CHADDS FORD, PA —With homeownership at an all time high, more people are expanding their living areas to the outdoors, says the Garden Media Group (GMG). Landscaping is now the number one "discretionary project" for today's new homeowner. Today some four in five American families garden, spending some $67 billion on gardening and landscaping services combined. Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, sees that figure increasing. She predicts that for the next five to 10 years consumers will shift their decorating focus from the home's interior and will spend more money enhancing their gardens, patios and lawns. The garden truly has become the "new living room." In GMG's "2005 Garden Trends Report," Susan McCoy, GMG president, says these new lifestyle gardeners, although still short on time, are more self-confident and determined to add their personal signature to their backyards. Here's what GMG says is "hot" and what is not: 1. Reality gardens are in. Ideal gardens are out. Homeowners, influenced by reality television and makeover shows, want gardens that reflect their style and personality. They use their garden for entertaining, relaxing with family and friend or simply reading the newspaper. 2. Signature gardens, yes. Cookie cutters, no. Homebuilder landscapes that feature the same three plants over and over again are out. Homeowners want their yards to reflect their personal lifestyle. 3. Keep it simple and forget the clutter. Homeowners are short on time and long on ideas. Homeowners are picking flowers and plants that work together in harmony, in particular mass plantings of colors that work together. They want four seasons of color. They don't want plants that need heavy maintenance. 4. Do some of it for me instead of do it all yourself. With homeowners' lack of time, they're increasingly more likely to hire experts to do tasks such as weed, mulch or mow. 5. Mega blooms are in. Seedlings are out. Consumers want life to be simple. They wants plants that are "ready to wear" — nearly mature with an instant effect in the garden. 6. Specialty annuals are in. Bedding plants are out. Annuals are now being integrated in the garden along with perennials and shrubs. New varieties and ease of care are boosting the popularity of seasonal flowers and foliage. 7. Luxury brands rather than bargain brands. Homeowners are embracing enhancements such as pools, fountains, sculptures, high-end barbeques and high-end patio and pool furniture. 8. Vertical, not one-dimensional. Homeowners are living and gardening in smaller spaces — on decks, and patios and even from balconies of high-rise apartments. Our need to garden up and down is growing, making trailing plants that can grow up a trellis or a fence or cascade over a balcony or wall popular choices. 9. Environmentally sensitive gardens are in. Chemically dependent gardens are out. This trend grows every year. Environmental product sales are up 200% in the last five years. 10. Container gardening is still in and not going away. Consumers are delighted with more creative ways to combine plants and more wonderful To see the complete Garden Media Group rundown of what's "hot" and what's not, visit the web site, including several trends not mentioned in this report, check out the full text of the 2005 Gardening Trends Report. | 
