Patio Culture

Ellen C. Wells

The folks at Monrovia recently notified us that “Patio Culture” is a top garden design trend for 2026. Monrovia’s annual consumer research of more than 1,400 homeowners this year showed that a person’s main motivation for gardening is to create spaces that help lower stress. The research also shows that patios are those stress-lowering spaces, especially for older adults.

“There is more interest than ever in gardening on decks and patios,” said chief marketing officer and trend spotter Katie Tamony in a press release. “We’re seeing the biggest increase in container gardening with older gardeners, but this is a trend that reaches every demographic, especially gardeners who want elegant outdoor spaces that are low maintenance. They are creating whole gardens on their patios with beautiful containers filled with interesting and unique plants.”

The point of “patio culture,” Katie said, is to extend living areas to the outdoors. People are using container plants—whether with annuals, perennials or even small-sized shrubs—to soften the hardscape of outdoor living areas, adding greenery, pops of color and plants that add fragrance.

To recap from the above messages: People are excited to container garden. People are grateful to spend time on their patios. There’s a synergy there, so be the patio and container gardening epicenter your community is looking for! GP

Pictured: Panicum virgatum Prairie Dog.
Photo credit: Doreen Wynja