The Garden Writers Association (GWA) Foundation recently released its 2006 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report, and it has more insights on this year's consumer gardening attitudes and expectations for the current gardening season. Here are just some of the results that may help you with your buying, merchandising and overall business decisions for the coming season.
- Leading items for fall gardening purchases will be fall flowers (25 percent), indoor plants (24 percent) and perennials (21 percent).
- Only 21 percent of households plan to send fall garden waste to city recycling programs. More households (28 percent) plan to grind their garden waste on site with a mower or grinder.
- Backyard composting of fall garden waste is planned by 17 percent of households, while 11 percent expect to send their waste to the local landfill as garbage.
- When asked what prevents them from doing more indoor gardening, lack of time is the major reason given by 30 percent of households. Limited space is given as an indoor gardening obstacle for 27 percent of households; lack of knowledge is reported by 11 percent of households; and lack of light is the primary obstacle for 9 percent of households.
- When purchasing plants this fall, 35 percent of households say their primary criteria is buying for spring.
- Buying plants to extend fall color is the selection criteria for 27 percent of households.
The 2006 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report was conducted in August and covers consumer expectations and attitudes for activities and purchases planned for the next few months. The survey was conducted by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a national consumer polling organization, and statistically represents the attitudes of 110 million households with an accuracy of 95% (+/- 3.1 percentage points).
The 2006 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report is the fourth and final national consumer survey planned by the GWA Foundation for 2006. It is now available online for $50 and can be downloaded immediately. Visit the GWA Web site at www.gardenwriters.org and select the Gardening Trends Research tab. Choose 2006 reports and follow the online instructions. For further information, contact the GWA at info@gardenwriters.org or (703) 257-1032.
