Axiom Gardening Insights Survey 2023: Are Pandemic Gardeners Hooked

Despite extreme spring weather and growing economic concerns in 2022, gardeners have a positive outlook for 2023. Axiom’s newly released Gardening Insights Survey found homeowners in several age groups and experience levels are looking forward to spending more time and money next year. In fact, more than 80% of those surveyed said they plan to spend the same or more money in 2023 than they did this year. 88% expect to spend the same or more time gardening next year as they did in 2022.

The research, conducted by Axiom, a Minneapolis-based marketing firm serving the horticulture, landscaping, and construction industries, found that men report they’re spending more money than women, with nearly 87% of males saying they’ll spend the same or more in 2023. Younger gardeners are likely to spend more money too, with Gen Y and Gen Z homeowners leading the way.

Newer gardeners are showing signs of growing into the hobby. 48.5% of first-time gardeners and 52.5% of those who’ve been gardening for 2- to 4 years say they will be spending more time in 2023. “We see that as encouraging news,” says Kathleen Hennessy, chief marketing officer at Axiom. “This could be a sign that the industry is on track to keep many of the millions of new gardeners who entered the market during COVID. Based on positive feedback from first time gardeners, those who are newer to gardening, Gen Y, and Gen Z respondents, it appears that pandemic gardeners are hooked, and their interest, time and spending will continue to grow.”

Big box stores are taking a bigger bite of the garden spend. When asked where homeowners purchased most of their plants in 2022, Independent Garden Centers came in second, behind The Home Depot. “IGCs drop to third among those who spent more money in 2022 — this is a switch from our last survey,” adds Hennessy.

When asked what factors may have had homeowners gardening less in 2022, 17% said being back in the office was a diversion. Nearly 15% said bad weather affected how much time they spent in the garden. 35% say they were working on indoor and outdoor home improvement, maintenance, and repair projects.

If they spent less money, where did those funds go? More than 22% said groceries. Nearly 19% spent funds on home improvement projects. 15% said they spent more money at the gas pump and 14% said they were traveling more.

Axiom also asked where gardeners learned about new plants and what social channels they thought offered the best information on new plants and supplies. More than 74% say they learn about new plants from webinars and podcasts. Google searches come in second at 48%. YouTube was the top social medium with 38.5%.

For more information on the Axiom 2023 Gardening Survey, download the report here: 2023 Gardening Survey