Brits get creative in the garden

There’s nothing better than a summer’s afternoon spent pottering around in the backyard, but now it seems our gardens have an even more important role to play in our lives than first thought.

New research shows that over a quarter of us use our gardens as a retreat from the world, more so than any other area of our homes, while over a third say their outdoor oasis is where they find the opportunity to refresh and revive their spirits. Just under half de-stress best by enjoying the tranquillity in their garden as opposed to unwinding with a drink or chatting to friends and family

It seems that as well as improving our mental well-being many of us are now treating our garden as a hot bed of creative and business inspiration with 29% saying they use their garden to get their creative juices flowing and to inspire new ideas.

Far from being a space for a bit of backyard cricket and a cider on a summer’s day, portable technology is allowing a growing number of us to turn our gardens into an office extension, meaning the term ‘out of office’ no longer means being out of touch. Indeed, 15% of those surveyed claim that they now prefer to use their laptop outdoors instead of in their more traditional home offices.

Landscape gardener Kathryn Hibberd, fresh from collecting her Silver Gilt Medal award from this year’s Hampton Court flower show for designing Sadolin’s innovative Refresh and Revive Garden, says: “I am absolutely delighted with winning the Silver Gilt medal. People seem to really love the garden, and it is lovely to see people smiling and enjoying it. At Hampton Court, where many of the visitors are real gardeners, it is important to create a beautiful garden which people can envision in their own space, and I believe that is what we have created.”

And it seems we’re still a nation intent on keeping up with Jones’s, with just under a third claiming they are envious of their neighbours gardens, with nearly one in 10 making changes to their garden as a direct result.

For more information visit: sadolin.co.uk