Garden digest: February

A new spike in houseplant popularity

Recent lifestyle reports agree that millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) are fuelling a houseplant explosion. Among the reasons: they cannot afford to have children; their landlords in rented properties do not allow pets; they are more health-conscious and aware that greenery is proven to boost mental health and improve air quality; and they enjoy sharing their plant pics on Instagram.

In France, our style spies revealed in December’s Trending column a boom in cactus wallpaper designs. Now the real thing is all the rage among today’s plant-tending under-40s, says Marie-Claire Maison.

At the cutting edge of gardening

Paysalia, the leading event for gardening professionals, and a key marker for trends and innovations, took place in Lyon in early December. Among the prizewinners for innovation were an Ecolabel potting soil range from Florentaise and a lithium power pack for strimmers by Pellenc, as well as a new treatment designed to kill boxwood moth eggs, Tricholine Buxus.

Let there be vintage light

It may only be February but there is no harm in a little forward planning. For residents in France whose local climate permits them to enjoy long summer evenings outside in the garden or on the terrace, then design – not least when it comes to installing stylish lighting – is becoming increasingly important.

The Mafy light garland from Lumisky takes the current trend for visible filaments and brings a cool vintage feel. The ten incandescent bulbs included in the €35 price (available from www.plantes-et-jardins.com) are shockproof, UV resistant, and can take extreme temperatures – meaning you can leave the 7metre garland outside all year round if you wish.

Jardin sketch

If you have a blank canvas of garden space to play with or you would like to re-think your current garden layout, there are some excellent, user-friendly (with practice!) 3D landscape design computer programmes available, some of which have a free trial version.

PC-based modelling software Sketch Up (www.sketchup.com) and Vectorworks (www.vectorworks.net) are more architectural but are used by garden designers while Shoot’s award-winning garden design software has a free trial available after simple registration (www.shootgardening.co.uk/garden/planner/demo).

Small Blue Printer an excellent drag-and-drop free trial version here: www.smallblueprinter.com/garden/planner.html.

Let us know how you get on or send other recommendations to news@connexionfrance.com.