What you need to know
The US lawn and garden market grew steadily over the review period. Yet the segment represented by MULO (multi-outlet) sales, which is comprised largely of lawn and weed products, is on the decline. Consumers still buy most lawn and garden products at big box stores like The Home Depot, but garden stores/nurseries have become the preferred channel for more consumers. At issue are smaller lots, growing fear of weed killers, and a Millennial generation that has delayed home ownership.
However, there are opportunities. Products to support indoor and small space gardening will gain the interest of the growing ranks living in multi-unit housing, while promoting the financial and nutritive value of homegrown food will appeal to the economizing consumer. Natural lawn care and drought-tolerant grass varieties will have potential among young families who are establishing new households.
Definition
For the purposes of this Report, DIY (do-it-yourself) lawn/garden activities refer to work done directly by consumers, while paid lawn/garden projects refer to work done only by residential professional lawn/garden service providers, not commercial.
Lawn projects may include activities such as lawn maintenance (eg lawn mowing, grass cutting), lawn planting/seeding, lawn renovation (eg replacing turf with new grass without changing the grade), and the use of lawn fertilizers and chemicals.
Gardening activities may include fruit or vegetable gardening (any types of formats including hydroponic, container, or outdoor), container gardening, native plant gardening (plants specific to respondents’ area), hardscaping (eg building walls, patio areas), exotic plant gardening, and hydroponic/water/aqua gardening.
Mintel also created two lawn and garden segments which are defined as follows:
Gardening Enthusiast – those that at least occasionally participate in lawn and garden care, like or love caring for their lawn and garden, and have at least intermediate lawn and garden skills.
Gardening Non-enthusiast – those that never participate in lawn and garden care, either dislike or don’t mind caring for their lawn and garden, and have no or basic lawn and garden skills.
