July 2015 Grower News, Plant Health, Production

Yards of Opportunity By Tim Hodson

In May, the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) surveyed more than 2,000 adults to “understand attitudes and perceptions about yards and landscapes.” More specifically, they wanted to find out how important it is to have a yard, spend time in a yard and maintain a yard. The survey also delved into how the quality of a yard would influence home purchasing decisions.

The good news is an overwhelming majority (83 percent) of the survey respondents said it is important to them that they have a yard, and 75 percent said it is important to spend time doing various activities in their yard.

They also prefer (91 percent) to live in an area where trees, lawns and plants are plentiful, and 71 percent said they want their neighbor’s yards to look good too.

Eighty-four percent also said that the quality of a home’s landscaping would influence their decision on whether or not they would buy
a home.

This is all good news for growers, garden centers and landscapers.

Millennials

Even better news is that 74 percent of Millennials believe that it is important to spend time outdoors in their yards. As our industry continues to look for ways to court this demographic, it looks like they do value the importance of plants, lawns and landscaping and enjoy what they have to offer.

It makes sense since Millennials like to entertain, enjoy cooking and are more health conscious. Many of them are growing their own herbs and veggies in the backyard and then enjoying them with friends on their deck or patio. It’s part of their lifestyle.

Millennials like the benefits our industry has to provide them, now we just need to reinforce the message and help educate them on how they can take advantage of our products.

You can learn more about the NALP survey at www.landscapeprofessionals.org.