Brits Have Spent Over £16 Billion on Their Gardens

A study of 2,000 people who have access to a garden – shared or owned – found the average household has forked out £241 on renovations and £180 on accessories, as lockdown restrictions meant more time was spent in backyards than usual.

A further £140 has been spent on tools, with more than half of those polled doing their own DIY rather than hiring a professional as they found they had more time on their hands.

It also emerged the typical garden is currently home to Instagram-friendly fire pits (12 per cent), garden gnomes (15 per cent) and vegetable patches (28 per cent).

And the garden census, commissioned by STIHL, found the trend for taking the inside out is growing – with sofas (11 per cent), summer houses (11 per cent) and rugs (5 per cent) making an appearance.

Hot tubs and exercise equipment also proved popular to keep fit and entertained during lockdown, with one in 20 owning one or the other. But despite the spending, a third are still not happy with how their garden currently looks and more than a quarter want to make it more colourful.

Paul Hicks, Product and Marketing Manager at STIHL said: “After a year of spending more time in our gardens than ever before, it’s interesting to see what the key features are and what they want to improve.

“With spring around the corner, garden owners will be thinking about giving it a tidy up or even a full makeover ahead of spending time out there.

“With a lot of people still spending their days at home, there’s never been a more important time to make our outdoor space exciting and inviting, if only for ourselves.”

More than two thirds are looking forward to spending time in their garden this year, with 46 per cent admitting their garden has become more important to them since lockdown began.

Three quarters (76 per cent) plan to use their outdoor space for relaxing and 64 per cent will be continuing with their new hobby of gardening to help pass the time.

But only 21 per cent of those polled via OnePoll think there is a chance they will be hosting outdoors in 2021.

People are also planning to follow the wildflower planting (17 per cent) and ‘grow your own’ (26 per cent) trends with 28 per cent already owning a vegetable patch.

Paul Hicks added: “The garden was a welcome sanctuary for many people throughout 2020 and spending time outside looks set to be just as popular this year.

“Regular garden maintenance, whether it is mowing the lawn, trimming bushes or clearing leaves, will keep the garden tidy and by investing in the right tools these jobs can even become enjoyable.”

Top 50 things in British gardens:

Plant pots

Washing line

Shed

Gate

Bird feeder

Dining table and chairs set

Garden ornaments

Hanging baskets

Bench

Barbeque

Trough planters