Brits stuck in a gardening rut

New research released today by leading woodcare manufacturer, Ronseal*, reveals we’re shamefully un-cool when it comes to our gardens, with a staggering lack of investment in our outdoor areas and past-it features dominating the landscape.

Now Ronseal has paired up with one of the UK’s foremost garden design talents, Michelle Wake**, to launch a campaign to bring the nation’s outdoor areas firmly into the 21st Century – as well as revealing the must-have trends of 2020.

Of the 2,000 people questioned in the study, 42% of homeowners spend less than £100 a year – that’s equivalent to a single cup of coffee a week – on keeping their garden up to date, despite splurging on average £982 annually on redecorating and updating their home’s interiors.

One in five (20%) don’t do anything to refresh their outdoor space more frequently than once every five years and on average, a homeowner only dabbles in any garden maintenance more strenuous than cutting the lawn or planting seasonal bulbs once every three years.

A shocking one in 10 (10%) admit their outdoor space is straight from the 70s with gravel and crazy paving the prominent features while a further one in ten (10%) say they’re stuck in the 90s with over-the-top water features and sculptures in abundance.

Gnomes surpassed other unfashionable garden items by more than five times with 53% ranking them as naff. The top 5 unfashionable garden features were voted as being:

1. Gnomes (53%)
2. Crazy paving (10%)
3. Sculptures or stone animals (8%)
4. Wind chimes (6%)
5. Water features (5%)

But now, Ronseal and Michelle Wake are offering a solution, and have produced a guide to what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to garden trends, as well as predictions into what our gardens will look like in 2020 and timeless features that just won’t date. With environmental concerns forcing us to develop more sustainable lifestyles, Michelle predicts that by 2020 features such as native plants, salvaged and recycled timber and edibles such as fruit trees and plants, will be in ‘horticultural vogue’. What’s more, we’ll become extreme conservationists, creating habitats to support biodiversity, such as beehives, wildlife pools and meadows, in our back gardens.

Michelle Wake, commented: “The secret to creating a garden that won’t date is to start with a strong, logical structure that defines key areas and then change the more decorative, ephemeral items in these areas over time, to reflect current trends. Structural elements include things like pergolas, fencing, decking, hedges or trees while items such as annual planting or garden lanterns could be changed every season.”

James Smith, Marketing Director at Ronseal, said: “It seems people don’t put anywhere near the effort into keeping their garden up to date as they do their home, despite two thirds of us (67%) claiming we see our gardens as an outdoor room. A well maintained garden can increase a home’s value by between 2% and 10% – on a property of £250,000 that could add as much as £25,000, so it’s a very wise investment.

“We understand time and money are at the root of the problem and so we wanted to highlight how easy it is to achieve a timeless ‘core’ garden which can be updated to keep up with trends or from which to create a fresh new look. We also want to educate people on how to increase the lifespan and improve the look of garden furniture, fencing and other outdoor structures, which can give gardens a new lease of life.”

Michelle’s full report is available for download at Ronseal.co.uk. The woodcare manufacturer is also calling for people to send in photos of their best, and worst, garden features by emailing images to 1970@ronseal.co.uk for the chance to win a garden makeover kit from Ronseal.