Your data. Your choice.

If you select «Essential cookies only», we’ll use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your device and how you use our website. We need this information to allow you to log in securely and use basic functions such as the shopping cart.

By accepting all cookies, you’re allowing us to use this data to show you personalised offers, improve our website, and display targeted adverts on our website and on other websites or apps. Some data may also be shared with third parties and advertising partners as part of this process.

Shutterstock
Behind the scenes

Gardening in Europe – who plants, harvests and grooms the most?

Alex Hämmerli
9/7/2024
Translation: Eva Francis

Three out of four people in Europe do gardening work. Half of them spend more than two hours a week planting, harvesting, mowing or weeding. The most invested gardeners live in Austria. This is shown by a representative survey commissioned by Galaxus and carried out in the DACH region, France and Italy.

In four out of ten cases, the garden is right outside the persons’s front door, while one in ten has transformed their balcony or terrace into a green space. The popularity of allotment gardens depends on the country. In Germany and Austria, 12% of the population rent a garden plot. In France and Italy, it’s only 3%.

People in Germany and Austria also spend the most time in their gardens – at least three hours per week between March and October. In Switzerland, only 18 per cent of respondents spend this much time gardening.

There are hardly any differences between men and women, but there is when it comes to age groups. According to the survey, age correlates with how much time people spend in their garden.

The most popular garden plants in Europe are flowers and shrubs. These grow in three out of four gardens, delighting people and bees with their colours, scents and nectar. Herbs are also popular with amateur gardeners. They’re quick to sow, often easy to look after, take up little space and are quite expensive in supermarkets. At the bottom of the popularity rankings are berry bushes and lettuce – both of which grow in one in three gardens.

When asked what they’re starting to grow this season, most people answered fresh herbs, followed by vegetable plants, flowers and shrubs. New fruit trees or berry bushes are only planted in one in ten gardens this year.

Gardening serves primarily to provide us with a source of rest and relaxation, as almost 6 out of 10 respondents replied. This is closely followed by the fun factor. This is particularly important for French gardeners. Austria, on the other hand, stands out with the highest self-sufficiency rate. People in Italy and Switzerland are the least enthusiastic about gardening, while Germany and France are somewhere in the middle.

What garden projects are you tackling this season? What do you enjoy most? What gardening tips would you like to share with the Community? Let us know in the comments!

Header image: Shutterstock

13 people like this article


User Avatar
User Avatar
Alex Hämmerli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.ch

At Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.


Behind the scenes

News about features in our shop, information from marketing and logistics, and much more.

Show all

These articles might also interest you

  • Behind the scenes

    Half of Europe’s shoppers make secret purchases

    by Alex Hämmerli

  • Behind the scenes

    Walking pads booming on Galaxus

    by Alex Hämmerli

  • Behind the scenes

    Sex, lies and ghosting – online dating in Europe

    by Manuel Wenk