Young UK consumers spending more time gardening

Forget clubs and pubs – today’s 20-somethings like nothing better than pottering in the garden. Traditionally the domain of pensioners and the middle-aged, gardening is rapidly being taken up by a new generation of horticulturists.

The Chelsea Flower Show was dominated by young designers who received glittering accolades for their fresh ideas.

But ordinary people are also are also taking up gardening at a younger age, new research reveals. A study of homeowners reveals that young people spent more than double the average on their gardens in the last year.

Experts say living the good life – exemplified by the 1970s hit show – has become more fashionable than ever before, with baking, cooking and gardening all seeing huge take-up.

Frances Tophill, the horticulturalist and presenter of ITV’s Love Your Garden, said: ‘Recently we’ve witnessed a real throwback to ‘homeliness’, with gardening, baking and cookery, to knitting and crafts coming back into popular culture.

"It’s interesting that this trend is growing against the rise of technology and in a post-recessionary climate – there is a sense of holding on to traditional pastimes in an increasingly fast-paced, modern society."

A national report of homeowner habits, published by Lloyds Bank Insurance, reveals that homeowners aged 25 to 34 spent an average of £747 on their outdoor spaces in the past year, more than double the average spend of £366.

The firm’s Britain at Home report revealed that 19 percent of young homeowners now own a greenhouse and 29 percent have invested in new plants for their gardens in the past year.

In the study of 2,000 British homeowners, a third of young people said their main drive was a love for gardening, a quarter said their primary aim was to entertain guests outdoors and 14 per cent aimed to increase their property’s value.

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