One gardening concept has caught my attention in particular over the last month: bento garden design.
It’s been floating around as a potential 2026 garden trend in recent weeks, so I thought I’d take a closer look at the principles and how it can be implemented in our own gardens. As it turns out, the approach is actually a really brilliant small garden idea – it’s essentially the art of creating a garden bento box, each zone with a distinct purpose, and it can be applied to planting, landscaping and furniture.
What is bento garden design?
So, what is bento gardening, exactly? As far as garden landscaping ideas go, I think it’s a brilliant concept for smaller spaces – but it’s not an exact look, according to landscape designer and television presenter Mark Lane.
‘Bento garden design is best understood as a spatial philosophy rather than a fixed style,’ explains Mark. ‘Borrowing its name from the Japanese bento box, the concept centres on organising a garden into clearly defined yet harmonious compartments, each with its own purpose, character and sensory quality.’
So, the bento garden trend is centred around a very specific garden layout idea that celebrates zoning with intention.
‘The strength of the approach lies in how these distinct elements sit together as a coherent whole, allowing a relatively small space to perform multiple roles without feeling cluttered or overdesigned,’ Mark continues.
I thought I’d delve a little deeper into what the bento garden concept looks like in practice, and how it shapes the plants, materials and furniture in an outdoor space.
1. Planting
You won’t find mixed borders in a bento garden. Instead, Mark says, plants are grouped by function and form, with each zone supporting a specific mood or use.
‘Planting in a bento garden is deliberate and restrained,’ Mark explains. ‘Softer planting is often limited to a small palette, repeated across the garden to maintain visual continuity.’
You’ll also find that a lot of garden screening ideas in bento gardens consist of carefully clipped hedging and other plants and trees that provide privacy.
‘Structural plants such as clipped shrubs, ornamental grasses, bamboo or multi-stem trees help define compartments and provide year-round presence,’ says Mark.
Black bamboo, which you can buy from Crocus, produces striking ebony stems. It’s a vigorous grower, so it’s best planted in large containers if you’re using it to frame a bento garden.
What I really love is that bento gardens often incorporate edible plants. Mark told me that they echo the bento idea of nourishment, and herbs, salad crops and fruit trees are often integrated into ornamental layouts. Luckily, there are plenty of fruit trees that suit small gardens, so you can implement this idea even when space is limited.
‘Seasonal interest is achieved through subtle shifts in texture and colour rather than bold displays, with an emphasis on foliage, form and movement,’ Mark adds.
2. Materials
According to Mark, materials play a critical role in expressing the bento concept.
‘Changes in surface are used to mark transitions between spaces, much like dividers within a lunch box,’ he explains.
Common bento garden materials include timber, stone, gravel and clay, because they’re both tactile and visually pleasing to the eye. Above all else, though, bento gardens lean towards sustainability-sourced materials.
‘Natural materials are preferred, often left to weather and age, reinforcing a sense of calm and authenticity,’ Mark continues. ‘Sustainability is central, with permeable surfaces, recycled elements and locally sourced materials used wherever possible.’
3. Other features
Garden furniture ideas within a bento garden are almost always multi-functional.
‘Seating may double as storage or edging, raised planters can act as informal screens, and water features are typically small, providing sound and movement rather than spectacle,’ Mark explains. Pieces like this Keter Signature Storage Bench from Argos are brilliant space-savers.
Garden lighting ideas are also on the subtler side, Mark says, aiming to guide movement and allow the space to be enjoyed into the evening.
‘Each feature earns its place by contributing to both function and atmosphere,’ he says.
Get the look
Mr Fothergill’s
Mr Fothergill’s RHS Vegetables for Containers Collection Seeds
A collection of vegetable seeds to grow a bento garden with edible plants.
Keter
Keter Signature Storage Bench, Oak
Streetwize
Streetwize Solar-Powered Garden Water Feature – Rock Bowl
A simple, solar-powered rock bowl that makes a relaxing water feature.
Are there any drawbacks?
There are, of course, drawbacks to any garden concept – they’re never a one-size-fits-all kind of approach. Garden designer Zoe Claymore has reservations about what bento gardening means for sustainable garden practices.
‘My only caution is sustainability, as this approach could come with much more packaging and overall consumption, and whether these collections genuinely perform well beyond short periods and very specific soil and light conditions, which make scaling tricky beyond a small garden corner or single area,’ Zoe says.
‘It works beautifully as a thought for short-term containers, balconies, and displays, but a garden is dynamic and seasonal. Reducing it to ‘neat’ compartments risks oversimplifying that reality and encouraging more overall consumption if not mindful.’
So, mindfulness is key when it comes to buying plants and materials for a bento garden design.
In a small garden, balcony or containers, the bento garden trend can be a brilliant way to thoughtfully zone a garden without compromising on space. Go for edimentals, sustainable material and boundary-defining hedges to nail the concept.
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