What are you looking forward to in the garden in 2026?

[AntiqueVases]

Hello all

This will be only my 2nd year with my own garden (small tho it is)! So this year was just a trial run where I bought a ton of stuff which which I have already had a steep learning curve!

I'm looking forward to:

• seeing what in my pots survived winter! (Experiments include: venus flytrap and houseleeks)
• installing a flowerbed out the front which is just currently grass
• seeing my daffodil/tulip/crocus/iris bulbs come up
• seeing if my Forget Me Nots flower (I planted them in March 2025 in memory of my late cats)
• seeing my new bushes (pittosporum, rhododendron) get bigger and possibly flower - I installed them this year - the previous owner of this garden was terribly minimalist and cut everything back to stumps and had huge gaps between things so I'm hoping to see a lot less bare soil and fence this year and lots more greenery!
• seeing if my new cherry tree blossoms (I bought it as a bare root and put it in a big pot a few weeks ago). And seeing if my oak and maple trees start to grow - each is currently a stick 20cm high!
• seeing if my thistles and seaholly survive/flower. They are currently just tiny plants.
• seeing if my HRH Princess Catherine rose grows/flowers (bought as a bare root)
• Seeing if I can keep the lavender alive which I bought this year (my absolute favourite plant I think, I'm obsessed with the colour and scent!) My other favourites are: heather, holly, ivy
• Trying to grow tomatoes and strawberries for the first time (did chillis this year and they worked fine)
• Getting into a nice wee routine of watering/feeding and having a nice organised shed with tools and supplies of things like compost and grit.

And in terms of my indoor plants, seeing if my cactii flower and whether I can keep my terrarium, moss and airplants alive.

What are you looking forward to in 2026?

@Hedgesgalore I have a Princess Anne and it is a fabulous rose!

I am looking forward to absolutely everything. I’m disabled and don’t get out much so my garden is my bit of freedom.

I can still achieve small things there with a bit of pottering combined with numerous rests.

Last year I made a shady mini woodland area up up the willow trees at the end of my garden so this year the plants should be sufficiently established to really see the effect.

Also looking forward to my crocuses appearing in my front garden if the deer don’t eat them all like last year.

I am looking forward to:

Seeing if the roses survived their very dry first year and will come back and flower more in 2026

Apple blossom and cherry blossom on the young little trees.

a better year hopefully for the hydrangeas (another one that didn’t like a dry spring)

Bulbs in pots and window boxes coming back up again

Fabulous pink flowering clematis that went absolutely mad and doubled in size this year. It flowers off last year’s growth so cannot wait for next year

Frogs coming back to the mini pond! Absolute favourite thing.

Seeinv what the honeysuckle and jasmine do now I’ve realised hard pruning was a mistake and just let them grow.

And loads more!

Starting! I have a 12m x16m empty patch of bare mud, stones and a few weeds at the moment.
It is a new build....

That Princess Catherine rose is a beauty - I saw it on Gardener's World. This has been our first year gardening properly and DH and I have just been out surveying how it's going. I planted tulips and snowfroos somewhere - can't remember! Our gooseberry bushes are heading into their second year. Seeds didn't go well for us and our Brunnera plant appears to have died but we'll see what Spring brings.

Well done OP

@NebulousSadTimes
I’d love a thread to follow along with gardening programs. I’ve really enjoyed the Gardeners World winter specials.

I’m looking forward to seeing the native hedge that I planted two years ago continue to grow.

Seeing if I get more than one wisteria flower this year. It’s 5. Years old…at least I know it can flower. It’s trained on wires up the back of the house.

I'm looking forward to having a garden of my own!
I've been in a rental for 5 years while my divorce went through and I haven't felt settled enough to do much gardening (well, I did dig a veggie patch which I need to grass over before I leave).
My former house has been sold and I'll be 🤞 moving over the summer, which will be too late for much gardening this year. But I'm looking forward to having my own garden and planning it and watching things grow. Can't wait!

What did you put in it? I'm considering planting lots of native things, but I'm in the dry SE and worry that climate change will make some natives unsuitable.

Hello all

Here's what I have to report so far:

• Half of the sempervivium/house leeks don't appear to have survived (at least one was actually rotting) so into the brown bin they go!
• the jury is still out on the venus flytrap outside, it's half green, half black, too early to tell if it will start growing again
• the jury is also still out on the thistles, seaholly and on the lavender
• Bare root cherry tree is developing nodules so pleased with that.
• Princess Catherine rose has nodules on the stems - not sure if they were there before. They retained a small amount of tiny green leaves over winter - will be observing closely for signs of growth there.
• rhododendrhon bush has colourful buds already

One big leaf inside my terrarium went brown about 6 weeks ago so I opened the jar, cut that off and it appears to be ok now.

Moss and airplants doing fine.

I'm looking forward to seeing what has come back after last year! We finally got our garden structure sorted last year (flowerbeds, seating area) and chucked a load of seeds and plants and it was lovely. I left it all to seed and to do it's own thing and I want to see if that was a good idea! I've got lots of plants on my list for this year, including some bigger ones to go along the fence to give us a bit more privacy so looking forward to getting them and seeing them grow. Hopefully the garden looks a bit more like the idea I have in my head this year!

My violets are flowering in the mini woodland area and hyacinths smelling gorgeous in one of my planters.
Photos to follow once MN has approved them

Seeing green growth on: thistles, seaholly, Princess Catherine rosebushes.

One of my cactii is starting to bud. (It's on a south facing window)

Sweet Peas

This year ive decided to grow more flowers over veg!
Curring veggies to bare basics carrot, courgettes, leeks tomatoes, beet and potatos

Comos mostly about 4 different types, zinnia, poppies still on look out for others

Definitely getting bulbs end of the year too! Crocus, iris, daffs!! Lawn next year will be a thing of beauty not just grass!

Ill be making a very long flower bed against my fence my partner doesn't know that yet but he got some digging to help with very soon 😂

2026 year of the flower here!

Just noticed one of my "3 x moss in jar" has gone mouldy. Sadly thrown away. Will keep a close eye on the 2 survivors to see if they need a little airing occasionally.

Pleased to note green growth on the lavender. Now that it's survived winter, I wonder if it will survive the summer out the front (south facing). I'll need to get the balance of watering right. I learned that the hard way with a pine out the front last year!

We have just moved to our new house, first time with a garden of our own! The garden is tidy but I think we will need to redo it, possibly next year after we make more progress on the house (e.g. to get proper borders in, get the lawn looking nice, remove some large sheds, move the garden path etc). This means I'm not looking to add anything 'permanent' to the back garden until next year (although I'm already researching lovely trees, shrubs and the rest...).

So for this year there's one border with nothing in it and I'm going to go wild with annuals (because why not!). I'm going to plant seeds for cornflowers, helichrysums and sunflowers, and will also plant some snapdragons come May (maybe some foliage plants too). I've bought some dahlia tubers to go in pots on the patio and out front, plus I've just planted three bare root David Austin roses - Lady of Shalott out the front, and two Gabriel Oak in large pots on the patio.

In other words - I'm hoping for lots of colour!

Hello all, an update now we're well into the year

• venus flytrap outside was, as expected, unsuccessful. TBH it's too small to be impactful outside anyway.

• only 2 out of the 6 small sempervivums survived. I bought a giant one which should hopefully be hardier

• everything else in pots survived - hellebores, skimmia, hosta, hebe, splendens. Heather didn't do great - have chucked and will replace and try a different location and watering scheme.

• flowerbed is dug and awaiting plant delivery (see separate thread)

• decided I much prefer daffodils to tulips and that other stuff (iris, crocus, snowdrops) is a bit hit and miss. Will try grape hyacinth bulbs if I can get them. (see separate thread on bulbs)

• very pleased with my Forget me Nots (see separate thread)

• new rhododendrhon flowered nicely. Hydrangea is looking promising. Pittosporum seem a bit lukewarm so far!

• My "outdoor bonsai" is doing pretty well - the cherry blossom is growing and flowering and the tiny oak and maple saplings are growing and putting out leaves

• thistle is showing first signs of flowering

• seaholly is growing but might take longer to flower

• lavender (in pots) survived winter, I pruned it and it's showing new growth, excited to see it flower

• Pissed around with the HRH Catherine Roses sooo much - now in what I think will be their final home - giant pots either side of the (south facing) front door. Putting on plenty of lovely dark leaves and I'm keeping them fed and watered.

• changed my mind - cba with tomatoes or strawberries

• yes, have a nice organised shed and a watering/feeding routine. Also got an overall plan involving always having a seasonal display at the front door to impress my dog-walking neighbours.

• terrarium, moss, airplants all doing fine

• also managed to reseed some bare lawn patches already

Have bought a bunch more herbs, an olive tree and looking forward to seeing if the skimmia/hellebores reflower this year (bought them new last year)

the main excitement tho will be the new flowerbed and the Princess Catherine roses!

And already planning an Xmas display at the front door - mini fir, pine, ivy, holly and the skimmia with the large red berries.