Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all readers, so what might 2012 have in store for gardens? Well, after a quick gaze into my crystal ball I can see it being another boom year for all things allotment, veg patches and grow your own. If you search the main site you will come across articles from 2007 about the carrot credit crunch, so this downturn has now been going on for ages. However, I think even if the country was doing well, vegetable gardening would remain very popular. People have got the bug, and even if they had more money in their pockets they would still now want their own home grown lettuces and tomatoes.

Another trend for 2012 could well be drought plants and water saving, this winter has been quite dry and warm so far, and if you remember last spring was very dry and it was on course for a summer hosepipe ban until the summer was quite wet.

Apparently there is going to be the first Chelsea fringe event this year, with a lot of more informal, garden events and 'installations' surrounding the main event.

On a more political note, I think the issue of building on green belt is going to become a very hot topic. Over the last decade net immigration has been vast, just last year over 500,000 people moved here, and taking into account people who moved away from the UK net migration was about 252,000 (a city the size of Nottingham) all this means there is now a huge demand for housing, there is 1.8 million on council housing waiting lists. Many people are going to find out there lovely field they look out onto with deer walking in morning mists has been earmarked to be concreted over.

Plantwise I'm not sure, I'll contact some of the nurseries to see what they are launching in 2012, I remember last year one new plant was a black Petunia, which finally meant that all Newcastle United fans could grow hanging baskets in team colours! ;0)

Happy gardening for 2012!!!!!