New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners in 2026

1. Learn, Grow, Share

Make this your year to both grow and share your garden knowledge. Explore webinars, online courses, and in-person events that spark your interest. Then, put that knowledge to work in your community—open your garden for tours, mentor new gardeners, or share your seasonal successes on social media. Consider Master Gardener certification to formalize your learning and create new opportunities to teach others. Learning and teaching go hand in hand in creating a more vibrant gardening community.

• Garden Design Webinars
• Master Gardener Training
• Garden Conservancy Open Days

2. Master the Art of Pruning

Commit to learning proper pruning techniques for different ornamental plants. Understanding when and how to properly prune plants will result in healthier plants and more abundant blooms.

• How, When, & Why to Prune Your Shrubs
• Pruning Shrubs: Seasonal Tips & Plant-Specific Advice
• 10 Common Pruning Mistakes
• Pruning Roses: 8 Simple Steps for Healthy Rose Bushes
• How to Prune Hydrangeas
• See all of our pruning guides

3. Improve Your Soil's Health

Focus on building healthy soil by adding organic matter, rotating crops, or planting cover crops in vegetable beds. Healthy soil means thriving plants. Get started with these ideas:

• Compost 101: How to Compost
• Mulch 101: How & When to Mulch Your Yard
• How to Create a No-Till Garden
• Garden Soil 101

4. Design with Four-Season Interest

Plan your garden to shine year-round. Include winter-blooming flowers, spring bulbs, summer perennials, and autumn-interest plants like ornamental grasses and trees with spectacular fall color. Create striking combinations that ensure your garden never sleeps. Visit your favorite local garden center often and plant something that stands out each month. Check out these popular plant lists for seasonal inspiration:

• 16 Winter Flowers for Your Garden
• 20 Winter Plants for Your Garden
• 26 Popular Spring Flowers for Your Garden
• 20 Summer Flowers for Your Garden
• 12 Perennials for a Colorful Summer Garden
• 20 Best Flowers for Your Fall Garden
• 25 Fabulous Fall-Blooming Perennials

5. Create Stunning Container Displays

Develop your container design skills! Plan seasonal rotations of containers to maintain visual interest throughout the year. Try new color combinations and unusual plant varieties in your pot arrangements.

• Container Gardening Basics
• Best Container Plants for Full Sun
• Container Plants Made for the Shade
• Make Your Garden Containers Work for You

6. Grow a Themed Garden

Focus on a single theme, like a moonlight garden with white flowers and silver foliage or a kitchen garden with all your favorite culinary herbs. Themes add a cohesive, creative flair.

More themes to explore:

• Japanese Garden Ideas
• Cottage Gardens
• Tropical Garden Design
• Meadow Gardens

7. Support Local Wildlife

Transform your garden into a haven for wildlife by including native flowering plants, creating water features, and providing shelter through thoughtful landscaping. Design butterfly gardens, install bird-friendly features, and embrace the natural ecosystem. Here are some more inpsiring ideas:

• 10 Ways to Build a Garden for Wildlife
• Natural Garden Pond Attracts Wildlife
• 30 Essential Pollinator Plants to Grow in Your Garden
• 10 Tips for Starting a Pollinator Garden

8. Develop or Refine Your Garden's Color Palette

Plan and implement a cohesive color scheme in your garden. Whether you prefer a monochromatic white garden, a hot border of reds and oranges, or a cooling palette of blues and purples, commit to refining your garden's visual impact through careful color selection.

• How to Use Color in Your Garden: A Design Guide
• Creating Echoes in the Garden

9. Create Garden Rooms

Define distinct spaces within your garden through thoughtful design. Establish outdoor rooms with different themes or purposes—perhaps a secret garden, a meditation space, or a cutting garden for fresh bouquets. Use hedges, structures, or changes in elevation to create and define these spaces.

• Garden Room Ideas for Extending Your Living Space
• Tanner Garden Blends Plants, Art & History
• Privacy Landscaping: How to Design for Privacy

10. Experiment with Vertical Gardening

Maximize small spaces with vertical gardens. Try trellises, hanging baskets, or living walls to add a lush, layered look to patios or balconies. Some ideas to get your vertical garden started:

• Vertcal Gardening: How to Grow More in Less Space
• 21 Best Flowering Vines to Grow

11. Add Artistic Touches to Your Garden

Unleash your creativity by incorporating art and handmade elements into your garden design. Start with simple projects like painting terracotta pots in bold patterns, crafting mosaic stepping stones, or repurposing old items as unique garden décor. An antique bicycle, an upcycled window frame, or even colorful glass bottles can add personality and charm to your space.

For larger projects, consider installing a sculpture, wind chimes, or a decorative arbor as focal points. You can also highlight your artistic flair with whimsical touches like fairy gardens, painted rocks, or DIY birdhouses. By blending art with nature, your garden becomes not just a growing space but a personal expression of your style.

• Tanner Garden Blends Plants, Art and History
• Placing Art in the Garden

12. Start a Garden Journal

Document your garden's progress throughout the seasons. Record maintenance tasks, bloom times, successful plant combinations, color schemes, and observations about weather patterns. This valuable resource will help you become a more knowledgeable gardener and create a lasting record of your garden's evolution.

Take regular photos of your garden's progress throughout the year and include those in your journal. Capture morning and evening light, seasonal color changes, and perfect bloom moments. Create a digital archive that helps you track plant performance and garden development over time.