The Global Garden Report 2011 - Husqvarna Group

France
Peace of mind pays off
A proud history of influence
and being influenced
Home of the Champs Elysees and Jardin
des Tuileries, as well as a strong, proud and
ambitious culture of local farming, the world
has looked to France for gardening inspiration
for centuries and still does. French gardens
are admired the world over, but since the
days of Louis XIV’s legendary gardener André
Le Nôtre, the French have also had a proud
history of being inspired by others as well.
Not surprisingly then, even today the French
keep up to date with the latest gardening
trends more than any other group. And they
are right to do so: in this year’s Husqvarna
Global Garden Report, well-designed and
well-maintained gardens raised the perceived
property value of a house by 15% in France. On
top of that, the estimated Payback-If-Sold in
France was an impressive 5.0 times the money
invested.
path to inner peace. Thus, finding a moment of
harmony to tune out and reconnect with nature
for a while is a top priority for the garden.
Although appreciating a relaxing
atmosphere, French gardeners do not see any
reason to slack off when it comes to keeping
up the curb appeal. Second only to Australia,
France is the country where most people
consider time and resources spent on the
garden an investment. The well-maintained
lawn and, to a far higher extent than in other
countries, well-kept hedges are considered to
contribute most to property value in France.
The garden-proud French spend more time
than money on landscaping, perhaps reflecting
the level of gardening skills they have inherited.
However, what gardeners in France definitely
wouldn’t say no to is an automatic water system
and a robotic mower. After all, the gardens of
Versailles were not built without the help of
some handy tools.
Where peace of mind pays off
Although innovation and sophistication have
been keywords describing gardening in France
for centuries, the life-loving French consider
their gardens first and foremost as a place to
relax. In last year’s report we found that French
bloggers express their passion for gardening in
poetic language, celebrating gardening as the
French Gardening In Numbers
Follow gardening trends 40%
Spend more than 20 hours tending to the
garden in a spring month
30%
Believe somebody in neighborhood has a
more attractive garden
85%
Consider the garden an investment 60%
30