5 garden trends for 2026 and how to bring them to life in your garden

Rather than an afterthought or just something that needs to be planted and maintained, our gardens are becoming an extension of the home itself. Structure and shelter are becoming just as important as planting, helping gardens to feel more usable across the seasons. 

Many garden trends are reflected through major flower shows and showcase gardens including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Understanding which trends are shaping these gardens is the perfect way to understand how to shape your own garden space. In this guide, we explore five garden trends set to define 2026 and how you can bring them to life in your own garden.

1. Gardens as multi-functional spaces

One of the key themes across most of the Chelsea gardens in 2026, and one that is set to become more prominent over the next few years, is the move towards spaces with clearly zoned garden layouts. 

Gardens are now being treated in a similar way to interiors, providing ‘rooms’ with specific functions. Instead of a single lawn or patio serving multiple functions, many gardens now feature defined areas for rest, work and socialising with subtle boundaries created with planting, levels or structures, enabling a clear flow between spaces. 

This trend reflects how our lifestyles have changed over the last decade with more people working from home and spending time outdoors throughout the year. It’s now important for gardens to accommodate different activities without feeling too cluttered. 

The Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa provides a space to connect and relax. The tokonoma is an indoor sheltered space that serves multiple uses including family meals, socialising and entertaining.

How do you recreate this trend in your garden?

When redesigning your own garden, thinking about how you want to use the space will help you to determine how your garden is designed and the way it flows. Starting with a core function and building around this will help you to start dividing your garden into zones and understanding how each of these zones will be used. 

For example, your garden office doesn’t have to sit awkwardly at the bottom of your garden. A structure such as a log cabin can be carefully positioned and then softened with planting and connecting paths or seating areas under a gazebo. This helps you to enjoy your garden as well as use it for a space to work and focus, seating areas provide somewhere to relax when you’re taking a break, and careful planting will attract wildlife that will help you feel more connected to nature while you’re working. 

A log cabin with a veranda provides a multi-functional space that allows you to create separate zones in your garden and really bring this trend to life. Create your own tokonoma as somewhere to relax and entertain friends and family from the comfort of your own garden. 

This approach to garden design makes your outdoor space easier to use and enjoy. Each space has its own purpose helping to reduce clutter and giving you a space that feels intentional.

2. Gardens as an extension of your home

Many of the gardens showcased at RHS Chelsea 2026 show blurred lines between indoors and outdoors. These gardens mirror the layout, comfort and permanence of indoor space and reinforce the idea that your outdoor space can be used all year round, not just during the warmer months. 

Gardens increasingly mirror the layout, comfort and permanence of interior spaces outdoors. Chelsea designers are incorporating solid, enclosed structures, weather protection and shelter along with natural materials that age well and keep gardens looking beautiful throughout the seasons. 

Outdoor spaces are becoming more intentional and comfortable, whatever the weather, rather than seasonal and temporary spaces. 

The Eden Project Garden is a great example of this. The focus of this design is on the connection between people, nature and the built environment. Covered spaces offer dual purpose areas for a range of activities and create an environment that’s not only decorative but purposeful and liveable. Shelter, enclosure and a thoughtful layout make the garden a great space to spend time, reflect, work and relax, not just somewhere to pass through.

How do you recreate this trend in your garden?

Many homeowners are now looking for ways to make their garden as comfortable and reliable as indoor space. Garden design is shifting from temporary furniture that’s packed away during the colder months towards more permanent, usable structures.

Garden buildings such as log cabins, shepherd’s huts and gazebos are great ways to turn your outdoor space into an extension of your indoor space. Their solid construction and insulation make them feel like genuine extensions of your home rather than garden accessories. These buildings are often used as garden lounges, studios, offices or guest spaces and allow you to enjoy outdoor living whatever the season or weather.

3. Gardens as a wellness space

Wellbeing has been a recurring theme at RHS Chelsea for many years and this year is no different as it’s become embedded in a number of the garden designs. Rather than wellness being provided in garden features, the atmosphere of the garden is designed to feel restorative and provide a space for reflection and calm. 

A feeling of wellness and restoration is provided through soft planting palettes, natural materials such as timber and stone and enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces that help to create a sense of refuge. 

This approach can be seen in the Asthma and Lung UK Garden, a design that prioritises breathing space and a space that feels soothing and calm. Planting, shelter and spatial flow help to create an environment that supports physical and mental wellbeing. This garden reinforces the idea that wellbeing in the garden comes from how space feels and not just what it contains.

How do you recreate this trend in your garden?

A garden design that incorporates wellness means creating a calm, simple and private atmosphere and carving out a space that feels removed from daily distractions. Try to create a space for relaxation and wellbeing that allows you to use your garden all year round. 

A garden sauna is a great addition if you’re looking to create an outdoor space that allows you to retreat and relax after a long day. Either placed alongside a log cabin or tucked behind careful planting, you can make the journey to the space a part of the experience, reinforcing a sense of escape.

4. Using natural materials in your garden

Another consistent trend emerging across RHS Chelsea’s gardens in 2026 is a return to natural materials. A huge number of showcase gardens rely on timber, untreated wood, natural stone and muted finishes and these materials are favoured over heavily manufactured materials. 

This reflects a broader trend for more natural looking gardens with features that blend in and feel connected to the landscape. These materials are not only chosen for their appearance but how they age and weather over time. 

The timber structures in RHS Chelsea gardens help to soften rather than dominate the space and develop character as they age over time. 

An approach to using natural materials can be seen in The Lady Garden Foundation Garden where timber and natural materials are utilised to create a space that feels calm and connected to its surroundings. In contrast to a reliance on highly polished finishes, the materials soften over time, enabling the structure to blend naturally with the surrounding planting.

How do you recreate this trend in your garden?

When looking to add structures to your own garden, think about how they will blend into your garden’s surroundings. The aim is to create a space that feels connected to the space around it rather than feeling temporary. 

Think about how garden buildings such as log cabins, gazebos or pergolas will sit within your garden design rather than stand out from it. Keep space around the structure to allow for planting, paths or decking to help structures feel as though they are embedded in the surrounding landscape. As the planting grows over time, it will help your building blend naturally into its surroundings. 

Choose a small number of materials such as timber, stone and gravel and stick to them throughout your garden design. This will help you to create a sense of continuity and fill your garden with materials that will age beautifully over time and help your garden to evolve, eventually giving it a sense of permanence. 

Gardens designed with natural materials are not subject to changing trends so will keep your garden looking timeless for years to come.

5. Wildlife friendly design

Wildlife friendly gardening is becoming increasingly common, but it can be difficult to strike this balance without your garden feeling messy, unmanageable or difficult to maintain. The trend for 2026 is about balance and encouraging biodiversity while retaining a clear sense of structure and intention. 

Wildlife friendly gardens are carefully composed and often include elements such as layered planting with groundcover, perennials, shrubs and small trees providing food and shelter at different heights. Seasonal interest to ensure nectar, berries and cover are available throughout the year. Defined boundaries using paths, edging or structures to give the garden a clear framework. 

Structure helps to prevent wildlife friendly gardens from feeling chaotic. Paths, gravel areas, timber edging and garden buildings act as visual anchors, guiding the eye and creating contrast with softer planting. 

An example of this approach can be seen in The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: ‘On the Edge’.  This garden shows wildlife friendly planting that looks well managed and keeps the garden feeling purposeful rather than overgrown and unmanageable. Layered planting, natural materials and clearly defined spaces support biodiversity and allow for movement throughout the space showing how even gardens that allow for wildlife can still be enjoyed and feel calm and multi-functional.

How do you recreate this trend in your garden?

Garden buildings such as log cabins and gazebos are particularly effective in these designs and offer strong focal points within softer, more natural planting schemes. Structures such as these help to prevent the garden from feeling untidy and give you somewhere to observe wildlife comfortably, allowing for a deeper connection with your garden and nature without disturbing it. 

Planting for wildlife can help you create a garden that feels calm and alive with movement and seasonal change. Wildlife allows you to enjoy the space and experience but doesn’t completely take over.

Bringing 2026 garden trends to life

Garden trends emerging in 2026 lean towards creating purposeful, personal and more connected outdoor spaces that provide comfort, support wellbeing and can be enjoyed throughout the seasons.

The most successful gardens are designed intentionally and blur the line between indoors and outdoors to create spaces that feel calm and usable rather than feeling temporary or only usable throughout the warmer months.

Winter and early spring is the perfect time to start planning and investing in changes to your garden. Hardscaping and new structures can be introduced with minimal disruption to planting, allowing you to enjoy your garden once the spring and warmer weather arrives.

Taking inspiration from these trends and applying them to your space and lifestyle is a great way to create a garden that evolves and will provide you with enjoyment throughout the year.

Browse Tuin’s full range of garden buildings or contact our expert team today for advice and guidance on designing your garden for 2026.