As we start the new year we are offering our essential Garden Design Tips for 2026 and listing our design Ins and Outs for the world of garden design. Have a look on our Instagram to watch the video of our team talking about their design choices for the year.
Garden Design Tips – 1 – IN – Warm Colours
We really feel that people are moving towards a warmer colour palette when it comes to their garden. So a top garden design tip from us is think warm, but think how to enhance this further. Firstly, here is a list of some of our key plants we recommend for a warm scheme.
– Kniphofia ‘Alcazar’
– Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
– Anemanthele lessoniana
– Achillea ‘Terracotta’
– Echinacea ‘Sundown’
– Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’
– Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
– Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
– Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’
When compiling these plants together it’s important to balance the perennials with the grasses – the grasses are Anemanthele and Molinia. To enhance the warmth even more you can consider the hard material palette in the garden too, so thing beige slabs or patterned bronze or orange tiles. Use natural materials like wood and flint gravel. Some of our projects that work with warmth are this Rottingdean project and Whitstable.
Garden Design Tips – 2 – IN – Sauna’s and Wellness spaces
2025 saw the rise of sauna popularity and we believe this is going to storm into 2026 too, with a lot of our customers asking for sauna spaces. For some small but cute sauna’s that are nice on the eye for designed gardens are Polhus saunas. When incorporating buildings into a garden design, think about their colour – if they aren’t attractive you have to work extra hard to screen them. Thing about the shape: perhaps a barrel sauna if you have opted for a curved garden design.
Wellness in the garden can mean a multitude of things. Wellness can come from existing in the outdoors amongst scented plant beds to having a designated work-out space. When turning your garden into a wellness or zen space – water really helps to enhance this, particularly the sound of water so you could have a trickling water feature or a water rill. Think about the plants that attract pollinators to bring joy to the eye. Some of our favourite pollinating plants are: Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ and Echinops ‘Taplow Blue’
Garden Design Tips – 3 – OUT – Small Garden Mirrors
Garden Mirrors can be great when trying to expand the look of your garden but when thinking about adding these into your garden – think BIG. This is the same rule with pots, often small pots get lost in the outdoor space, if you want to make an impact and for a garden to look well designed, opt for a larger garden mirror to really make a statement.
One of our favourite suppliers for garden mirrors are Cox and Cox.
Garden Design Tips – 4 – OUT – Greys
Within the home and garden, we are finding that homeowners are moving away from grey. A large area of grey can make a space feel really cold and it often sucks the colour from surroundings, and drains a scene. Ultra dark grey and black can be a better choice as a backdrop for greenery and coloured planting. A space will feel much more inviting and warm with softer and richer colours. Grey is seen as a safe choice but try to be brave!
Garden Design Tips – 5 – OUT – Twee
Try to avoid ‘garden centre aesthetic’ if you want to look like your garden has been considered and designed with thought. Think simple but classy materials and designs when it comes to things like water features, pots, and sculptures. Often you don’t want to have these features bringing too much texture and colour as you want the focus to be on the plants or the flowing water. Some classy sculptures are from David Harber and some nice water features are from Flora Select.
