British Gardening Statistics - Our Country Garden

Curious about the popularity of gardening in the UK or what most people are growing in their gardens? If so, then you’re in luck, as we’ve collected and verified hundreds of statistics from UK Census data, surveys and polls that show the state of British gardening.

Contents

1. 87% of Households In Britain Have a Garden

In the 2021 census, it was found that 87% of UK households had a garden, with people in lower-skilled jobs or without employment being 3 times less likely to have a garden.

1 out of 8 people don’t have their own private outdoor space in the UK, which increases to 1 out of 5 people in London, making it the area with the lowest garden access.

2. 42% of UK Residents Garden As A Hobby

42% of UK residents garden as a hobby and spend on average 2 hours per week working on their garden.

On an average year, a typical Brit spends around 15 hours mowing the lawn, 13 hours on weeding, and another 8 hours painting sheds and fences for a fresh look. Watering plants consumes a significant portion of their time, averaging about 45 hours. Moreover, they devote approximately 9 hours to maintaining neatly trimmed hedges and 4 hours to jet-wash patios for a tidy appearance.

3. 51% Of People Aged 55 And Older Garden

As people get older, they tend to enjoy gardening more.

In the youngest demographic, 16 to 24-year-olds, 31.2% of the population enjoy gardening. In the 25 to 34 age range, this grows to 35.2% of people. The 35 to 44 range has 37.2% of people enjoying gardening, the 45 to 54 range has 41.1% enjoyment and the 55 and older range have 51% of people enjoying gardening.

4. 57% Of Gardeners Are Female

In a study performed in 2018 by Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, it was found that 57% of gardeners are women, and 43% are men, meaning that there are around 15.4 million women and 11.6 million men gardening in the UK. Some very interesting gardening demographics!

5. 60% Of Gardeners Use Vertical Gardening

We found from our own research that 60% of gardeners use at least 1 method of vertical gardening in their own spaces. Whether that be trellises, vertical planters, hanging baskets, or another of the many vertical gardening solutions, this shift towards using vertical gardening methods shows a growing preference for space-efficient and visually appealing garden solutions.

You can find out more about the current trends in vertical gardening here.

6. 28% Of People With A Garden Grow Vegetables

Out of the 87% of UK households with access to a garden, only 28% of people used some of that space to grow vegetables, which was incredibly shocking to us! As gardeners who wholeheartedly recommend growing produce no matter the size of your space, we’re hoping that this number starts to increase over the next few years.

7. You Can Burn Almost 20 Thousand Calories A Year By Doing Light Gardening

Isn’t that incredible? Just by doing some light gardening, such as ranking or weeding for one hour per week, you can burn almost 20 thousand calories in a year! That’s the equivalent of 28 burgers.

8. Wildlife Is Important To Gardeners

Wyevale’s garden report has revealed that 87% of adults who own a garden in the UK want to attract more wildlife, with 37% of those surveyed finding the wildlife to be the best part of owning a garden, a higher percentage than growing plants or vegetables!

The survey also shows that 86% of gardeners actively try to help wildlife in their gardens by feeding them or providing shelter.

9. The UK’s Favourite Flower is The Rose

In a survey of over 2,000 people, Monarch Airlines found that the rose was the UK’s favourite flower. Below, we’ve included the list of the top 30 flowers.

Roses
Lilies
Tulip
Daffodil
Sunflower
Orchid
Carnation
Bluebell
Freesia
Poppy

Sweetpea
Snowdrops
Lilly of the Valley
Gerbera
Peony
Dahlia
Daisy
Foxglove
Magnolia
Iris

Forget-me-not
Violets
Pansy
Chrysanthemum
Lilac
Snapdragon
Lupin
Hyacinth
Dandelion
Hydrangea

10. 6.4% Of UK Households Hire A Gardener

A much higher number than I was expecting, a whopping 6.4% of households in the UK hire a private gardener to take care of their gardens. This is broken down into the following regions:

East of England: 6.81%
Greater London: 10.65%
East Midlands: 6.58%
West Midlands: 6.15%
North East: 4.82%
North West: 6.39%
Northern Ireland: 7.27%
Scotland: 6.47%
South East: 3.83%
South West: 5.11%
Wales: 5.05%
Yorkshire and the Humber: 7.19%

11. UK Gardeners Spend On Average £670 Per Year On Their Garden

Each year, every gardener spends on average a whopping £670 on their garden, which is split into:

£241 spent on garden renovations
£180 spent on garden accessories
£140 spent on garden tools
£109 spent on garden toys

This means that the garden industry is absolutely booming in the UK.

Conclusion

So there we have it, our 11 surprising British gardening statistics. If you’d like to learn more about what you should be getting up to each month in your garden, check out our recommendations here or take a look at our complete guide to vertical gardening.

References

The UK gardening statistics have come from the following sources.