5 Home gardening trends for 2026
As garden retailers, it’s important to stay a step ahead of consumer demand. Here, we take a look at five home gardening trends you’ll want to know about for the upcoming season.
1. Low-Maintenance Luxe
Katie Tamony is no stranger to trends. As Monrovia’s chief marketing officer and trendspotter, she frequently shares Monrovia’s consumer trend forecast data with the horticulture industry.
In its most recent study, Monrovia identified “The Sunday Garden” as a leading trend for 2026 consumers — an upscale looking garden that’s also low maintenance. Think Nancy Meyers movies, Tamony said, like the outdoor spaces in “Father of the Bride” or “Something’s Gotta Give.” These landscapes are easy and luxe, combining low-maintenance plants like ilex and boxwoods with dark, tidy foliage for contrast.
2. Gardening for Pets
“Pets and gardening go together like peanut butter and jelly,” according to Garden Media Group’s 2026 Garden Trends Report. In fact, it reports that 70% of gardeners also own pets — and those furry friends aren’t just companions, but family members, say 87% of respondents.
As pet ownership continues to rise, especially among millennials, homeowners are rethinking their outdoor spaces to accommodate them. This goes beyond just offering pet-friendly varieties (think lavender, bee balm and heuchera) but also designing actual outdoor spaces for pets.
Retailer Lowe’s has responded with ‘PETio’ shoppable blueprints with products and project resources to aid in creating a backyard to accommodate every family member — even the ones with fur.
Fairview Garden Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently shared a blog post on the subject of creating a pet-friendly garden in their e-newsletter. They suggest leaning into dogs’ common behaviors like running laps around the yard by installing a track for Fido to run, using smooth gravel or splinter-free mulch, as well as low-growing perennial groundcovers — “cute little plants that can handle foot (paw) traffic.”
In addition, planting a statement tree or two creates a shady — and scenic — spot for both cats and dogs to relax.
3. Exotic Edibles
When Monrovia asked homeowners what gardening projects they were most interested in for 2026, the resounding answer was edibles — but not just any edibles. “Most gardeners who are over 45 want to try what you might think of as ‘exotic edibles,’” Tamony said. “They’re looking for something different, whether that’s planting banana to get banana fruit or a dwarf peach — there’s lots of interest in growing edible varieties in containers.”
Growing edibles in smaller spaces is also gaining popularity, said Jordan Williams, public relations and communications manager at Star Roses and Plants.
“If someone is looking to grow edible plants in a small space or container, there are a lot of traditional berry varieties to choose from,” she said. Star Roses and Plants’ ‘Poppin’ Passion’ passion fruit (top photo) has beautiful flowers that attract pollinators, along with container-friendly, easy-to-grow features. “And it only gets about 10 feet tall, compared to a typical 40-foot vine,” she said.
4. High-Tech Gardening
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our digital lives — including in the garden. Now, homeowners can use apps to select the right plants for their space, as well as identify pests and diseases in the garden.
The PlantTAGG app delivers location-specific plant care information with data from expert sources including Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, leading U.S. horticulture universities, NOAA and a number of global horticulture experts and data scientists.
The Tag ID feature of the app allows garden center shoppers and homeowners to access localized plant information by taking a photo of a printed plant tag with their smartphone. This gives garden center shoppers the instant knowledge they need for an informed plant selection and gardening success, while enhancing the in-store experience.
At home, gardeners set up their yard into “Grow Zones” on the app, where they add the plants in that area. The app then renders tasks that need to be done for every plant the gardener has added to their yard and sends a push notifications year-round, alerting the gardener that there are tasks that need attention.
5. Trailing Foliage
While the thriller-filler-spiller recipe for containers isn’t new, demand for trailing foliage is rising, according to Terra Nova Nurseries.
“Trailing plants are making a resurgence for good reason,” said Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development at Terra Nova Nurseries. “Used thoughtfully, trailing heucherella and tiarella can add soft edges to stonework, provide gentle spill in containers and baskets, knit together as low groundcover on slopes and borders — making them versatile choices across many climates and garden styles.”
The company said interest in the trailing habit is increasing among retailers, growers, landscape designers and home gardeners.
Terra Nova Nurseries said it is meeting the momentum by promoting back-by-popular-demand cultivars defined by a pronounced cascade and consistent performance from production and retail through landscape establishment and maturity.
The heucherella Falls series showcases vigorous trailers lauded for shifting seasonal color and broad adaptability, while the heucherella Cascade series includes varieties that drape cleanly — ideal for spilling from window boxes and balcony planters.
The Tiarella American Trails series delivers shade-ready trailers bred for quick coverage and refined habit.
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