Pantone picks ‘Cloud Dancer’ – a ‘lofty white’ – as its Color of the Year
White poinsettias such as this Princettia plant have been popular for holidays recently, along with white cyclamen and white orchids. Photo courtesy National Garden Bureau
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
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums
March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses
Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?
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Garden checklist for week of May 10
Take it easy during that high heat – then get to work! Your garden is calling.
* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.
* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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