Good news for our fellow gardeners, gardening is hot during an economic downturn. According to the Scotsman from the UK: "If there's one industry that doesn't feel quite so blue during an economic downturn, it's gardening. Past experience suggests that, when times are hard, we treat our outdoor space as something of a sanctuary."
The Horticultural Trades Association shows that sales of plants went up in 2008, a trend the HTA expects to continue. "...gardeners to be green, spend more time in their garden, use more seeds and edible plants, buy local and support good local businesses..."
The trend is towards Mediterranean gardens. And people might look to their gardens as a real stress reliever and create more contemplative plots – Japanese gardens are very serene and tranquil."Hendy sees a contemporary version of cottage gardening returning, replacing minimalism with a jumble of flowers and vegetables and herbs all growing together, creating a sense of "the good old days".
Then there's the trend for growing your own fruit and veg. "People who've never grown a vegetable in their life will be dabbling on the patio..." There has been a huge rise in purchases of vegetable seed, plants, herbs, fruit trees and soft fruits. "Gardens are getting smaller, and people are thinking of growing veg in containers or strawberries in a hanging basket, or espalier fruit trees that can be grown up against the wall..."
There are so many more opportunities and kids can be involved and encouraged to think about fresh food."
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