Feb 24, 2006
Consumer Research ReportSource: Garden Writers Association

The Garden Writers Association (GWA) Foundation has recently released its 2006 Early Spring Gardening Trends Research Report with some interesting insights on this year’s consumer gardening attitudes and expectations for the late winter and early spring months.

Fifty-two percent of households plan to buy most of their spring plant purchases at mass merchants and DIY stores.
Garden centers and local retail stores are favored by 39 percent of households.
Consumers say they prefer quality over price by a margin of 50 to 30 percent in the selection of plant materials.
When selecting spring plants, ease of care and color dominate consumer preferences at 46 and 44 percent respectively.
Size of plant will be a selection criteria for 22 percent of households this spring.
The majority of households (62 percent) spend less than a month planning their first garden activity of the year. More than half of those households (37 percent) plan their first spring gardening activities less than two weeks in advance, and 11 percent make no advanced plans at all.

The 2006 Early Spring Gardening Trends Research Report was conducted January 17-22, 2006, and covers consumer expectations and attitudes for activities and purchases planned for February through April. The survey was conducted by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a national consumer polling organization and statistically represents the attitudes of 110 million households with an accuracy of 95 percent (+/- 3.1 percentage points).

The 2006 Early Spring Gardening Trends Research Report is the first of four national consumer surveys planned by the GWA Foundation for 2006. It is now available online for $50 and can be downloaded immediately. Simply visit the Garden Writers Association Web site at www.gardenwriters.org and select the Gardening Trends Research tab. Choose 2006 reports and follow the online instructions. For further information, contact the GWA at (703) 257-1032 or info@gardenwriters.org.