The UK Trend That American Gardeners Are Embracing In 2026

Designing a garden can be a fun process, but can also be overwhelming. Unlike a home, you have to completely figure out the layout. There are no walls or designated rooms to give you an idea of where items should go. Or at least, not yet. With a few perennial plants and some other design features, you can make your outdoor space feel a little more like a home with specific areas and all, using a U.K. trend Americans are embracing in 2026 called "garden rooms."

These are not a space in your home filled with plants, nor are they a structure built in your yard. Instead, it's the process of dividing your garden into "rooms." You do this the same way you would in a home — by adding barriers. "The idea is to break a landscape into defined 'rooms' using hedges, walls, or plantings," Anthony Musso, landscape designer at Hicks Landscapes, told Real Simple.

Set up any layout you want, whether that be breaking your space into two big sections, or a series of rooms with smaller and larger spaces. You can add a bit of fun to the walls by using fast-growing flowering shrubs to add color and privacy to your yard. Shrubs, vine trellises, tall grasses, or fun decor like old doors all create walls for your garden rooms, while feeling a little softer or more decorative than fences. 

Creating garden rooms is easy to adapt to all yards and is gaining popularity because it helps maximize space and add a sense of privacy, while still feeling soft and natural. Think: intimate outdoor book nook and snack room instead of one open backyard. There is also a push to include your yard as part of your home, instead of treating it as a separate entity.

You can use these "rooms" for different purposes, such as breaking up a flower garden into colors, or having a space for vegetables and for cuttings. You can also play around with different methods, such as putting a maximalist spin on your garden in one area, or using one as a place to experiment with new plants. 

You can even furnish these spaces to take advantage of the outdoor patio and furniture trends set to take over in 2026, like more intimate nooks outside. Water features and accessories like wind chimes can promote a sense of tranquility removed from the busy world beyond your garden room by creating soft, calming sounds. You can further embrace the room-like feel using furniture and potted plants. Create dining spaces with beautiful tables and chairs, or lounging areas that have comfortable seating. Then your garden will become a collection of beautiful spaces to enjoy.