Latest research conducted by Common Sense Gardening, an initiative from the Garden Group of the Crop Protection Association (CPA), reveals that 75% of millennials who garden use search engines to source advice and tips on how to grow produce. Although retailers offer advice, millennials still turn to the internet to get the advice they need.

“Although many large retailers provide training programmes on garden care products, this can be very basic at times. Employee knowledge is often restricted to the information contained on the back of garden care products,” said chairman of Common Sense Gardening, Gary Philpotts.

“This results in employees being unable to give millennial gardeners information, which in their technology driven world, they have become accustomed to receiving exactly when they want it.”

The recent research shows that social media influences 40% of millennial gardeners gardening decisions. YouTube is the most popular social medial platform, followed by Facebook and Pinterest.

“We advise that gardeners visit our website or follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with handy growing advice. The website is a fantastic resource and gardeners can find advice and tips around which gardening products to use and importantly, the latest guidance around product regulations, ” said Mr Philpotts.

It’s previously been reported that searches on Pinterest increased in 2017 and specifically around:

Cactus plants – 50% increase

Hanging plants – 60% increase

Terrariums – 70% increase

Indoor plants – 90% increase

The garden trend continues to grow, with more of a focus on lifestyle and wellbeing growing. Google searches for ‘air purifying plants’ and ‘aloe vera’ were up a whopping 550% year on year in 2017. Interestingly, Compost Direct also reports that 52% of people are using houseplants to purify the air in their homes.

This latest research from Common Sense Gardening backs up findings from the research it carried out in 2018 which highlighted that 25% of young gardeners believe garden care products are fundamental to the proper maintenance of their gardens. 

“The key thing the research has revealed is that when gardening, millennials are looking for information around how to successfully grow produce, their first ports of call are the internet and social media. We will continue to work with retailers and product manufacturers to ensure that millennials can find the help they need from an internet search which highlights Common Sense Gardening’s website.”