It’s music to our ears to hear that Britons’ love of gardening is on the up and up, especially now as we’re heading towards the summer months. However, perhaps it’s not so great to learn that they are wasting an estimated £672m per year on their gardens, according to a recent survey1.
Londoners splash their cash – around £1,000 in fact – on their gardens, but each year almost a tenth of that goes down the drain due to gardening disasters often caused by a lack of knowledge. The second highest annual spend per garden is found in the North East where £614 is spent, yet £42.15 of it is wasted.
The root cause of this is said to be due to plants dying, which is a big problem according to 65 per cent of gardeners. However, with 20 per cent admitting they forget to water them, this could be down to neglect.
However, 64 per cent claim unwanted pests in the form of snails, slugs, insects and birds hamper their green-fingered efforts, with a fifth of the population claiming that their lawns are either covered in moss, or patches of dead grass. 18.4 per cent also admit that fences falling down cause an issue for them.
These stats, no matter how concerning for consumers, present retailers and suppliers with a golden opportunity to educate the market, not only to instil confidence in consumer’s gardening skills but also attract green-fingered wannabees at the same time. This can be in a variety of ways, such as handing out free ‘how to’ guides in display areas, providing customers with free sponsored online courses, offering website tips on maintaining their garden throughout the year. Or how about a customer app that helps support their gardening hobby by planning a simple schedule with timely reminders and useful maintenance advice all year round?
At Hornby Whitefoot PR, we have oodles of ideas to give your customers a helping hand and to support their blooming gardening passions, which in turn helps you increase customer footfall and drive sales.
If you fancy a chat, we’re on 01858 681122 or drop us an email at kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk.
1 Source: Gardena