We Asked
- As 2024 progressed, how did your landscaping projects proceed?
- Which factors led you to scale back on landscaping projects? (if applicable)
- What is your forecast for 2025?
Consumers Answered
In 2024, gardeners’ landscaping projects reflected a spectrum of responses to evolving circumstances. While 19% expanded their projects, embracing opportunities to enhance their outdoor spaces, 30% stayed the course, proceeding as planned. Notably, 23% scaled back, and 13% canceled projects entirely, indicating a cautious or constrained approach for many. These choices, juxtaposed against the 12% without plans and the 2% without yards, mirror the diverse realities and priorities within the gardening community.
When probing into the reasons for scaling back, the survey highlights cost-related concerns as pivotal. Rising costs in other areas emerged as the predominant factor for 40% of gardeners, suggesting broader economic pressures spilling into gardening decisions. The price of plants and labor were also significant deterrents, cited by 35% and 20% of respondents, respectively. This data underscores a cautious trend among gardeners, balancing their passion for landscaping with practical financial considerations in a fluctuating economic climate.
As 2024 progressed, how did your landscaping projects proceed?
Which factors led you to scale back on landscaping projects? (if applicable)
Google Trends for "Landscape Professional"
The trend on Google for the term “Landscape Professional” – a good gauge of overall consumer interest – shows both an increase over the last five years, as well as uptrend in 2024 alone.
Interpreting mixed signals is not easy when planning for 2024
- Check back for updates to this particular Insight in Jan/Feb, sentiments will have likely changed
- Be clear about the reasons for having increased your prices
- Consumer balance sheets are still reasonably strong, but the trend is down – consider a strategy to sell to capacity as early as possible in 2023, before consumers are running out of cash and are forced to turn to credit.
By Demographics
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As 2024 progressed, how did your landscaping projects proceed?
(By "I was concerned of losing my job")
As 2024 progressed, how did your landscaping projects proceed?
(By "Do you think the economy will fall into recession in 2024")
As one might expect, gardeners’ perceptions of an impending recession significantly influenced their landscaping decisions in 2024. Those who deemed a recession unlikely were more inclined to proceed with (44.96%) or expand (26.36%) their projects, reflecting a confidence in economic stability that translated into greater investment in landscaping. In contrast, among those who considered a recession ‘Very Likely’, there was a discernible shift towards caution, with higher percentages scaling back (26.13%) or entirely canceling projects (18.13%). This cautious approach in the face of economic uncertainty underscores a pragmatic adaptation among gardeners, balancing their passion for landscaping with a keen awareness of broader financial risks.
Pulse on 2025 - What are gardeners thinking?
Are you planning any changes to your outdoor space for next year?
In early 2024, gardener plans for 2025 showed stable trends with no significant changes in the levels of landscaping activities planned between Q1 and Q2. As we await the Q3 results, there is heightened interest to see if the weakening economy will impact gardeners’ future investment in their outdoor spaces.
