Southerners love their landscapes. In fact, in a recent Gallup
survey, Southerners led
the nation in what they spent to improve their yards.
“Americans spent $14.2 billion to beautify their landscapes in
1995,” said Gary Wade,
a horticulturist with the University of Georgia Extension
Service. “That’s an average of
$710 per household. The figure is up 5 percent from 1994.”
The Gallup survey was based on interviews with 1,500 households
across the nation.
More than 20 million households hired landscape, lawn-care
and/or tree-care services
in 1995. About 3 million more expected to join that number in
1996.
“The average amount spent per household rose for the third year
in a row,” Wade said.
“Industry experts believe the market for these services is
solid. It will continue to
grow.”
Homeowners aged 30 to 49 accounted for more than half of the
spending on yard
improvement. Married couples with children paid out two-thirds
of the total spent to
install landscapes. Homeowners over 50 spent nearly half of all
money spent to keep up
lawns and landscapes.
Americans spent $4,173 per household on landscape services.
“That’s an increase of 40 percent,” Wade said.
Tree-care spending also rose by 19 percent. That averages $400
per household.
“Homeowners are focusing more on outdoor living spaces as a
target of home
improvement,” Wade said. “They consider their landscape an
improvement investment
for home equity.”
People have less time to spend working on their lawns,
landscapes and trees, he said.
More and more families have two incomes. These people will be
more likely to hire
someone to take care of their landscapes.
A growing number of people don’t want lawns that are just
beautiful, Wade said. They
want great landscapes that are at peace with the world around
them.
“It is not surprising that homeowners said they want their lawns
and landscapes to be
well-designed,” he said. “But they also have a high level of
environmental sensitivity.”
To learn more about taking care of your landscape and trees,
contact the county
extension office. It’s in the phone book under “county
government.”
