2022 Landscaping Trends Predicted by GoMaterials’ CEO
Despite the ups and downs, landscaping business owners across Canada and the United States recovered some of the lost ground in 2021. Landscaping demand picked up after the roller-coaster of the last couple of years, and it made sure plant wholesalers, professional landscapers, and all other green industry workers were busier than ever. The next big question is what does 2022 have in store for landscaping business managers and owners. Not sure what to expect in terms of wholesale plant and tree shortages, landscaping demand, design trends, and more?
Check out the predictions below by GoMaterials CEO. Here are five landscaping trends predictions to watch in 2022:
Wholesale Plant Shortages Are Not Going Away
Whether it’s trees, shrubs, or perennials: if it’s green and it grows, we don’t have enough to go around. Not only is landscaping supply not keeping up as quickly as the demand, but it’s slowing down more than previous years. As an industry, we need to come to terms with the fact that wholesale plant shortages aren’t going away. What does that mean?
To start with, it’s best to reconsider the traditional size expectations landscapers have for the trees and plants they purchase. This trend is already picking up. In recent times, we observed more freshly potted materials go out to make up for the shortages. While it’s not ideal for anyone, it’s always good to be prepared to take that call if needed.
Supply is further impacted by the limited number of farms producing these plants. As per the last USDA census, the overall number of farms & horticulture operations has been decreasing for years, with the largest ones expanding their operations too slowly to cover up for the losses elsewhere. The reasons could be low ROI in the nursery business, and unpredictable demand patterns. Add to it the ever-increasing cost of plots, which just makes it easier to sell the land. It’s no surprise that fewer plant and tree farms get into the business.
Wholesale Tree and Plant Demand Remains Strong
2021 was a landmark year for the landscaping industry, and demand in materials skyrocketed. Planting continued well into December for most of the regions we cover.
Government landscaping contracts have been and are expected to remain a steady source of business for the industry in 2022. The effects of climate change are hot topics and the goal for many cities is to combat urban pollution through green works.
In addition, real estate prices hit record numbers. This benefits the landscaping industry from both ends of the buyer/seller relationship. Sellers spruce their yards up with impressive landscaping to increase their home value through curb appeal. Buyers, in turn, are often told to wait a year before beginning major landscaping projects. Spring of 2022 is when many people who took part in the recent housing boom will look to improve the landscaping design of their homes.
The avenues through which contracts will come in are multiple, and we’re confident they will remain as strong as they’ve been in the last year.
Landscaping Industry Moving Against Monoculture
Arborists have always warned us against mono-culture and the landscaping industry is finally catching up. More and more orders are asking for diverse categories of plants and trees.
This is excellent for maintaining soil health and for reducing the risk of bugs and diseases that thrive in mono-cultures. The caveat is that greater variety makes it harder to fulfill an order. Growers have not yet left the mono-culture mind-frame in their crops and will take time to catch up with this trend as their inventory matures.
In the meantime, sourcing large amounts of plants and trees means your landscaping business will have to contact more wholesalers for the same amount of units. You may even need to expand away from your regional network of landscaping supply wholesalers.
In the current landscaping, well… landscape, plant variety can be a blessing in disguise. Plant supply is low, and substitutions have become standard practice. Landscaping business owners with the right strategy to source and coordinate more efficiently from multiple suppliers will save time and stay ahead of the competition.
Native plants demand rising further
The road to hell is landscaped with good intentions. We’ve all seen pictures of thousands of trees planted in meticulous rows by corporate giants to repopulate wooded areas lost to deforestation. This often leads to more problems than the original deforestation.
As landscapers, our role in the ecosystem is more important than ever before. With the focus on native plants and trees, we’re on the front lines to provide people with the best options for their area.
The domino effect of more demand for native plants can eventually push wholesalers to prioritize native varieties, which is easier on their operations. As an added benefit this can help reduce the transport cost by avoiding exclusively shipping in exotic varieties.
Sustainable Landscaping Trends Like Urban Forest Taking Root in Americas
Two trends converge with the rising popularity of urban forests in 2022: landscape design using native plants and the desire to combat climate change. Inspired by the Miyawaki method stemming from Japan, city plots that sit empty are getting transformed into green spaces.
The landscaping trend for urban forests already gained traction in Europe and Asia. Mini-urban forests create a small patch of plant and insect biodiversity in the city. They give pollinating bugs and city mammals a home. The point, of course, is to populate these woods with native plants and let them grow from there. The diversity of the green life reduces carbon emissions in the air at a higher rate than mono-culture patches of greenery.
For humans specifically, these forests improve mental well-being while providing respite from the heat islands in the city.
To sum it up, 2022 landscaping trends all consist of plant variety in some way or another. Whether it’s variety due to shortages and substitutions, higher demand, or the search for the perfect native specimen, landscaping plant and tree sourcing is set to be a challenge in the coming year.
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Reach out to us if your landscaping business needs help with sourcing this year! GoMaterials’ service is even more valuable when you need to optimize your plant and tree sourcing efforts. Have an amazing 2022, and happy landscaping!
