The garden industry is one of few currently seeing significant growth. Hot on the heels of three lockdowns and over a year of spending more time in our outdoor spaces than we thought possible, perhaps it isn’t too big a surprise. With that in mind, we’ve collated some freshly harvested garden industry statistics. For instance, did you know over two-thirds of adults in the UK visit a garden centre every year?! Or, that the green-fingered public spend around £1.5 billion annually on garden plants? How about that the combined area of the UK’s domestic gardens could roughly equal the whole of Somerset? No wonder the industry is booming, and our gardens are blooming as a result! Here are some more fun stats for you.
Spending
2,000 – the estimated number of garden centres and retail nurseries in the UK*.
£5 billion – the estimated value of the UK garden market, excluding landscaping and amenity sectors**.
£1.4 Billion – what we spend on plants per year**.
£24.2 Billion – the estimated contribution to the British economy from the ornamental horticulture and landscaping industries*.
£940 million – what we spend on garden and leisure annually**.
570,000 – number of jobs in the UK created by the ornamental horticulture and landscaping industries*.
Adults aged 45-54 – spend more than any other group on gardening*.
£2.4 billion – average spent on the services of gardeners and landscapers annually*.
Space and Style
14m2 – the size of the average UK domestic garden*.
25% – get their garden inspiration from television programmes*.
12m2 – average size of a garden for the 25–44-year-olds*.
15m2 – average size of a garden for those aged 45 years or over*.
How We Use Our Outdoor Spaces
80% – of UK adults have access to a garden or outdoor space*.
38% – of UK gardeners use their outdoor space to grow fruit, veg, or herbs*.
52% – of UK adults use their outdoor space to feed or watch wildlife*.
49% – of UK gardeners have roses in their gardens*.
43* – of those with outdoor spaces use them for entertaining*.
23% – of families with gardens use them as a dedicated play area*.
77% – of those with gardens use them as a space to relax*.
Wellbeing
88% – of UK adults say having access to a garden or public green spaces is important to them*.
94% – of UK adults say gardens and green spaces benefit the environment*.
93% – of UK adults say gardens and green spaces benefit wildlife*.
84% – of UK adults say gardens and enjoying outdoor spaces benefits their physical health*.
Schools and Gardening
1.5 million – approximate number of children involved in some form of school gardening*.
75% – of UK primary schools offer gardening as an extra-curricular activity*.
34% – of UK primary schools offer gardening as part of the curriculum*.
33p – average budget given to schools for gardening projects, per pupil*.
As our guide and overview to garden industry statistics shows, we’re as keen as ever to get into the garden and enjoy our outdoor spaces. And as the data suggests, we find them just as beneficial to our health and wellbeing as our wildlife and pollinators do. Gardening is even forming an important part of our early education and providing a significant contribution to our economy.
If these stats have inspired you to think about a new way of making the most of your outdoor space, why not look at some of our stunning show gardens for even more inspiration.
*Horticultural Trades Associates/YouGov, 2017, 2020