43% of Irish people are willing to spend money on their garden

Research carried out on behalf of Bord Bia has found that 43% of people are willing to spend money on their garden and that gardening, plants and flowers are seen as a credible and acceptable treat in recessionary Ireland.  35% of respondents claimed that the economic downturn has not had any effect on their buying habits. The research findings were presented in advance of Bord Bia’s National Amenity Horticulture Awards, which recognise and promote excellence in the industry and took place last night.

The National Amenity Horticulture Awards recognise and promote excellence across three key sectors of the industry – Garden Centres, Nursery Growers and Landscape Contractors. Bord Bia presented Quality Awards to 86 horticultural businesses, which have successfully achieved the standards as set out by its Quality Assurance Programmes. This included fifty garden centres who achieved star ratings from 2 to 5 star gold, 12 Quality Approved Landscape Contractors, and twenty four Quality Approved Nurseries.  A number of special awards were presented on the night, as well as the overall category winners as follows:

A full list of winners can be found below

“Quality Award recipients pride themselves on delivering above and beyond consumer expectation. They have to make significant investments in training, infrastructure and procedures to attain a Quality Award and consumers can benefit greatly from identifying them before they plan a trip to the local garden centre or engage a landscape contractor.”

Carol Marks,  Bord Bia said “The research has shown that the garden is viewed as an extension to the home with people seeing it predominantly as a place to relax but also a place for entertaining, eating and for children to play. As a result of the economic downturn people are spending more time at home and many are now engaging more with the Horticultural Industry.”

According to the research completed in April 2010 on behalf of Bord Bia by IPSOS Mori, which measures the total value of the amenity market including outdoor trees and plants, indoor and potted herbs, garden products and landscaping products/services, is €717m.  Outdoor and flowering plants account for 31% of all purchasing occasions.  Larger ticket items, such as hard landscaping products, account for almost half of the market value.

In early March, Bord Bia will launch a gardening campaign called It’s Garden Time to encourage Irish people make the most of their gardens this spring.  The campaign will direct consumers to the Bord Bia website where a range of tips and advice will be available for every garden.

In addition, Bord Bia’s annual gardening and lifestyle show Bloom will return to the Phoenix Park, Dublin for its fifth year. The event takes place from June 2nd – June 6th.  For more information visit www.bloominthepark.com

Garden Centre Quality Awards

Landscape Quality Awards 

Landscape Special Awards

Nursery Special Awards  

Garden Centre Awards  

Nursery Quality Awards