by Michael Smith (Veshengro) Husqvarna and Gardena Global Garden Report 2010
The second annual Global Garden Report from Husqvarna and Gardena reveals that in 2010 and the coming years, individualism in gardening is on the rise, replacing conformity. It’s all about self-expressive gardening to create a private Eden and sharing this with new on-line neighbors through social media.
As leading producers of gardening equipment, Husqvarna and Gardena are continuously looking to learn more about the drivers, passions and expressions of gardening. In this quest, the two brands commissioned trend analyst firm Kairos Future to look closer at what some of the most passionate gardeners in the world say about their hobby - the garden bloggers.
"By continuously learning about the passions of garden enthusiasts, Husqvarna and Gardena can continue to develop innovative garden equipment that enables home owners to create their own individual idea of Eden", says Andrew Eastaugh of Husqvarna UK.
A total of over 1.4m blog posts from 13 different countries (UK, US, Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Sweden) from six continents were gathered and analyzed.
The common trend shown in the Global Garden Report is that individualism in the garden is increasing all over the world, fueled by the increased use of social media. Using blogs and microblogs to express their passions, garden enthusiasts are encouraged by their online garden friends to create their unique and individual style rather than peeking over their neighbors’ fences.
Top Themes Among British Gardening Bloggers
- The designed and artistic garden
- The feel-good garden
- Kitchen gardening
Facts about British gardens:
“ In Britain gardening is more than just a hobby; the British treat their garden plants as growing family members, carefully following each step of development in the plants.”
Global Garden Report 2010 – Husqvarna & Gardena
-
Great Britain boasts a proud history of gardening which is a way of life as opposed to just a hobby British gardeners have always upheld a sense of great pride in their gardens
-
Buying garden tools for birthday gifts and wedding anniversaries is still popular
-
Synthetic chemicals are frowned upon, organic fertilizers and pesticides are preferred
-
Bloggers fiercely protect their gardens against pests by using sand, ash and soot barriers
-
Appearance is always important and a garden’s presentation is a reflection of its blogger’s identity
-
British kitchen gardens tend to be stylish and attractive with the use of fancy pots and containers
Gardening, a global affair
Traditionally perceived as being a western world pastime, the report recognizes that gardening is a global affair. The interest for gardening is high among bloggers in the new economic powers such as China, Russia and Brazil and seems to have become a status symbol in countries with a fast growing middle class like South-Africa and Poland.
The western world is shifting emphasis from more traditional gardening towards a more relaxed approach led by passions for the natural, wild, organic and edible garden produce. Kitchen gardening is in fact the hottest trend among global gardening bloggers, a trend that gained huge momentum last year when Michelle Obama turned a section of the White House lawn into an organic vegetable garden.
I must admit that, so far, I have only dipped in and out of that report, that beautifully written volume, rather than having been able to read it all in full – time is not my best friend – but must say that it makes good and interesting reading.
Top 10 global garden trends categorized in order of popularity:
1st The Kitchen Garden
2nd The Organic Garden
3rd The Feel Good Garden
4th The Artistic Garden
5th The Wilderness Garden
6th The Social Garden
7th The Urban Garden
8th The Lush Garden
9th Container Gardening
10th The Greenhouse Garden
The report was commissioned by Husqvarna and Gardena and the study was performed by the international research and consultancy agency Kairos Future.
Husqvarna is the world's largest producer of lawn mowers, chainsaws and portable petrol-powered garden equipment such as trimmers and blowers. The Group is also a world leader in diamond tools and cutting equipment for the construction and stone industries. Net sales in 2008 were SEK 32.3 billion and the average number of employees was 15,700.
Gardena is Europe’s leading manufacturer of intelligently simple, high-quality gardening equipment. The company is based in Ulm and is represented in more than 80 countries around the world. Today, the range extends from classical gardening tools to garden irrigation products and systems, from pumps and motorised devices to garden pond products. Gardena GmbH has been part of the Husqvarna Group since March 2007.
Gardena is probably best known for its simple and effective garden hose connectors that have since been copied, though not improved upon, by many manufacturers. If you look for such connectors then insist on Gardena.
© February 2010