| According to the latest survey by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) the nation's interest and enjoyment of gardening is increasing. Our knowledge of gardening is also increasing but at a slower pace - providing a golden opportunity for garden centres and nurseries to assist in providing information, expertise and inspiration
to customers, especially the marginal gardener.
The latest data from the HTA's Gardening Continuum which classifies consumers in relation to their attitude towards, and knowledge of, gardening reveals that since 2006 there has been an 11% increase in the percentage of all those with somewhere to grow plants who say that they are either very keen, keen or quite keen on gardening.
The proportion of people who enjoy their garden a little or a lot has grown from 55% in 2006 to 64% in 2009 and in the same period the percentage of people with an interest in gardening has also
risen by 10%. This corresponds with a 9% decrease in the number who say that they are not interested in gardening.
However, compared with our enjoyment and interest in gardening our knowledge of gardening is the poor relation. The percentage who feel that their knowledge of gardening is 'very good' has remained static at 6% over the four year period while the percentage of people who feel that their knowledge of gardening is 'quite good' has risen from 29% to 35%. This increase has not kept in line with the increases in enjoyment of and interest in gardening.
David Gwyther, Director General of the HTA said, "This latest research shows that over the last four years a greater proportion of the population are interested in and enjoying their gardens which is very encouraging. However, it also shows that our knowledge of gardening is not increasing at the same rate. This may in part be due to an increase in the numbers of people who are new to gardening, particularly amongst the younger age groups. Given that garden centres and nurseries are best placed to nurture their interest and knowledge this presents a fantastic opportunity for the industry. Garden centres have a great reputation for providing good information and advice delivered by knowledgeable and helpful staff and many centres are taking this further by providing demonstrations, workshops and hands on events."
He adds, "We encourage more garden centres to make greater use of the resources provided by the HTA's Plant forLife campaign, which are specifically aimed at the marginal gardener. Effective merchandising of Plant of the Month and promotion of initiatives such as the new Colour Me, Colour My Garden promotion both in store and in wider communications with the public, will help to reach and engage with a new and growing audience."
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