Monrovia Announces Top Garden Design Trends for 2026

Dayton, Oregon – Monrovia Nursery, the nation’s largest grower of premium shrubs, trees and perennials is announcing the top garden design trends to watch for in 2026. Each year the company conducts extensive consumer research with more than 1,400 homeowners. That data, paired with analysis of digital and print media, consumer behavior and adjacent industries such as design, food and art, helps formulate the garden design insights report.

“As we mark Monrovia’s 100^th anniversary, we are celebrating past innovations and looking forward to what’s next in gardening,” says Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer and trend spotter for Monrovia. “Our latest research has shown that interest in gardening overall is holding steady year over year despite economic worries and pressures. We see that edible gardening is a top goal for next year across all age groups, and the main motivation in gardening continues to be about creating spaces that help us lower our stress.”

Here’s a look at the top gardening design trends for 2026. Learn more in this on-demand webinar.

Patio Culture

Creating a place to relax and unwind is a primary motivation for many gardeners. Research shows that for older gardeners especially, the patio is seen as an extension of the living room.

“There is more interest than ever in gardening on decks and patios,” says Tamony. “We’re seeing the biggest increase in container gardening interest with gardeners 65 years old, but this is a trend that reaches every demographic, especially gardeners who want elegant outdoor spaces that are low maintenance. They are creating whole gardens on their patios with beautiful containers.”

Patio Culture is all about extending your living space outside. Gardeners are looking for plants that soften the hardscape of outdoor living areas, adding greenery, pops of color, and plants that add fragrance. The palette can be subtle to create a feeling of calm.

Ferns, grasses and broad-leafed evergreens are being used for structure, and movement. Climbing vines such as jasmine or mandevilla add height and fragrance. Tropicals add texture and make the space unique.

“Patio Culture is all about pushing beyond having just a few annuals in your outdoor living area,” adds Tamony.“ Just about every shrub and perennial can be grown in a container, offering more options for an elevated look.”

Top plants for the Patio Culture Trend:
Surf^™ Break Hebe                                  Camouflage^® Variegated Japanese Aralia​
Golf Ball Pittosporum​                            Red-Leafed Mukdenia​
Little Ollie^® Dwarf Olive                        Vintro^™ Blue English lavender​
Little Ragu^® Sweet Bay                         Sun Parasol^® FiredUp Orange Mandevilla​
Superstar Cordyline                               Little Rockstars Red Butterfly Bush​
Giant Leopard Plant                               Jurassic^™ Ferns
Whipcord Western Red Cedar               Summer Soul^® Arabian Jasmine

Exquisite Edibles
Creating a garden filled with edibles is on many homeowners’ list. Research shows it is a top project for all gardening segments, with those ages 45-55 showing the biggest increase in interest.

“When times are tough, people gravitate toward growing their own food, but this trend goes beyond that phenomenon,” says Tamony. “The expansion we’re seeing in the edibles trend shows home gardeners are getting more adventurous and more world-aware in their selections. Drawing on their interest in cooking and travel, higher-income gardeners are looking for unique and sophisticated edibles to add to their landscape.”

The Exquisite Edibles trend shows a rise in interest in edibles like kiwi, persimmon and figs. It is also highlighting unique forms and compact selections such as columnar apple trees, ultra-compact blueberries, and espaliered peaches. Gardeners drawn to this trend are finding new uses for edibles, growing more varieties in containers, selecting plants that add beauty and interest in addition to food, and expanding their growing Zone by overwintering fruit and citrus trees.

Top plants for the Exquisite Edibles Trend:
Fruit Snacks^™ Columnar Apples                Chicago Hardy Fig
Bountiful^™ Baby Blueberry                         Kiwi Magic^® Hardy Kiwi Combination
Honey Babe Miniature Peach​                      Mountain Pepper​

Wild But Refined

Creating a more refined, yet still wild looking landscape is a slightly nuanced continuation of the Modern Meadow trend. The new research shows that gardeners are continuing to be drawn toward a wild design but want a more curated look.

“This trend is where naturalistic design meets intentional simplicity,” says Tamony. “Gardeners interest in soil heath, pollinators, sustainability, and native plants is evolving. They’re combining this interest into a design aesthetic that is natural but not unruly.”

The Wild But Refined trend combines native plants with cultivars ensuring a natural beauty with blooms you can count on. The design offers less hit-or-miss performance and creates a freeform look with less maintenance. Plant choices in both categories bring in pollinators and offer a flowing, relaxed look that includes grasses and perennials with rocks and nature-inspired pathways.

Top plants for the Wild But Refined Trend:
Sol Giatto Oxeye Sunflower                           Fine China Sedge
Pink Pearl Agastache                                     Stars and Stripes Bullrush
Sunseekers^™ Rainbow Coneflower​              Smoke Signal Little Bluestem
Dark Fire Crocosmia                                       Ginger Love Fountain Grass
Picture Purrfect Catmint                                 Honey Blush^™ Rose​
BeeMine^™ Red Bee Balm​

The Sunday Garden
Interest in an easy-to-maintain garden is on the rise. Bombarded with stress and anxiety about world events, a deluge of content and never-ending lists of tasks, homeowners tell us their garden is a place to escape the noise of everyday life. The Sunday Garden builds on the Green Drenching trend, creating a soothing backdrop while also enabling a sense of pride and romance.

“This design trend encourages gardens and landscapes with tidy bones,” says Tamony. “It also incorporates a dash of quiet luxury and a touch of romance. It is the landscape equivalent of a Nancy Meyers movie.”

Evergreen hedges are paired with interesting foliage and a cohesive palette of flowering plants. “We have seen increasing interest in climbing roses and growing roses in containers,” she added. “Those elements fit this trend perfectly. It is timeless design combined with nostalgia, refined elegance, and happy color as an accessory. We see a lot of interest in pinks as a single color accent to all that lovely green.”

Boxwood, Holly, ferns, and other greenery are being used to create a soothing backdrop. Climbing vines such as roses, camellias, and jasmine add height and subtle color. Flowering shrubs and perennials such as lavender and hydrangea add timeless romance to the space. This design trend also sees gardeners matching bloom color from one plant to another for an upscale look.

Top plants for The Sunday Garden trend:
Winter Gem Boxwood                                     Nitty Gritty^® Roses
Tight Squeeze^™ Western Red Cedar             Seaside Serenade^® Hanalei Bay
Scallywag^® Holly                                             Star Jasmine​   
Heavenly Ascent^® Pink Climbing Rose

About Monrovia
Inspired by the beauty of plants, gardens, and landscapes everywhere, Harry E. Rosedale, Sr. founded Monrovia in 1926 to be a premier grower of shrubs and trees. Monrovia collaborates with plant breeders around the world to introduce improved plant varieties to North America. Monrovia plants flourish once planted to beautify gardens and landscapes. Please visit Monrovia.com to learn more.