3 home gardening trends to try in 2026, and one to avoid

A new year brings the potential for new gardening techniques and styles to try. The William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening experts are looking ahead at 2026 and sharing the trends they think gardeners will be eager to try, as well as one trend to avoid.

Last year, the trendy gardeners explored cut flower gardens, goth gardening, and backyard prairies.

This year, the home gardening experts at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening predict cottage garden, keystone plants, and homegrown fruit will have their moment.

The experts also say there’s one trend all gardeners should be wary of in 2026: AI plant scams.

Trend to Try: Cottage Gardening

*The landscape around the Hering House is an example of cottage gardening. Photo by Cassidy Moody.*

This style of gardening is characterized by dense plantings of mostly herbaceous, flowering perennials, bulbs, and shrubs, sometimes interspersed with vegetables and herbs.

Cottage gardens straddle the line between formal and naturalistic. They usually have fewer straight lines compared to formal gardens, and most do not use a matrix of ornamental grasses to support a mix of native species like many naturalistic gardens.

*Cottage gardening mixes formal and naturalistic garden techniques. Photo by Cassidy Moody.*

Cottage gardens can be stunning but also relatively high maintenance depending on the growing conditions and plant palette.

For cottage garden inspiration, visit the gardens surrounding the Herring House.

Trend to Try: Home fruit production

*Blackberries grow in the Kemper Center for Home Gardening. Photo by Lisa DeLorenzo.*

Growing fruit at home is a way to feel connected with the food we eat and expand our gardening horizons.

Here in Missouri, growing grocery-store-quality apples, peaches, and grapes can be difficult due to diseases and insect pest pressure. The Kemper Center for Home Gardening highly recommends choosing disease-resistant varieties to give yourself an edge.

*Birds, squirrels, and deer can pose a challenge to fruit gardening in Missouri. Photo by Bethany Ottens.*

Critters such as squirrels, deer, and birds will also do a number on fruit grown at home. Protecting your fruit from becoming a wildlife snack is possible but requires persistence.

For a list of fruit varieties recommended in our area, check out this page on our Gardening Help website. You can also explore Seed St. Louis‘ list of recommended fruit varieties.

Trend to Try: Keystone plants

*Lanceleaf coreopsis, Coreopsis lanceolata, is a keystone plant in the St. Louis region, supporting numerous pollinators while being quite adaptable. Photo by Tom Incrocci.*

There is a growing interest in the native gardening world in adding more keystone plants to landscapes.

Keystone plants are the native plants that are deemed essential for upholding the food web.

Keystone plants punch above their weight in terms of providing benefits to the local ecosystem. They provide food and shelter for a large number of native insects, birds, and other animals.

Here in Missouri, a few native keystone plant species to consider adding to your landscape include orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), and blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica).

*Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) is named for its leathery, obovate, blackjack-like, leaves. Photo from PlantFinder.*

Check out these resources from the National Wildlife Federation and Homegrown National Park to find lists of keystone plants separated by region.

Trend to Avoid: AI Plant Scams

An AI-generated image of “saguaro” compared to a real image of *Carnegiea gigantea* photographed at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

A trend we’re not fans of here at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening Center is scammers using AI-generated images of plants to sell products that will never grow as advertised.

Blue celosias, rainbow roses, and other color-altered photos of plants have been around for a long time–no AI required. However, something we are seeing more of are very lifelike images of plants that could fool just about anyone.

Tips for avoiding AI-generated plant listings:

If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Plants with unnatural colors, shapes, or perfectly identical leaves or petals should be a red flag.
Look for a specific botanical name. Use Plantfinder and other reputable websites to see if this is a real species and compare images.
Buy from a trusted vendor. Avoid buying seeds from social media or websites like Etsy or eBay.
Purchase plants in person. Throughout the year, the Garden, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, and Shaw Nature Reserve host plant sales. Here you can discover trusted vendors and get advice for plants that are new to you.

*Buying from trusted vendors at Garden plant sales is a great way to avoid AI plant scams and meet trusted, local vendors. Photo by Karen Fletcher.*

If you’re not sure if a plant is real or fake, send the image to our Horticulture Answer Service at plantinformation@mobot.org and we’ll try our best to determine its legitimacy.