Are Younger Generations Less Proficient At Gardening?

There are few pastimes more enjoyable than that of maintaining a beautiful garden all year round. Pruning plants, keeping the lawn perfectly neat and tidy, growing a delicious array of fruit and vegetables, and seeing a selection of bright and beautiful flowers bloom through the seasons – these are just a few of the joys that gardening has been known to bring our fellow, green-fingered friends.

Yet It’s widely believed that gardening is typically considered an activity most enjoyed by the elderly.

Studies reveal that 72% of gardeners in the UK are between the ages of 65-74.

Younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z,have grown up surrounded by social media with more modern pastimes and other more favourable activities – but are they really worse at gardening?

Premier Polytunnels, who specialise in polytunnels and other supplies such as garden cloches did some research to find out.

Do younger generations struggle to keep plants alive?

Apparently so, according to recent reports! The most popular plants for younger generations are tomato plants, roses, and sunflowers. Older gardeners tend to favour a mixture of both flowers and fruit and veg such as fuchsia, roses, daffodils, potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs. Statistics show that over 13% of 18-34 year olds struggle to keep their plants alive, whereas only 4% of 55+ encounter this issue.

Which Cities Struggle the Most With Gardening?

Reports show that Leeds and Glasgow seem to be the most unsuccessful when it comes to caring for their plants, with over 10% saying they can’t manage to keep anything alive at all. Taking the crown for having the most skilled gardeners is our capital city. Londoners appear to be the most proficient in this green-fingered pastime, with over 37% stating they find it exceptionally easy to keep their plants thriving. Perhaps this could be due to the lack of nature in the thick of the capital, that residents here like to make up for that by creating their own green sanctuaries in their homes.

Which Gender Is Better At Gardening?

We can finally point to some much–anticipated statistics to answer this long-standing touch of healthy competition – which gender is the most green–fingered overall? Statistics reveal that males take the top spot, with over 35% males claiming to be highly proficient at gardening, versus 25.9% of females. When asked who can’t seem to keep anything alive, 8% of females admitted to wrestling with this struggle, while only 5.6% of males confessed to not possessing the knack to maintaining nourished and healthy plants.