How expensive is gardening in the UK?

Although it’s a popular hobby for many, gardening can be expensive. The cost of gardening adds up as we keep up with new trends and keep our gardens looking their best. It’s estimated that over the course of a gardener’s lifetime, they’ll spend £30,000 on tending to their garden. A staggering amount by anyone’s standards, but just how does the amount break down?

Today’s guest blog is courtesy of multi-purpose compost retailer Compost Direct, who offer a range of landscaping materials on their website, compostdirect.com.

The cost of gardening

In research carried out by Gardening Express, it was discovered that £10,000 was being spent on plants! £9,000 was found to be spent on renewing old decking and creating new patio (based on renewing the patio and decking six times across their lifetime).

The £30,000 statistic came from a study in 2014, more recent research shows that the amount people are spending on their garden is slowing down. The survey by Lloyds Bank Insurance found that households spend an average of £587 on gardening in a 12-month period between 2015 and 2016.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers. If we take the average UK lifespan at 80 years old and consider that most Brits won’t buy their first home until they’re 30, we can assume around 50 years of gardening. Based on the £587 average household spend, more recent data suggests that this spend has dropped to £29,350 — a £750 decrease on the figures from 2014.

Sometimes, we want our gardens to look their best without the manual labour. This is when the option of hiring a professional comes in — together with Compost Direct, retailers of multi-purpose compost, we take a look at how much this costs.

Cost of gardening: A gardener to cut your lawn

To hire someone to cut your lawn, this can cost around £30 depending on the size of the grassy area. Between March and September, this will usually be required fortnightly, racking up a total cost of £420 annually. Assuming an average lawnmower costs £100, and this is just a fraction of the cost of professional lawn cutting service.

Cost of gardening: Laying a patio

Many people enjoy having a patio in their garden. Laying a patio around 4m by 2m costs £475 on average. If you were to do the work yourself, you’d need around 18 900mm x 900mm paving slabs. You’ll also need to consider the cost of hardcore and bedding mortar. It is also a labour-intensive task so, while you may be able to save money, it may be more worthwhile to call in the professionals.

Cost of gardening: Install a shed

For a basic shed, expect to spend around £150. However, the cost of building a garden shed is £150 too, assuming the flat base is already in place. Although it may seem complex, building your own shed could save you some cash.

Cost of gardening: Adding some decking

Due to the complexity of the task, many people hire someone to lay their decking. But could you save some money by doing it yourself?

Before you start installing decking, you should add up the costs. For budget timber, you can expect to pay around £14 per square meter. For a decking that’s around 14m2 — approximately the size you’ll need to house a dining table and chairs — you can expect to pay £196 just for the basic boards.

Some homeowners prefer to have their decking made of premium hardwood though. This price rises to approximately £90 per square meter, bringing the total to £1,260 for the same 14m2 area. Not to mention an extra £250 for a fram/sub base which includes heavier timber, screws and postcrete for this size decking. You’ll also have the cost of fittings on top of this, as well as a drill and saw if you don’t already have this.

It can be a difficult process, some joiners in the UK charge between £150-200 per day. Make sure to find out how many days it will take to install before agreeing to the payments. In total, installing basic decking will likely cost around £596, while you can expect to pay £1,660 for premium hardwood decking.

Browse Compost Direct’s range of composts and landscaping materials at compostdirect.com.