I recently read about gardening trends to watch for in 2026. It mentioned that gardening is good for us, a garden is a place of refuge, and a garden can let us express ourselves. Being outdoors in nature, touching soil, enjoying plants and wildlife make us feel better. Gardening even gives us exercise. Choosing plants and how to arrange them is an opportunity for self-expression. A garden can help us find joy in simple things. They may be trends for 2026, gardeners have known this for a long time. For many gardeners, heart and healing are in the garden.
These treasures of comfort can come from special plants long ago planted in the garden. It can be gifted plants that have special meaning or remembrance, or it can be a plant that has a wonderful bloom colour or leaf texture. Special plants don’t need to stand out; they are simply the ones that will be missed by the gardener if they weren’t there.
One of the plants that has been in my garden for decades is Macedonian scabious (Knautia macedonica). As implied in its name, it is native to Macedonia. Like other pincushion flowers, it has a domed flower head that is a bit bigger than a toonie. While many pin cushion flowers are pale shades of white, light blue, and mauve, Knautia macedonica is burgundy. Its head is made of burgundy petals with a distribution of pinkish stamens that pop up across the head like pins stuck in a cushion. The flower terminates in a long delicate stem. The main stem has branches that support additional flower heads. Deadheading by cutting back to a branching stem will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.
Most of the information found online notes that the plant is hardy down to Zone 5. However, I purchased my seeds when Calgary was considered Zone 3b. This was when I was a new-to-Calgary gardener, and I avoided any plant that was rated higher than Zone 3. It was around 1997; I started the seeds indoors, then transplanted them to a small bed next to a chain-link fence on the east side of our yard. For many years, the plants only grew in that bed. Eventually, they started to spread to other areas of the garden. I find their pointy, lobed leaves easy to spot, so while they migrate, they can be identified and weeded if they’re trying to grow where they don’t belong. However, the plant has a taproot that makes pulling or moving large plants a challenge. If I want to share these plants, I look for seedlings. They don’t seem to mind being dug up. Larger plants will either sulk or die if I try to move them.
The literature rates them as a short-lived perennial, but I find the plants live for several years. Since they self-sow, I don’t really notice if one has faded away, as a new plant takes its place.
These plants are suited to Calgary’s growing habitat. They prefer alkaline soil and climates with cool, dry summer nights. That’s been our growing environment.
They are clump-forming and tend to create a meadow-like display if allowed to grow naturally. They start to bloom at the beginning of the summer and will continue into the fall, especially if they are deadheaded. Their flower attracts native bees and all day and all season long, you find them a buzz. They are not a showstopper plant, but I would miss them dearly if they vanished from my garden. In fact, over the years they have sowed themselves into both mine, and the garden’s hearts. If you love a special plant in your garden, share it—there is always room for a heart to grow. And that’s a trend to encourage every year.
To learn more about gardening in Calgary, visit calhort.org.
