According to the Garden Media Group, the third trend for 2009 will be “Blended Gardens.” This is a continuation of the GIY– or Grow It Yourself– trend.  It is a method of growing edibles among ornamentals, or edibles as ornamentals.  You could sneak lettuces and herbs among your perennials and annuals.  Or you could grow blueberries as a hedge or ornamental shrub.  There doesn’t need to be a strict line between “the vegetable garden” and “the flower garden.”  Space is space, and plants are plants.  If the combination appeals to you, and the plants grow well together (sun requirements, water needs, pH, etc.) then why not combine them.

Unless you have a group of male children who love to play touch football on the lawn, who needs all that grass?  Put in more gardens, with mulch paths, and edibles in place of, or along with ornamental plants.

According to the Garden Media Group, the number one trend for 2009 will be “Eco-boosting.”  More people than ever will be looking to do what they can to improve the ecosystem– from driving hybrid cars and choosing reusable shopping bags, to recycling, seeking out organic solutions, and creating wildlife habitats. 

At Ferda’s we are looking into becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat from the National Wildlife Federation.  We have all the elements necessary– sustainable gardening, water and food sources, cover and a place to raise young– but we just haven’t yet completed the paperwork involved.  Watch for this to happen in the Spring!

Any of you who know us personally know that this is an important part of our lives.  We had a contractor install a large window in our kitchen so that we could watch the birds at our feeders, pond, and birdbath.  We travel to Pittsburgh to get good quality bird food.  The certification will be a natural next step.