UK gardens hold £18.6bn

29 April 2008

British gardens contain £18.6bn worth of plants, tools and furniture

According to a survey by Lloyds TSB Insurance, the contents of the average garden, including exotic plants, hi-tech tools and luxury furniture, are worth £1,237.

The typical cost of the most expensive item in the UK garden is £426.

However, one in ten gardens are more luxurious and contain items worth over £3,000, and five per cent of all gardens contain one expensive item worth over £1,000.

Phil Loney, managing director of Lloyds TSB Insurance, said: “Everyone knows we Brits are a nation of green-fingered garden lovers who love nothing better than spending time in the great outdoors.

“It’s hard to put a price on the pleasure of a barbeque on a summer’s evening but gardeners should stop to think exactly how much their backyards are worth,” he added.

But, despite spending a small fortune on their gardens, the majority of Britons don’t know if they have adequate insurance cover for their garden goodies.

Over half (55%) have never checked to see if their garden contents are covered by their home insurance policy and nine out of ten (87%) don’t revalue their gardens at the end of each year to see if they are still adequately covered.

Mr Loney said: “With all the gadgets and goodies that are available, they can quickly add up and gardeners run the risk of being under insured.

“Home insurance policies vary greatly and often have limits on how much they cover outside. Take time to calculate the value of everything outdoors and choose a policy to suit your gardening needs,” he concluded.

Here are some of the other interesting statistics uncovered by the Lloyds TSB Insurance survey:

26% of Britons enjoy more than six hours a week in their garden during spring and summer
22% of British gardens have a water feature
33% have ornamental plants
25% have statues and ornaments
7% have a patio heater

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