Millions of Brits admit they are clueless about gardening – so rely on mom and dad for help, a study has revealed. Research showed that six out of ten of us now regularly stand at the kitchen window on a weekend and watch mom or dad toiling away at lawns or flowerbeds.
A third also admit they have no idea what they are doing, and completely lack confidence – but one in ten are happy to delegate gardening duties to their parents simply because they are better at it.
The poll by weed killer firm Roundup found that the typical adult doesn’t ‘get the hang of’ gardening until they reach the ripe old age of forty.
And 70% of the adults polled said settling down and starting a family kick starts an interest in gardening.
Of those, 46% said it was because you become more focused on your home and garden than going out.
Over two thirds of those polled rated their gardening ability as average or poor, and just one in twenty of the 2000 adults aged 20-50 rated themselves as excellent.
Roundup spokesman Gary Philpotts said:
”It would seem that Britons are really relying on their parents to help keep their gardens in shape.
”It’s natural that people tend to get into gardening as they get older – its part and parcel of being a home owner.
”If the average first time buyer is in their mid-thirties it’s easy to see how up until then you have little experience of gardening,”
”At first, we all make mistakes but slowly and surely you will pick things up – as long as you keep your lawn cut and tidy, the patio swept and keep on top of the weeds, you won’t go far wrong.
”The older generation are only more experienced at tending to their lawns and flower beds as they have had years of practice and the more you become interested the more you learn.”
The study also found that a quarter of those who get help from parents do muck in too, but leave mom and dad in charge.
Although a more laidback 16% said they leave everything to their folks as they are happy to do it.
Only one in ten said their parents grumble about their lack of capabilities.
But two-thirds felt confident that their horticultural skills would improve with age.
Understandably the most the common chores that Brits draft in help for were listed as laying decking or a patio, building a shed or greenhouse and fixing fences.
But one in five say they need help with cutting the grass, weeding and even digging the flowers beds.
Bizarrely – one in twenty even need help arranging the garden ornaments.
In fact 17% have even resorted to moving house because they couldn’t cope with the upkeep of a high maintenance garden.
Nearly one in five said they embraced gardening when starting a family so their back garden was a pleasant area for their kids to play in.
Gary Philpotts added:
”Having children and settling down is bound to impact on your interest in gardening, it’s only natural that you want a safe environment for your kids to play.
”The poll found that once adults gained in confidence and could identify a weed from a flower they enjoyed their garden that bit more.
”It’s like everything – if you are inexperienced and a bit clueless you tend to shy away from tackling it, but once you know the basics you can start to flourish.”
