Sustainability tops the list of gardeners' concerns
A new survey reveals nearly three-quarters of British gardeners rank climate change and its effect on the environment in the UK as their biggest gardening concern. Encouragingly, 70 percent of people want to translate environmental concern into action in their own garden. However, 20 percent are sceptical, believing that sustainable actions in the garden will not make any difference to the bigger picture.
And 44 percent of gardeners use chemicals in their gardens to control pests, diseases and weeds.
The findings are the result of a survey conducted by Fetzer Vineyards and the RHS in April to find out how green our nation’s gardeners really are. More than 1,000 gardeners took part in the survey, which focussed on what activities - from composting and mulching through to drought strategies - were being adopted by the gardening community.
How green your garden is dependant on your sex - men and woman have entirely different views when it comes to greener gardening. Men (58 percent) are far more likely to reach for the weedkiller than women (38 percent) in order to keep their garden looking its best. Women expressed more concern for the environment with 78 percent likely to alter their gardening style to be more environmentally-friendly compared with men who were less likely to draw a link between what they do in the garden and the environment in general.
40 percent of respondents perceived - incorrectly - that you need money to be a greener gardener. Lack of knowledge and concern that their plants will suffer also seem to be a major main stumbling block to having a more sustainable garden.
An encouraging 80 percent of gardeners recognise that recycling green waste and putting valuable nutrients back into the soil by mulching beds and borders with home-made compost is one of the best ways to save money and improve the health of your garden.
Water shortages were a main concern with the drought and hosepipe bans across the UK last year leading to an increase in water-saving measures such as installing water butts and planting drought-tolerant plants. The majority of respondents (71 percent) have installed a water butt in the last two years, and a further 18 percent are planning to invest in one this year.
Green energy was shown to be gaining popularity, with just over one-third of gardeners having some sort of solar lighting in their gardens and one in 10 using some kind of green power including solar and wind power.
“An ecological makeover can do wonders in helping the environment and is also the most economical way to improve your garden,” said Ann Thrupp, sustainability manager at Fetzer Vineyards. “There are lots of ways to help reduce the impact of climate change just by doing really simple things, such as planting in the autumn and reducing traditional lawn sizes.”