In recent years, gardens have boomed in popularity, providing people with their own personal outdoor space that they can customise to their heart’s content. A well-kept and thoughtfully designed garden can add considerable value to your home, making it a highly valuable asset in more ways than one.
Having rediscovered our passion for gardens and the outdoors during the many lockdowns of the last few years, more people than ever want to add a personal touch to their own outdoor space.
These customisations can vary wildly from heavy-duty projects such as landscaping your garden or zoning your outdoor space with some garden walling, to smaller alterations like investing in new garden furniture or adding some flower-filled hanging baskets for an extra burst of colour.
As we all use our outdoor space differently, we have different aims when it comes to revamping our garden. Those of us with a passion for nature may invest in some wildflower seeds to add a wild border around the edge of the garden, while sustainability enthusiasts and foodies might install some raised beds to grow their own organic vegetables.
The alterations you can make to your garden are as wide and varied as the different ways in which you can use the space. This huge variation made us wonder what the biggest garden renovation trends are in 2022.
The most popular garden renovation products
Here we can see which types of renovation products have been the most popular among customers in the first half of 2022. By comparing the amount spent across these categories, we can see where people are investing the most in their gardens.
The most popular product category by average spend is garden paving, with customers spending substantially more than on driveway products. In general, we see a trend of people investing in their gardens in the run up to Spring/Summer, with a shift to driveways in autumn and winter.
Amongst most popular garden paving products are Symphony and Arrento, both part of our porcelain paving ranges. Growing in popularity in recent years, porcelain is ideal for family gardens due to its low maintenance and slip resistant properties and is available in a range of colours and finishes.
“The right choice of paving and patio slabs, stones and flags can rejuvenate even the most tired-looking garden and transform it into an outdoor oasis. From somewhere to soak up the sun to a selling point that could add as much as 20% to the value of your home.”
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design at Marshalls
The most popular garden features
Here we looked at 100 different garden features that people could be looking to add to their outdoor space. To find out which is the most popular, we recorded the total number of Google searches each term received over the past 12 months.
So, from installing new patio slabs to creating a garden office, here are the most popular garden features of the year.
1. Summer house - search volume: 1,598,500
The most popular garden renovation, with 1,598,500 searches, is the addition of a summer house. While this requires owning a garden with substantial space to commit to the project, as well as plenty of DIY skills and know-how, building a summer house at the bottom of the garden is a great way to get the most out of the warm summer months. These often need to be built on hard-standing, or recommended utility or standard paving flags in order to ensure good structural integrity.
2. Pergola - search volume: 1,513,000
With 1,513,000 searches, pergolas are the second most popular garden renovation of the year. Installing a pergola in your garden is a great way of ensuring that you can enjoy your outdoor space even in the hottest weather. By being able to extend and retract an overhead cover, you can place your seating area in shade when the sun becomes too intense, while retracting the cover when it becomes more bearable.
3. Garden trampoline - search volume: 1,465,500
The third most popular garden feature is a trampoline, for which there were 1,465,500 searches in the last 12 months. If you’ve got the room for one, a trampoline can turn your garden into a fun and exciting place for your kids to play, though adults can enjoy bouncing up and down just as much!
“Transforming your garden into a livable space is a great way to make the most of your outdoor areas, especially in the summer months when we all want to be outside. Whether you opt for a handy pergola to keep you shaded or a garden trampoline to entertain the kids, there are endless ways to get the most from your outdoor space.”
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design at Marshalls
Garden features with the biggest increase in popularity
As with anything else, what is popular in the garden one year may well be out of favour the next, with different features coming in and out of fashion on a regular basis. In this section, we look at the difference in popularity of our selected garden features between 2019 and 2022. So, which garden design ideas and renovations have seen the biggest rise in popularity?
1. Garden rugs - increase in searches: 391.12%
Garden rugs are the feature that has increased in popularity the most since 2019, with searches for the item increasing by 391.12%. As many of us rediscovered the joys of our gardens and outdoor spaces during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, we’ve become increasingly eager to spend time outside. An outdoor rug is a perfect addition to your garden to easily make the outdoors more comfortable, while also being versatile, easy to move and relatively inexpensive.
2. Outdoor pizza oven - increase in searches: 208.95%
The garden feature with the second-biggest increase in popularity since 2019 is the outdoor pizza oven, having seen an increase in searches of 208.95%. While having a barbecue in your garden is almost a requirement of any well-spent summer, there are other ways of cooking outdoors and socialising with friends. The outdoor pizza oven is a great alternative to the traditional barbecue or full-on outdoor kitchen, providing another option for entertaining and feeding guests at the same time.
3. Outdoor tiles - increase in searches: 177.15%
In third place, with an increase in searches of 177.15%, are outdoor tiles. Incorporating tiles into your garden can be a great way of adding splashes of colour without resorting to plastic materials. Outdoor tiles can be a great option when laying down a patio, while the diverse range of colours and materials available means you can get very creative with your design, turning a plain old patio into a vibrant mosaic.
“The last few years have changed our priorities from working to commuting, home life and beyond - including our garden space. Many people realised the power and necessity of outdoor space and gardens in lockdown, and ever since, we have begun to invest more and more in our exteriors. Garden rugs are such a simple addition to your garden but can completely transform the space.”
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design at Marshalls
Most popular garden styles
In our research into the most popular garden trends of 2022, we also looked at the popularity of different types and styles of gardens to reveal which themes are currently the most desirable. These styles don’t just cover the aesthetics of your outdoor space, but also its function and usability. How does your favourite garden style rank?
1. Japanese garden - annual search volume: 198,200
Japanese gardens are the most popular garden type of 2022, with a total search volume of 198,200 over the last twelve months. Japanese gardens put an emphasis on highlighting natural landscapes and generally avoid artificial ornamentation. Water, rocks and gravel often play an important role in adding character to Japanese gardens, while evergreen plants often form the backbone of the featured foliage. With a similar climate to the UK, plants from Japan are generally well-suited to British weather conditions, making Japanese gardens a great choice if you have the time, dedication and space to craft your own.
2. Flower garden - annual search volume: 142,900
Traditional flower gardens are the second most popular type of garden in 2022, receiving 142,900 searches in the past year. Flower gardens have been popular in the west for hundreds of years, offering a huge array of colours, scents and shapes that make any space a pleasure to be in. Not only are flower gardens visually appealing and incredibly diverse, but they are also great for supporting pollinators and other insects that are becoming increasingly threatened by the loss of natural habitats and food sources.
3. Fairy garden - annual search volume: 138,600
In third place with 138,600 searches are fairy gardens. These whimsical gardens incorporate a wide range of ornaments and miniature plants that give your outdoor space a magical feeling. The addition of small doors on trees, mushrooms or ornamental replicas, or even miniature wheelbarrows, benches or tables give the illusion of having your very own resident fairies living in your garden.
"A garden is the perfect place for refuge and relaxation. As your own exclusive outdoor living space, it’s somewhere to share with loved ones or take some time out from the hustle and bustle of the modern world."
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design at Marshalls
Most popular garden flowers
Flowers have long been one of the most popular additions to any garden, backyard or outdoor space, providing an injection of colour to brighten any space and attracting all sorts of insects and birds. Whether neatly arranged in flower beds, left to grow wild on the borders of your lawn, or placed in hanging baskets around your property, there are a huge variety of flowers to choose from that suit these different settings.
1. Roses - search volume: 1,646,000
Roses are the most popular flower in the UK with 1,646,000 searches in the past year. These flowers have long been associated with love and romance, as well as being something of a national symbol for the UK. Roses are popular for their strikingly delicate appearance as well as their fragrant aroma and are a good addition for any green-thumbed gardener.
2. Poppies - search volume: 1,248,000
Poppies take second place in our ranking of flowers, having received 1,248,000 searches over the past year. Poppies are a native flower to the UK and are very easy to grow, self-seeding and often coming back year after year. While the red poppy is the most commonly known, they also come in striking yellows, oranges, pinks and purples, as well as pristine white to contrast with other colourful flowers in your garden.
3. Sunflower - search volume: 1,160,000
The third most popular flowers in the UK are sunflowers, which were searched for a total of 1,160,000 times. While most commonly associated with Van Gogh’s paintings and the Netherlands, sunflowers are actually native to the Americas, though you can grow them well enough in sunny parts of the UK. These tall, oversized flowers are perfect for acting as a focal point in your garden, adding character with their bright and lofty presence.
Most popular trees for the garden
Trees can form an integral part of a garden, giving the space privacy, room for wildlife, natural shade and an anchor to tie different zones together. There are many species of trees to choose from when designing your garden, each with its own benefits and drawbacks, such as the time it takes to grow or the space it requires to flourish. You don’t always need a huge space for trees, with many varieties being well-suited to small gardens and yards. Here are the trees that people have been searching for the most, with the ambition of growing their very own.
1. Acer - search volume: 72,850
Acer trees are by far the most popular tree for gardeners in the UK having received 72,850 searches. Acer trees are native to much of the Far East, but are perhaps most commonly associated with Japan, where they are popular additions in many gardens. Their distinctively shaped leaves and vibrant foliage add to their appeal, while their smaller size means that younger specimens can be housed in pots if you have limited outdoor space or room for planting.
2. Apple tree - search volume: 15,050
Apple trees are the second most sought-after tree in the UK. Apple trees are great additions to any garden, providing beautiful blossoms in the spring and fresh fruit in the summer, while also providing insects and wildlife with a great additional food source. Coming in a variety of sizes, you can fit an apple tree in the smallest of gardens, making them another great choice for those with limited space.
3. Oak - search volume: 11,620
In third place, with 11,620 searches, are oak trees. Two species of oak are native to the UK, and a single tree can support thousands of other species, making it an excellent tree to have in the garden. However, oak trees are incredibly long-lived so take an equally long time to grow to maturity, usually at least 20 years, with most oaks only producing acorns after 30-50 years. While this may seem too long to wait for a single tree, oaks can live up to 1,000 years in some cases, so the act of planting a native variety is a great contribution to the local environment. As the ancient Greek proverb goes: “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
Most popular garden herbs
Here we consider the popularity of the herb garden, looking at different herbs that you could plant in the UK. Herb gardens are a great way of giving your outdoor space practical use and require relatively little space depending on what you grow.
1. Rosemary - search volume: 70,330
Rosemary is the most popular herb to grow in the UK, with 70,330 searches on how to grow or plant it in the last 12 months. Rosemary has been grown in the UK for hundreds of years and is a core herb in British and European cuisine. The rosemary plant is relatively hardy, and will thrive outdoors with a little trimming and care, while also growing to approximately four feet high if allowed to.
2. Mint - search volume: 61,730
Mint is the second most popular herb to grow in the UK, receiving 61,370 searches in the last 12 months. Mint is relatively easy to grow and thrives in the UK’s climate, making it an ideal herb for novice gardeners to cut their teeth on. If planted in soil, mint will often spread to cover a wider area, so consider planting it in pots if you want to avoid this.
3. Sage - search volume: 59,360
The third most popular herb to grow in the UK is sage, which received 59,360 searches in the last year. Sage thrives when grown in direct sunlight, which also helps to bring out the flavour in the leaves. However, be careful to ensure that your sage plants have adequate drainage and do not become waterlogged, as this can severely damage the plant and prevent it from coming back the following year.
“Having flowers, trees, herbs and other greenery in your garden can have a transformative effect, no matter what size of garden you have access to. While you can use plants decoratively to increase the visual appeal of your outdoor space, they also come with a range of practical benefits. Trees and hedges are great for increasing the privacy of your garden while acting as a natural sound barrier; trees also create a cooling effect which reduces the air temperature around them. And don’t forget herbs and other plants, which look and smell great and can also be used as cooking and baking ingredients. Incorporating more plants into your garden can also increase air quality, and planting for pollinators will help a wide range of species. If you can, leave an out-of-the-way patch to go a little wild, allowing ‘weeds’ such as nettles to grow can provide an invaluable food source for the caterpillars of a wide variety of butterflies.”
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design at Marshalls
Methodology
We wanted to find out which garden renovation trends are the most popular in the UK. To do this, we used Google’s Keyword Planner to collect UK search data for over one hundred different garden renovations, additions and alterations.
Additionally, we did the same thing for different garden styles, as well as flowers, trees and herbs, to identify some of the biggest gardening trends in the UK.
We also used our own internal data to reveal which garden renovation products are the most popular by ranking based off their average spend per customer.
