In 2026, expect to see a lot more white, including in gardens

If color-trend forecasters were dreaming of a white Christmas, they got it – and then some. The official Color of the Year for 2026? It’s white.

Not just any white, says Pantone Color Institute, the world’s leading authority on color trends. It’s “Cloud Dancer,” “a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection,” it noted in its annual announcement.

In a world of white shades, “Cloud Dancer” could be the new “Swiss Coffee.” As its name implies, “Cloud Dancer” has the slightest hint of blue and pairs well with a pastel rainbow of other soft hues.

Since 1999, Pantone has picked a color that sums up our national and global mindset in just one shade. Sometimes those tones can seem a little muddy (2025 was the year of “Mocha Mousse,” a chocolate brown), but usually they’re quite vibrant (2023’s “Viva Magenta” or 2021’s “Illuminating,” a sunshine yellow) and memorable (2018’s “Ultra Violet” or 2013’s “Emerald”).

Pantone’s experts predict these “hot” color trends by studying fashion, furnishing and household goods collections as well as trends in garden design and new flower introductions. Just as runways and showrooms saw a return of bright basic white, so have nurseries and garden catalogs.

White is classic and serene, note the Pantone experts. All white ensembles and interiors connote quiet luxury as well as a cloud-like sense of peace.

In the landscapes, all-white flower gardens have always been popular. (The Carolee Shields White Flower Garden at UC Davis is a longtime favorite.) They’re naturally calming; no hot reds or yellows screaming for attention.

White flowers tend to reflect light and almost glow in the moonlight, making a white flower garden attractive after dark. White flowers also are favorites among moths and other after-dark pollinators.

Another plus: White flowers often have the strongest scents. That’s how they attract those pollinators among a sea of red, yellow and pink.

With this renewed emphasis on white, expect to see more white flowers in nurseries in 2026. This holiday season, white poinsettias have proved popular. So have classic white orchids and cyclamens.

The best white rose for landscaping? That’s still ‘Iceberg,’ a bulletproof floribunda that thrives in hot Sacramento summers while still looking pristine.

For more on Pantone’s Color of the Year: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2026