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Millennials and Gardening/Outdoor Design - Insights and Trends

Delivered December 17, 2019. Contributor: Katieanne G.

Goals

To explore how important gardening/outdoor design is to millennials. Provide insights or trends that address the following: 1) How does residence type (i.e. single family home, apartment) affect gardening/outdoor design choices for millennials? 2) Do millennials design their gardens/outdoor spaces themselves, or do they seek expert advice? Regional focus is the US.

Early Findings

This hour of research found that indoor gardens are becoming increasingly popular with millennials since many are apartment dwellers or rent their homes. In addition, homesteading as a way to live organically and practice sustainability appeals to many millennials. Our findings indicate that there are additional insights and trends available in this space with continued research.

Millennial Renters are Opting for Indoor Gardens

  • Only 37% of millennials own their home. Living in an apartment or rental property gives them less space — and freedom — to cultivate an outdoor garden.
  • As a result, millennials are buying houseplants and arranging them around the home to make indoor gardens. According to a 2018 New York Times article, "Millennials were responsible for 31 percent of houseplant sales in 2016." Residents are even going so far as to design intricate indoor irrigation systems for these gardens.
  • In addition to the health benefits associated with having plants around the house, millennials — many of whom have not yet started families — turn to their indoor gardens to satisfy a natural urge to "nurture and care" for a living thing.
  • Indoor gardens are also a way for millennial renters to elevate their moods and curb feelings of depression or anxiety.

Homesteading is Becoming Popular with Millennials

  •  Homesteading is defined as "practicing self-sufficiency on your own land." For millennials, this means cultivating organic food gardens, beekeeping, or raising small livestock (like chickens) "in a way that minimizes... environmental impact."
  • This is a do-it-yourself (DIY) process, and it allows millennials to connect with nature and escape from the daily digital grind. It is also fueled by this generation's conscientiousness about health, wellness, and the value of organic foods.
  • According to a 2017 National Gardening survey, DIY gardening in general is on the rise in large part due to millennials' interest in growing organic foods.

Proprietary Research

In addition to this public search, we scanned our proprietary research database of over 1 million sources and were unable to find any specific research reports that address your goals.

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