21/10/2025 08:31 AM
Garden Trends 2026
As we step into 2026, our gardens are becoming more than just outdoor spaces, they’re extensions of our homes, designed with purpose, personality, and sustainability in mind. Whether it’s creating a safe haven for pets, embracing lush greenery, or finding beauty in simplicity, next year’s trends focus on connection – with nature, with our homes, and with how we live.
Bark’itecture: Safe Spaces for Pets
It’s estimated that 60% of households have a pet, and 36% of those are dog owners. With so many of us sharing our lives with animals, it’s no surprise that “Bark’itecture” is one of the defining trends for 2026.
More homeowners are designing gardens with pets in mind; creating secure, stimulating spaces where dogs can play and explore freely. Fencing plays a key role here, ensuring pets stay safely within the boundaries of the garden. The fence’s main purpose becomes one of protection and peace of mind, giving owners confidence that their furry companions are safe.
When choosing fencing for pets, height and strength are crucial, particularly for larger breeds or energetic dogs. Durable, well constructed fencing not only prevents escape but also helps to define distinct zones for play, rest, and planting.
Dog fencing for small dogs is essential to ensure their safety and prevent them from wandering off or encountering potential hazards. Due to their size, small dogs can easily slip through gaps, so it's important to choose barriers specifically designed with smaller breeds in mind. Opting for kit form fencing allows you to control the spacing between pales. Closely spaced picket fences provide a secure boundary while still allowing visibility and airflow. Additionally, the fence should be low enough to maintain sightlines but high enough to deter climbing or jumping. Proper dog fencing not only keeps small dogs safely contained but also gives them the freedom to enjoy outdoor spaces confidently.
Green Drenched Gardens
The rise of green drenched design celebrates the fence as part of the garden aesthetic rather than just a boundary. Think fences wrapped in climbing plants, or used as a backdrop to showcase lush greenery. Timber fencing complements this look perfectly, blending seamlessly with foliage while providing a natural canvas for ivy, clematis, or jasmine to climb.
Adding trellis panels to your fence is a simple yet highly effective way to support climbing plants while enhancing the overall garden design. Trellises provide a vertical framework for plants like clematis, ivy, or jasmine to grow, creating a lush, green backdrop that transforms a plain fence into a striking feature. They can be attached directly to timber fencing using screws or brackets, ensuring stability while keeping the structure discreet. This approach not only maximises vertical growing space but also adds texture and depth to the garden, blurring the lines between functional fencing and decorative greenery. Trellises are particularly useful for creating privacy screens, softening hard boundaries, or highlighting specific areas of the garden.
This approach transforms even the smallest outdoor spaces into tranquil, plant-rich retreats that feel immersive and alive.
Tamer Meadows and Chaos Gardening
In 2026, the wild look remains popular but with a slightly tamer edge. This “controlled chaos” trend favours natural materials like wood and design choices that reflect the organic flow of nature. Fences and garden structures are chosen to complement the landscape rather than dominate it.
Linked closely to this is chaos gardening, a movement towards scattering seeds and stepping away from manicured lawns. The result? Low maintenance, biodiverse gardens buzzing with pollinators and bursting with seasonal colour.
Container Planting and Outdoor Living
Outdoor living continues to thrive, with patios, decking, and terraces becoming year-round features. Container planting is a simple yet stylish way to soften hard landscapes and introduce greenery and fragrance.
Expect to see more pots brimming with herbs, trailing plants, and bursts of colour, with fragrant varieties like jasmine adding both beauty and scent. Whether you have a small balcony or a large patio, container planting makes it easy to change the look and feel of your space through the seasons.
Quiet Luxury
Quiet luxury is all about timeless design and understated elegance. This trend combines nostalgia with modern sensibility; evergreen hedges, cohesive planting palettes, and quality materials that stand the test of time.
In fencing, that means classic designs in natural finishes, understated yet beautifully crafted. The goal is to create a sense of calm and continuity, where every element of the garden feels considered and harmonious.
Low-Water, Drought Tolerant Planting
Building on last year’s focus on climate resilience, 2026 will see greater emphasis on drought tolerant planting. As energy and water costs continue to rise, homeowners are choosing species that require minimal irrigation yet thrive in warmer, unpredictable weather.
Grasses, lavender, rosemary, and sedum are all excellent options, offering structure, scent, and colour while keeping maintenance low. Paired with sustainable fencing and permeable landscaping, this approach balances beauty with environmental responsibility.
Bringing It All Together
Whether you’re creating a safe haven for pets, embracing green drenched design, or opting for quiet luxury, 2026’s garden trends share one common thread, a thoughtful connection between people, pets, and nature. At Jacksons Fencing, we believe your garden fence should do more than mark a boundary. It should enhance your space, protect what matters most, and stand the test of time.
Last Year's Garden Trends
After another year full of amazing displays and exciting designs at the various garden shows and exhibitions, we’ve rounded up our hot picks for 2025 so you can start planning your garden designs. While trends are exciting to follow, we always encourage that you build upon your existing garden design, taking elements you know you will enjoy for years to come, to create sustainable, long-lasting designs that minimise waste and keep costs low.
In 2025, several garden trends are expected to emerge, combining sustainability, innovation, and personal wellness. Here are some key trends to look out for:
Climate-Resilient Gardens
With changing weather patterns, gardeners will prioritise plants that can withstand drought, heavy rains, and temperature fluctuations. Native plants, drought-tolerant species, and resilient landscape designs will gain popularity, reducing the need for excessive water and maintenance.
Smart Gardens & Tech Integration
Gardens designed for the future with smart technology will steer garden designs this year. Smart irrigation systems, app-controlled lighting and renewable energy creation take centre stage. Solar fence panels showcase how homeowners can take advantage of all available space and create energy to power their homes.
There will be a push toward integrating technology into outdoor spaces, allowing for increased efficiency and sustainability.
Sustainable Materials
Eco-conscious consumers will look for garden structures and fencing made from sustainable, recycled, or upcycled materials. Timber will still be the most popular fencing material, but consumers will look for durable, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly products like pressure treated timber fencing and gates with long lifetime guarantees.
Minimalist Designs
Minimalist gardens with clean lines, structured planting, and muted colour schemes will resonate with homeowners looking for low maintenance yet stylish outdoor spaces. This trend aligns well with contemporary garden fence designs.
Wellness Gardens
Gardens designed to promote relaxation and well-being will continue to grow in popularity. Spaces that encourage mindfulness, such as sensory gardens, forest gardens, meditation spaces, and healing herb gardens, will be in demand. These gardens will feature fragrant plants, calming water features, groundcovers, shrubs, climbers, and trees, and soft lighting.
Vertical & Small-Space Gardening
Urbanisation is increasing, and so is the need for maximising small spaces. Vertical gardens, balcony gardening, and even container gardens will remain key solutions for those with limited space. This trend is ideal for innovative products like solar panels integrated into fences or plant-friendly structures.
Wildlife-Friendly Gardens
Gardens that invite biodiversity, such as pollinator-friendly flowers, insect hotels, and bird-friendly habitats, will continue to be popular. People will aim to create sanctuaries for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.
These trends suggest that sustainability, technology, and wellness will be key themes driving the garden sector in 2025.
Last Year's Garden Trends 2024
Dark and mysterious colours
This year will see darker colours used in gardens, as moody aesthetics are favoured. Purples, dark reds and blues will fill borders with only a small number of vibrant coloured plants to contrast. There will be shifts towards dark foliage with intense shades of purple or brown. Swap light colour plant pots to darker colours for an instant upgrade.
Aged timber
Timber is a beautiful natural resource that will age over time. Ageing timber should be celebrated for all its character and ongoing strength. Reclaimed wood or existing wood structures that are older will add texture, roughness and neutral tones to gardens. Garden designers will add reclaimed or cherish mature fencing in newly renovated gardens, not only for their aesthetics but continuous functionality. All timber will eventually fade in colour. Some will opt to paint their timber instead of leaving it to naturally age. Leaving timber, whether that be fence panels, sleepers or pergolas will help the garden look well established and lived in. If you want to see the beauty in aged timber, you must buy quality timber with a long lifetime guarantee to begin with so that it has the opportunity to age and grow old gracefully.
Traditional cottage style garden
Traditional style gardens, or cottage gardens, are set to return. Known for its wild meadow style gardens with areas to grow your own produce, the traditional cottage garden is a welcome trend to return, when local wildlife needs us the most. Full borders with variety of plants and areas left to be wild are quintessential cottage gardens. Traditional gardens usually have designated sections, each with a different purpose. Smaller gardens can use garden dividers to either purposefully or subtly move from one area to another.
Rust
Rust has never been far away from gardens, whether that is on purpose or not. However, a growing trend is to add rust into your garden as a feature. Corten steel is a type of weathered steel, that is popular amongst garden designers and can be used to create a range of garden features. Corten steel will form a layer of rust that acts as a protective barrier holding its strength for years to come. A raised bed created from Corten or a water feature creates great contrast with the other aspects of the garden.
Panelling
A feature panelled wall and panelled fencing is an increasing trend in gardens. Statement panelling made from timber or metal can make a huge impact in a garden. Painted dark, panelling can add a sense of mystery and depth into a space. Left in its natural state panelling can become a focal point. Jacksons Fencing’s Chilham fence panels have a panelled design and offer an instant upgrade to a growing garden trend.
