Water, resilient planting, materials built to last and gardens for wellbeing: what FutureScape 2026 in Farnborough tells UK homeowners planning a garden for next year.
FutureScape, the UK’s biggest trade show for the landscaping industry, took place on 13–14 October 2026 at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Hampshire. It was the show’s 15th edition and its first at Farnborough after several years at ExCeL London (Farnborough International; FutureScape). The venue reported two days of live demonstrations, seminar theatres, awards, a show garden and hundreds of exhibitors (Farnborough International on LinkedIn).
FutureScape is a trade show, not a public one. It is where garden designers, landscapers and suppliers go to see what’s new, and where they get the ideas they’ll be suggesting to clients next spring. So it’s a good guide to where UK gardens are heading. Here’s what stood out, and what it means if you’re planning changes to your own garden.
What FutureScape 2026 was about
The seminar programme ran across four theatres: Business, Inspire, Outdoor Living & Nurture, and a new Placemaking Theatre (Pro Landscaper). Read through the published programme and a few themes keep coming up:
- Water: wildlife ponds, water features and swimming ponds in the “Ripple Effect” panel, and cutting water use in “Every Drop Counts: Rethinking Water Use”.
- Resilient planting: “Growing Resilience: Planting for the Future” covered climate change, biosecurity and plant availability. Beth Chatto Gardens talked about planting into sand and rubble.
- Sustainable, biodiverse design: designers Bo Cook and Eliza Gray followed up their award-winning “Beautiful Biodiversity” trade stand at RHS Chelsea with a session on sustainable design.
- Materials built to last: sessions on long-lasting metals “from iron to Corten”, on how stone is used, and on decking as “a system rather than a surface”.
- Low-voltage garden lighting, with its own panel.
- Gardens and wellbeing: from the show garden (more below) to a talk called “Gardens that Care”.
- AI in garden design: the Society of Garden + Landscape Designers hosted two debates on whether AI is a tool, a threat or a transformation.
A show garden built around feeling better
The centrepiece was The Serenity Show Garden, designed and built by Surrey-based Nelson Landscapes with SPEAK, a mental health movement. FutureScape describes it as “somewhere to slow down … somewhere to sit with someone and chat” (FutureScape). Designer Harry Nelson said: “Serenity brings together what we love about creating beautiful outdoor spaces with the difference those spaces can make to how you feel” (Pro Landscaper).
You could argue that’s the most useful idea to take home from the whole show. A garden isn’t just something to look at from the kitchen window. It’s somewhere to go and switch off.
The innovation award went to a hot tub and heating company
The FutureScape Exhibitor Innovation Award was judged on innovation, impact on the landscape, sustainability, functionality and usability. It went to SUPA, a hot tub and heating company, for its sustainable and efficient product range. Judge Paul Lynch said: “SUPA is the winner in my eyes because of the sustainability credentials throughout the whole product range” (Pro Landscaper).
That fits a wider shift. People want to use their gardens for more of the year, and they want the kit that helps them do it to be efficient.
Pro Landscaper also presented its 30 Under 30 awards on stage on 14 October, celebrating young people working across landscaping, garden design, arboriculture and grounds maintenance (Pro Landscaper).
What it means for your garden
You don’t need a show budget to use these ideas. Here are some practical ways to bring them home.
Plan for water: both too little and too much
Water came up on the programme as a feature to enjoy and as a resource to use carefully. In a home garden, that means:
- Add a small water feature or wildlife pond for movement, sound and wildlife. Even a trough or a shallow bowl works.
- Capture rainwater. A water butt on every downpipe, including the one off a pergola or veranda roof, gives you free water for pots and borders in dry spells.
- Choose planting that copes with dry summers and plan where water will run when it pours down.
Choose plants that can cope with change
“Growing Resilience” was about how climate change, pests and diseases and plant availability are shaping planting choices. For homeowners, the simple version is: buy from reputable UK nurseries, mix plenty of different plants rather than relying on one, and ask your garden designer or nursery what will cope with your soil and the wetter winters and hotter summers we’ve been getting.
Buy materials once
Several sessions were about materials that last: metal, stone and decking that’s designed and built as a proper system. When you compare quotes for anything permanent in the garden, ask what it’s made from, how it should be maintained and what the guarantee covers. A cheap structure you replace in five years is rarely the greener or cheaper choice.
Light it properly
Low-voltage lighting got its own panel. Good garden lighting means you can use the garden on autumn and winter evenings and enjoy the view from indoors. Use a qualified installer for anything mains-powered.
Make a space to switch off
The Serenity garden’s idea of “somewhere to sit with someone and chat” is easy to copy. Choose one spot, give it a sense of enclosure with planting, screening or a roof, and furnish it properly so it becomes a place you actually go to.
Where a louvred roof pergola or veranda fits
Many of these themes come together in a covered outdoor room. A louvred roof pergola over a patio, decking or hot tub gives you shelter when you need it. Open the louvres on a bright day for light and air, and close them when a shower comes through. Add side blinds, LED lighting or a heater and it becomes somewhere to unwind well into the autumn, just as the show’s winning ideas suggest.
If you’re comparing options with the “buy once” advice in mind:
- Riva steel pergolas come with a 3-year guarantee.
- Sienna aluminium pergolas come with a 5-year guarantee.
- Accessories come with a 2-year guarantee.
- If you’d prefer a structure attached to the house, a veranda gives a covered link between indoors and out. You can design one with our veranda configurator.
We’re based in Wolverhampton, with a showroom at WV8 2HU, and our own in-house teams supply and install pergolas and verandas across England, Wales and Scotland. Explore our louvred roof pergolas or book a home survey and we’ll help you work out the right size and position for your garden.
FAQ
When and where was FutureScape 2026?
FutureScape 2026 took place on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 October 2026 at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, Hampshire. It was the show’s 15th edition and its first at Farnborough.
Can homeowners go to FutureScape?
FutureScape is a trade event for landscaping professionals: landscapers, garden designers, contractors and suppliers. The ideas shown there tend to reach home gardens through the designers and installers who attend.
What were the main garden trends at FutureScape 2026?
Water (wildlife ponds and saving water), resilient planting, sustainable and biodiverse design, long-lasting materials, low-voltage lighting, gardens that support wellbeing, and the role of AI in garden design all featured on the seminar programme.
Who won the FutureScape 2026 Exhibitor Innovation Award?
SUPA, a hot tub and heating company, won for the sustainability and efficiency of its product range, according to Pro Landscaper.
Ready when you are
Planning a pergola or veranda?
Based in Wolverhampton, we install pergolas and verandas across England, Wales and Scotland. Book a survey or call our team to talk through your space.