We have found who have shifted roles and identified what they will focus on in 2026 (see below).
HortWeek regularly asks plant buyers to identify plant trends, and here are those for 2026.
Responses underline the importance of resilience, reliability and retail-ready plants. Compact growth habits, drought tolerance and strong visual appeal align well with the added-value, larger-format trend already evident in sales data
See full report here
BUYER TRENDS
Some leading garden centre buyers gave us their trends for the coming season:
Richard Lockwood, plants buyer, Haskins Garden Centres:
Grow Your Own (GYO): Sales are expected to remain strong, particularly for rhubarb, strawberries, and herbs, driven by the current economic outlook.
Herbaceous and impulse buys: Customers are shifting from pot bedding to larger pots that offer "impulse colour" and value. Salvia is exceptionally popular due to improved breeding.
Tender and 'urban jungle' plants: Warm summers are boosting customer confidence in tender plants and tropical aesthetics.
Reliable classics: Lavender remains a staple, especially for less knowledgeable gardeners, though unusual varieties are needed to stand out.
Lockwood says: “Overall, we are slimming down our selection of A-Z, especially on shrubs and climbers. We can’t afford to be a ‘living museum’ for plants, but at the same time we need to be relevant, credible and have a clear, uncomplicated strategy that helps make it easier for our customers to make their choices. Newness and a point of difference is always key, otherwise plants can become like wallpaper — you walk past without noticing.”
Kat Hunt, outdoor plants buyer, Stewarts
The Chelsea effect: customer anticipation for new launches from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Herbaceous Colour Resurgence: Good weather and new breeding in 2025 drove for garden favorites like rudbeckia, dahlias, salvia, coreopsis, and delphiniums which, it is hoped, will continue into 2026.
Small-space GYO: 'Kitchen Buddies' range is appealing to customers without traditional gardens or allotments who still want to grow versatile vegetables and herbs.
Nigel Lawton, plant buyer, Dobbies Garden Centres
Impulse shrubs: A shift away from A-Z shrubs toward improved flowering shrubs like Buddleja, Hydrangea, and Philadelphus.
Immediate visual impact and value: larger 10-12L flowering plants at attractive price points are being chosen over traditional specimen shrubs.
Reliable Perennials & Roses: Growing popularity for long-flowering, reliable, perennials including new Agastache, Digitalis, Salvia selections, award-winner Dahlia Gardenetta Velvet Crush and new rose introductions.
Stuart Andrews, head of plants, Notcutts
Weather-Driven Demand: Trends will be dictated by the season's timing
Andrews says: “When the plant is ‘doing its thing’ is when we get the most sales, so the supplier needs to supply plants at just the right stage, so it starts selling straight away, rather than too green. I think that trend will remain moving forward”.
Specific Standouts: High anticipation for varieties like Rosa Raspberry Cupcake, Dahlia Velvet Crush, and specific new Hydrangeas, Buddlejas, and Salvias.
Houseplants
While houseplants operate in a different seasonal rhythm, similar themes emerge: ease of care, compactness and strong aesthetics continue to drive demand, reinforcing the wider shift towards low-effort, high-impact plant purchases.
Richard Lockwood, plants buyer, Haskins Garden Centres
Foliage Over Flowers: Traditional flowering houseplants (like African violets and begonias) are declining, while foliage sales are up 12%.
Architectural and tropical foliage: popularity of architectural forms, particularly tropicals like Strelitzia, Aglaonema, and Calathea
The "Jellycat" Effect: Customers are treating small foliage plants (tots) as affordable, weekly collectibles to build their indoor jungles.
Lockwood says: “Growth has also come from foliage added value (+8%) rather than flowering added value. By visiting growers and shows, we have improved the selection, especially on drop-in ceramic, and stopped buying mixed planted arrangements — the old granny basket. Separating out added value from core houseplants and locating these nearer to giftware has also boosted sales.”
Warm weather effect: a resurgence in plants like citrus, Clivia, jasmine, and Yucca could be on the cards
Andy Little, houseplant buyer, British Garden Centres
Rare plants: “I’d anticipate customers to be chasing rare and unusual plants to add to their collection”
Small plants for young hobbyists: Continued growth in smaller pot sizes (5.5cm to 12cm) driven by younger customers.
Large Statement Plants: Predicts a surge in large foliage plants (24cm pots and above) for 2026, as customers look to replicate the mood-boosting, stress-reducing "green office" aesthetic in their own homes.
Paul Holt, North One/West Six Garden Centres
Survival over special: The market is shifting away from ultra-expensive rare plants back to reliable, easy-care staples (Spathiphyllum, ferns) and larger, affordable specimens such as the variegated Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’.
Low maintenance: The average consumer in 2026 wants larger plants for less money and varieties that will survive with minimal care.
Holt’s five replacements that “beat a poinsettia” for Christmas colour are:
- Ardisia crenata — “Like a holly berry, but for indoors. Full of colourful red berries that literally last months. Also available in white, pink and salmon. Easy to care for and looks nice when not in berry.”
- Cymbidium hybrids — “Why not upgrade you Christmas pot plant with an easy-to-maintain Cymbidium orchid that last weeks, if not months? Maroon varieties such as ‘Jolly Red’ or the bronze/orange ones give an opulent flare.”
- Anthurium andreanum — “Glossy flowers in the most striking of reds that last for many months. ‘Jambo Red’ and ‘Red bull’ are strong contenders for lasting colour. Big scarlet blooms with many flowers.”
- Schumbergia x buckleyi hybrids — “Available in a feast of colours now. Plants will flower year after year, if you place them outside in the summer. The flowers themselves are short lived, so buy them close to Christmas if you want flowers for the big day.”
- Guzmania ‘Hope’ and Vriesea ‘Amorosa’ — “These are just two red bromeliads with long-lasting bracts. They look contemporary and require little maintenance.”
Value: Holt says “people can’t resist a bargain — bigger plants for less money. I don’t see any signs of one particular plant taking over, like we had with the anthuriums a couple of years ago.”
