During quarantine, the behavior of the US consumer changed. So, how will the future of gardening post COVID-19 look like? 2021 Garden Trends Report, The Great Reset, of Garden Media Group, offers a peek into what will be trending in the horticulture in 2021 and beyond. And this year's edition is particularly special as it is their 20th anniversary report.
Special and challenging year
For Katie Dubow, the year already started out special as she officially took over as the owner and president of the company from her mother Suzie McCoy. This also meant that she would publish the first Garden Trends Report without her mother on her side. At Garden Media Group, they were well on their way with the Garden Trends Report 2021 and then, COVID-19 hit the world. Consumer behavior quickly changed, also in gardening, resulting in the team starting all over again in March. "While much has changed within our industry and out, we were still eager to report the trends. We had to scrap many trends we had identified and examine shifts in behavior during the quarantine. Then we set out predicting how these shifts would shape the future of gardening."
"The Great Reset"
How the world will change post-COVID-19 remains to be seen. But Katie Dubow, president of the trendspotting firm, says one thing is for sure: We are in the middle of A Great Reset. And this is therefore also the theme of this year's report. "The shutdown gave everyone the opportunity to change things and to build back better communities. People were able to hit the reset button and more importantly, people were able to slow down, enabling to pick up gardening." According to Dubow, the reason why people were not gardening is that they were so over-scheduled. "It is a hobby and a hobby is all about the competition for people's time. When there are no other hobbies to go to, like hockey, soccer, tennis and so on, there is time for gardening."
Spending more time in the garden
As a result of the pandemic, different research showed that the industry in the US picked up between 16-24 million new gardeners, many under the age of 35 years. Other studies reveal who the customers is; that they are interested in growing food as well as that they are interested in reducing lawn and growing pollinators. On top of that, more and more people no longer see the garden as a decor for their house, but see it more as an extra room outdoors. These are just some of the trends mentioned in the report that are expected to continue to increase next year.
Education is key
In the US, many people did not only spent a lot of time in their garden, they also invest a lot of money in it. Therefore, Dubow does not expect the people not to give up gardening in the coming years. "This year, many people stayed at home during the holidays and many decided to invest the money that was intended for vacations in their garden, like buying a trampoline, hot tub, furniture, plants, and so on. They created their own vacation spot in the garden."
However, even though, she does not expect the consumer to go on holiday en masse next year, it is important to educate them well to maintain the gardening trend. "As an industry, it is important let the consumer succeed. Providing them with the right products and information is key. We need to teach the patience. An early gardener, for example wants direct results, while an experienced gardener knows that it might take a while till a plant flowers or gives fruit. As there are so many new gardeners, it is therefore important that offer them the quickly rewarding varieties, so the smaller varieties."
2021 Garden Trends Report
In the trends report, six industry trends have been reported that are expected to going to shape the future post COVID-19, push business strategy pivots, and create a shift in home and work design. The 2021 Garden Trends Report Highlights:
- How businesses have altered their strategies to come out successful during the pandemic
- What future cities will look like
- How people will adjust their home spaces to accommodate the new way of stay-at-home life
- Finding joy and gratification in new ways
Click here for the 2021 Garden Trends Report.
For more information:
Garden Media
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www.gardenmediagroup.com