Gardening Secrets to Boost Your Health and Lifestyle

Gardening Secrets to Boost Your Health and Lifestyle MAA You know that gardening and plants are good for the soul - Right? Figures show that adults and children alike can reap the benefits of a little gardening activity. Read on to discover why you need to roll up your sleeves, grab yourself a trowel and start gardening now. The UK Gardening Market Size and Makeup The UK Garden Retail Market was worth £4.6 billion in 2010, a 2% increase on 2009 and 8% increase on 2008. £4.6 Billion "Grow your own...' .continues to thrive and goes from strength to strength with many garden owners planning to grow their own fruit and vegetables. 36% 36% Enjoy sharing knowledge and ideas about gardening. 40% of parents of school children claim their child's school has communicated with them 40% about school gardening in the last year, helping to raise local interest in gardening. Younger, family stage consumers often focus on the garden as a child-friendly space for socialising and entertaining in a pleasant environment, ideally requiring a minimum of time to maintain. Half of garden owners intended to grow their own fruit and vegetables in 2011 and 12% of these claim to be first timers. How Gardening Can Make You & Your Children Happy A recent study, involving 1,300 teachers and 10 schools commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), revealed that taking part in gardening can make a child feel happy and boost their development. Where schools promoted gardening it showed that children became... More resilient, confident and lived healthier lives Boosted their readiness to learn Helped pupils to become more active Overcame fear of insects Waiting for crops to grow taught children patience More willing to try new vegetables Better able to think on their feet Improved literacy and numeracy skills More flexible approach to problem solving Learned more healthy living and healthy eating Cost of Gardening 2002 - 2012 Average leisure spending per activity by families. Gardening rose by only 17% over the last 10 years to £17.90 in 2012. Gardening £17.90 (+17%) Takeaway £11.12 (+36%)° • Football tickets £48.90 (+184%) TV £45.75 (+39%) Eating out £20.00 (+42%) • Car fuel £96.95 (+89%) Cinema £6.24 (+46%) Theme parks £39.64 (+46%) Gym £36.83 (+48%) • Train ticket £23.38 (+61%) Pint of beer 15.18 (+51%) Why Gardening Should be Your New Favourite Hobby Household leisure spending has never been under so much pressure. Cost of popular leisure activities have increased more rapidly than the rise in consumer price inflation (29%) over the same period. The Value of Gardens in Urban Areas The value of inner city gardening and green areas is often under-estimated. However surveys show that the average domestic garden can play an important in our overall urban landscape. Domestic gardens contain approximately 25 percent of the total non-forest and woodland trees. 25% More than 85 percent of the UK population lives in towns and cities. Urban domestic gardens contribute from 22-27 percent of the total urban area in many cities. Urban gardens can contribute as much as 86 percent of the total urban tree stock. Some tips for Domestic Gardeners Consider reducing the area of lawn in your garden, replacing it with other permanent planting. Collect rain water and use 'grey water (previously used for washing dishes, baths etc and suitable for small scale, short-term use). Think fright plant, right place' to minimise water use and maximise energy saving. www.gardenfurniturecentre.co.uk Garden Furniture CENTRE LTID Sources: http://www.the-hta.org.uk/page.php?pageid=187 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10427338 http://www.loydsbankinggroup.com/media1/press_releases/2012_press_release_brands/halifax/3004 cost.asp http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardening/sustainable-gardening/urban-greening