Wyevale has launched its 2018 Garden Trends Report, an in-depth look at the key influences and insights shaping the UK’s £5bn annual garden retail market.
The report has gathered the expertise of Wyevale Garden Centres’ senior horticultural team and over 15,000 garden-lovers from across the UK, combined with data to map out what’s gaining ground and losing face in the garden.
The past year has been an exhilarating one for the growth of gardening, as new waves of amateur, enthusiastic gardeners join in the horticultural action, many of whom are often lacking in time, space and gardening confidence. Trends to watch include:
Nano-Gardening: Space-starved gardeners are behind the trend for vertical growing as they add height to their balconies and courtyards with climbers, outdoor shelving and hanging plants. The bijou edible garden is making its way indoors.
Houseplant Mania: The trend for bringing the outdoors in is proving more popular than ever as Brits create green, jungle-like atmospheres in their homes. The aesthetically striking, impossible-to-kill cacti and succulents tick all the boxes for trend-led millennials.
Eco-Gardening: Today’s environmentally aware consumers are turning towards a gentler, more holistic approach to problems in the garden, with a greater concern for wildlife and a political understanding of the way Grow Your Own can decrease our food’s carbon footprint and air miles.
Global Gardening: Changes in climate conditions, an increase in travel to exotic locations, and concerns about food provenance post-Brexit are just three issues directly driving changes in the way that Brits garden in 2018. These changes will open up exciting opportunities as exotic, Mediterranean species make their way into Brits’ gardens.
Social Side: Traditional and experienced gardeners have been met with a new generation learning from an entirely untraditional source: 67% of Brits are getting their gardening knowledge via the internet and social media rather than at their grandfather’s knee. There is a growing desire to turn the garden into the ‘fifth room’ of the house.
Gift shops can learn a lot from the insightful approach of garden centres, even if they are unable to compete with them on every front. The key consumer groups identified by Wyevale can also be targeted by other outlets. These groups include:
The Late Bloomers, an eager group of gardeners in their 30s and 40s and have been identified by the Royal Horticultural Society as ‘The Lost Generation’: a missing link down through the gardening generations. They are most likely to have decking, paving and a barbecue in their garden, but few plants; though they can lean towards buying ready-grown larger plants and completed hanging baskets that take away the worry of growing from seed.
The Millennial Gardener was born between the early 1980s and 2000s and is a trend-led, demanding consumer who discovered gardening via the internet. Gardening fits in with millennial obsessions like self-improvement, crafts and wellbeing, and provides a wealth of opportunities to show off online, either with gardening skills or using the garden as a decorative backdrop.
Millennials are transient and space-restricted, often living in rented homes with little to no garden, which means they have been responsible for a huge surge in houseplant sales over the past two years. This has filtered through to the high street, with non-traditional stores such as Urban Outfitters and Topshop getting in on the horticultural action.
The Eco-Gardeners seek a more sustainable, environmentally friendly way to garden, with greater consideration for wildlife and the dangers it faces. They embrace the Grow Your Own trend, in a bid to shrink their food miles and reduce their carbon footprint.
The Entertainers are those with a growing desire to turn the garden into the fifth room of the house, and they have boosted sales across garden furniture sets, barbecues and outdoor lighting, using every opportunity to relax, socialise and dine al fresco. They are also taking soft furnishings outside, with an increasing demand for outdoor mirrors, cushions, ornaments, candles and decorative accessories.
Wyevale Garden Centres is the largest garden centre retailer in the UK, with 147 centres nationwide. Its senior horticultural team boasts over 200 years’ experience between them, making the retailer completely tuned in to these exciting new developments.
