Brits have spent more than £16 BILLION on their gardens in the past year.
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 amount of money spent, a third are still not happy with how their garden currently looks, and more than a quarter want to make it more colourful.
“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.”
(Paul Hicks, from STIHL)
The study also found more than two thirds are looking forward to spending time in their garden this year.
And 46 per cent admitted their garden has become more important to them since lockdown began.
Three quarters (76 per cent) of those polled via OnePoll 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.
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.
TOP 10 THINGS IN BRITISH GARDENS:
- Plant pots
- Washing line
- Shed
- Gate
- Bird feeder
- Dining table and chairs set
- Garden ornaments
- Hanging baskets
- Bench
- Barbecue
