Photo courtesy of Garden Media Group
The Garden Media Group's 2027 Garden Trends Report is now available as a free download.
From the Garden Media Group: In 2027, it’s not treat yourself: it’s reset yourself. Chronically overstimulated brains have gone flat from the stimulation provided when we check our phones on average 205 times a day. Neuroscience calls it “dopamine burnout,” and the correction is underway.
The agency is calling the answer “Digging for Dopamine” because digging in the garden hits differently. It’s tactile, sensory, slow-reward, screen-free and tied to a living outcome. This isn’t another fleeting digital detox; gardening is replacing doomscrolling as a daily ritual, creating a real opportunity for the industry, the group added.
This year’s report highlights seven key trends that reflect where consumers are headed and where the green industry has the opportunity to thrive.
- Show Up Culture: Phone-free, low-pressure gatherings built around shared activities
- OutdooRx: Therapeutic horticulture goes mainstream, backed by science
- Let's Go Rococo: Maximalist garden design: ruffles, gilded details, unapologetic abundance
- Where the Wild Things Aren't: Unstructured, "feral whimsy" nature play replaces designed play spaces
- Drop It Like It's Hot: Plant "drops" turn products into collectible cultural objects
- Proof of Soil: Regenerative gardening and the credibility gap around sustainability claims
- Color of the Year: Read more to find out
The GIE Media Horticulture Group covered Garden Media Group President Katie Dubow's preview presentation of the report at Cultivate'26. Click here to read more about each of the seven 2027 trends.