New study examines yard and landscape ownership, trends

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 3/12/2013 10:25:46 AM

HERNDON, Va. -- With spring 2013 around the corner, many Americans will finally be venturing out to enjoy their yards. And according to an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive in December 2012, those with a yard/landscape will be looking forward to three yard and landscape activities most of all: relaxing, planting and spending time with family.

The study, conducted among more than 2,800 U.S. adults (ages 18+) on behalf of PLANET, the national trade association of landscape professionals, finds that yard/landscape ownership is highly prevalent (88%) among Americans. In fact, 81% of those with a yard/landscape say the upkeep of their yard/landscape is important to the look of their home.

Why take care of that yard/landscape?

When asked the chief reason for maintaining or improving their yard/landscape, owners are most likely to cite showing pride in their home (42%) as the primary motivator, although creating an outdoor relaxing space (16%) and raising or protecting their property value (15%) also win double-digit support.

But when it comes to what the yard or landscape is commonly used for, relaxing rises to the top (26%), followed by planting flowers/vegetables (17%) and spending time with family (14%).

Not surprisingly, those with children under 18 in the household are more likely to view the yard as a place where the whole family can interact, and where kids can play.

Hiring professional help

Since taking care of a landscape often requires help, if yard/landscape owners were to look to landscape professionals for help, the most important factors they would look for would be price (69%) and quality of work (68%). Interestingly, men place more value on quality of work, whereas women cite price as particularly important.

"Our members dedicate their lives to helping homeowners keep their yards and outdoor spaces healthy and inviting," said PLANET CEO Sabeena Hickman, CAE, CMP. "We're glad to see that consumers are taking pride in their well-kept landscapes and find them important areas for relaxation and quality time with family."

For the full report, visit www.loveyourlandscape.com or contact lisaschaumann@landcarenetwork.org.

About the survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of PLANET from Dec. 11-13, 2012, among 2,893 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, contact Lisa Schaumann at lisaschaumann@landcarenetwork.org.