What millennials are bringing to the current gardening boom

Added on 24 January 2022

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What millennials are bringing to the current gardening boom

Millennials are currently the largest home-buying group in the county, accounting for 38% of all home purchases. This group is changing the process of homeownership, from the way they purchase to the way they live in the home. They're taking a different approach to gardening as well.

The Axiom 2022 Gardening Insights Survey highlighted that nearly 76% of millennials say they'll be planting more and expanding their garden spaces in 2022. What does that mean for the industry? The team at the Minneapolis-based marketing firm took a deep dive into the data, focusing specifically on millennial insights.

"We know that millennial gardeners are feeling confident and spending more," says Kathleen Hennessy, Chief Marketing Officer at Axiom. "Our research in both millennial home improvement and gardening found some interesting trends. Knowing the interest of this age group can help garden centers speak directly to their needs."

One surprising trend is that millennial males may offer significant upside in 2022. About 36% of male millennials say they're definitely spending more time in their outdoor gardens, compared to only 30% of female millennials that say the same.

Overall, millennial spending is increasing, but men claim they'll be spending more dollars. 52% of males in this age group say they will spend more money on gardening; that number drops to just under 32% with female respondents.

What types of gardening tasks are millennials doing? For men, the number one project is creating space to entertain, with 46.7% of males saying they will be adding or upgrading these areas. The number one answer for millennial women, at nearly 42%, is creating a more comfortable outdoor space. Upgrading hardscapes, such as retaining walls and patios, comes in third for both males and females.

When asked what the biggest obstacle is to gardening more, the top answer for males is time. 37% of males are claiming there just aren't enough hours in the day. The top answer for females is money, with nearly 33% of millennial women sharing that finances preclude them from gardening more.

For more information on the Axiom 2022 Gardening Survey, download the report here.