THE GARDENING MARKET IN GROWTH

Mike Neary, Manager of Horticulture with Bord Bia, details the host of programmes, shares some positive new about Ireland’s flourishing gardening market

Every two years Bord Bia carries out a comprehensive measurement of the gardening market in Ireland. The most recent measure of the market was carried out in 2016 on behalf of Bord Bia by IPSOS mrbi.

The amenity market – as measured by consumer spend - is currently valued at €729m, an increase of 16% since last measured in 2014 when it was valued at €631m.

There have been robust performances across all sectors, with the number of purchasing occasions and value both showing healthy growth.

The strongest increases have been recorded in the soft landscaping areas – outdoor and flowering plants, and indoor potted plants. The latter has momentarily, at least, stalled the longer term decline in popularity which had been emerging. Fresh cut flowers and garden products have also reported significant, if relatively more modest, uplifts since 2014.

Currently, outdoor and flowering plants are valued at €168m, and account for 37% of all amenity purchasing occasions. Garden products have the largest share of value, at €340m, though account for a quarter of purchases made. Within the outdoor and flowering plants sector, hanging baskets and pre-planted containers, bulbs and flower seeds for planting and herbaceous plants have all seen particularly strong increases in value and purchasing activity since 2014.

Purchasing of trees increased by almost a quarter compared with two years ago, but the related lift in value was more conservative, at just 5% - considerably lower than all other products measured. In contrast, shrubs and hedging, which are viewed as being less fashionable, enjoyed a strong bounce on both purchasing occasions and spend in 2016. Interestingly, the profile of purchasers of shrubs and hedging exhibits an older profile; half of all purchases are made by those over the age of 55.

Activity in the grow your own market - defined as purchasers of herbs/ fruit and vegetables for planting out - appears to have peaked for now, with a 5% decline in purchasing occasions being recorded in 2016 compared with two years ago.

Another area demonstrating growth in purchasing and spend is wreaths. Purchasing occasions increased by a third since 2014, and spend is at its highest since measurement began.

In the area of garden products, the most marked growth in consumer spend has been in barbeques, which is being driven largely by an increased spend per purchase occasion. Purchasers of barbeques are markedly younger than purchasers of other garden products; six in 10 purchasers are under the age of 35.

Although spend on peat/bark/soil treatment has contracted a little since 2014, purchasing occasions are on the increase again.

Activity in the landscaping market has picked up. Consumer engagement has increased by almost a fifth, and total spend is up by 5%. ✽

MIKE NEARY,

Manager of Horticulture at Bord Bia. For further information contact the Bord Bia Horticultural Division or the Food Industry Development Division in the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine at email: Agripromo@agriculture.gov.ie