The word ‘lemonading’ might sound more like a refreshing drink than a garden trend, but it’s the buzzword of the moment.
Named in the Garden Media Group’s 2026 Garden Trends Report – alongside Bento box design and ‘bark’itecture – it’s all about embracing imperfections, treating mistakes as experiments and letting your garden evolve with personality.
What is ‘lemonading’?
At its heart, lemonading means asking: “What can I do with this?” when things don’t go to plan. A wilted plant, a patch of bare soil or a self-seeded flower isn’t failure – it’s part of the story. The report frames it as gardening with creativity, resilience and optimism, celebrating unexpected outcomes instead of trying to control every detail.
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Garden historian Penelope Hobhouse once described gardening as “an adventure without a map” — and lemonading carries that same spirit into today’s borders, pots and allotments.
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Why is it trending?
The Garden Media Group notes that many people now see their outdoor spaces as tools for wellbeing and self-expression. With uncertainty in the wider world, gardens offer something grounding right outside the back door.
Playful approaches such as chaos gardening — scattering a handful of seeds and seeing what comes up — or swapping manicured lawns for clover reflect this shift.
Younger gardeners in particular are helping drive the idea forward. Many are turning to low-maintenance plants, creative DIY hacks and plant swaps – favouring bold, whimsical and personality-driven styles over flawless flowerbeds.
How to lemonade in your own garden
Experiment boldly
Not every hack or planting idea will work, but try them anyway. For fresh inspiration, dip into #GardenTok – TikTok’s green-fingered corner, brimming with hacks and quick fixes. Some are wonderfully clever, others are unrealistic or simply unkind to your garden.
But lemonading is all about laughing at the missteps and trying again. Embrace the trends with curiosity, just remember to keep a seasoned eye.
Practice “messy gardening”
Messy gardens are back in fashion – and they’re far from careless. What might once have been seen as slip-ups or neglect is now celebrated as charm. Instead of rigid rows or clipped borders, allow nature to take the lead: scatter-sow seeds, mix vegetables with flowers and leave grass long beyond No Mow May. This looser approach not only creates a cottage-style beauty, it also turns imperfections into biodiversity, supporting pollinators, birds and small mammals.
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Reuse with vintage charm
Just as with interiors, it’s often the finer details that bring a garden to life. Antique finds and timeworn pieces add instant character — think old metal washtubs, watering cans or wooden crates repurposed as planters. Their dents and rust add character, and grouped together they create displays full of cottage-garden charm.
Even the simplest touches, like a pair of trestles topped with an old door to host pots of flowering plants, can transform everyday planting into a relaxed, romantic showcase.
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