Arguably, there’s nowhere better than the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show to get an insight into garden, plant, and cut flower trends for the year ahead. The prestigious flower festival features show gardens by the best designers in the industry, while the huge pavilion is home to the leading growers and producers of flowers and plants from around the world.

As I walked around Chelsea last week soaking up garden ideas and inspiration, it was very apparent that there were a number of key trends within floristry and garden design that we see more of going forward. From planting colour palettes, favoured blooms, home styling ideas and ways to elevate our outdoor spaces, here were all the key trends that I spotted at Chelsea Flower Show 2026.

Key plant: Verbascum ‘Clementine’

Every year at Chelsea, there is always one plant that has a ‘moment’ at the show; one that you can find used in nearly all the best show gardens that has been picked for use by all the top designers. This year, Verbascum ‘Clementine’ was that flower. I saw it in abundance across the grounds of The Royal Hospital - it was impossible not to notice its pretty apricot leaves teetering through the borders. Less commanding than a foxglove, but more shapely than a geum, I was delighted to be introduced to this upright perennial.

Green garden furniture

There’s currently only one colour when it comes to garden furniture constructed from metal: green. Green garden furniture was everywhere at Chelsea, with this Curato collection from Birdie Fortescue looking particularly pretty on both the Sanderson for Highgrove stand, and their own trade stand just outside The Great Pavilion.

Green outdoor tables and seating became popular with HAY’s iconic Palissade collection a few years back, and now even the supermarkets are in on the trend of green garden furniture - this budget-friendly set from George at ASDA is the ultimate bargain buy for your garden this summer.

Vegetables are the new cut flowers

For alternative florists, professional tablescapers and home stylists, focal flowers are put aside in place of using veg to catch the eye. Styling with vegetables like cabbage, chard, carrots and runner beans was everywhere! The traditionally floral entrance to Chelsea had dried runner beans strung around the top, while brands such as Norfolk Natural Living adorned their stands with juicy red tomatoes that popped against a black backdrop.

Within The Great Pavilion, the heirloom seed company She Grows Veg had decorated a long banqueting table with a cascade of cabbages and cake-tiered toms.

I have to say I am a huge fan of combining both flowers and vegetables/fruits within floral bouquets and displays. I think when there is an addition of a stem of crab apples, or a cascade of blackberries or strawberries in between a few rose stems, it just completely elevates the look and adds another layer of interest.

Vivid garden backdrops

There were a couple of colourful backdrop gardens at Chelsea, and I thought this was such a budget-friendly way to elevate a boring wall in your own garden and make your borders or containers of flowers completely pop. All you need is some exterior, weather-resistant paint and a free warm afternoon to complete the look.

These vivid neon pink and orange paints work so well in spaces that contain nothing else but planting. However, if bright colours are not your thing, I thought this black backdrop for red potted plants in the Alitex stand was so pleasing on the eye. To get the same look, consider spray painting a garden fence in a jet black hue.

Light woods and sandy tones

I was really drawn to the sandy-beige tones used in the Time for Creativity Garden designed by Christina Cobb. The compact water feature combined with light oak garden furniture felt very natural and light, all while complementing the planting scheme of pink poppies and delicate yellow cheddars.

Styled outbuildings

Forget sheds stuffed with garden tools and the lawnmower (or a greenhouse that only contains pots and seeds), Chelsea 2026 was all about demonstrating how to style our outdoor rooms so that they were full of interest. This made them more pleasing spaces to spend time in, rather than functioning rooms within our gardens.

Aspirational greenhouse suppliers Alitex used Sicilian ceramics amongst the (already discussed) styled veg. While I also saw everything from vintage crockery, pressed flower art, books and candles adorning shed walls and log cabin rooms.

Living walls

Living walls are back - but not the expensive, carefully curated living walls cladding both indoor or outdoor spaces that we saw become popular a few years ago. This time, living walls are exterior only and a lot more wild: think surfaces covered in common ivy with luscious green ferns at the base, as seen on one of the Spacelift showgardens. A living wall is great for shady areas, along with covering parts of your garden which aren’t so visually appealing.

Zinc Planters

I saw a lot of flowers contained within zinc planters throughout the show. Zinc planters are a great way to add height to your outdoor spaces and create display borders on hard surfaces; you can buy them via Garden Trading.

Outdoor kitchens

The ultimate in outdoor luxury, a garden kitchen is becoming more popular in the UK. I loved the outdoor kitchen displayed on the Spacelift show garden, featuring pearly sage green tiles that paired perfectly with the outdoor greenery. Neptune also launched their first garden kitchen - Broadway - at the show.