areas that don’t function without lots of maintenance.”

Plant communities, once established, are more for enjoyment and less for yard work.

Gardeners can look for more plants that do the hard work for them.

Opt for “green mulch” where there is bare soil. “With sedge, you plant it once and it’s good to go,” says George Coombs, research horticulturist at Mount Cuba Center.

“Green mulch” can refer to a wide range of plants, not just sedge. Golden groundsel, rhizomatous strawberries, self-seeding columbine or woodland poppies. Combine butterfly weed with low grasses such as prairie dropseed, blue grama grass or buffalo grass.

Don’t be afraid to add a little personality to it. There’s no shortage of flair you can add!

Want to see what other trends are buzzing this year? Download out 2018 Garden Trends Report today!