Trend 3: Greenhouses As A Status experience and a health point of view)
Symbol and by the fact that market conditions
mean families are moving less and
In recent years there has been a investing more in their existing
definite change in the way customers properties.
view their greenhouses – instead of
being just a functional building, in 2019 Families moving less frequently has
gardeners will increasingly view them
as almost lifestyle accessories and to an
extent, status symbols.
Imposing and grand Victorian
structures are increasingly popular,
with customers using them to frame
and display ambitious plant collections
in a similar way to the hothouses
of the Victorian era. The Victorians
filling their large glasshouses with
exotic ferns and giant palms is still a
very covetable look which customers
recreate today. One Hartley Botanic
customer recently shared that she
liked to “show off” her greenhouse to
other members of the gardening club
she had joined.
Trend 4: City Dwelling Families
With Young Families, Not Just The
Retired In The Country
In terms of customer demographic,
Hartley Botanic’s customers are
changing. From a group primarily
composed of the over 50s and the
retired to a more mixed customer base
which includes younger consumers
usually with children and the
manufacturer expects this change to
increase in 2019.
This seems to be driven by both a
desire for children to benefit from
home-produced food (both from an
6
Landscape & Urban Design Issue 35 2019
also influenced interest from urban
customers and in the last year there
has been a renewed greenhouse
demand from city dwellers:
Christopher White, Sales Manager
for Hartley Botanic commented; “In
general there is a growing demand
amongst city dwellers for greenhouses
– both in the UK and abroad (we have
seen considerable growth from the US’
major cities over the last two years.)
“London, for example, is hugely
diverse in terms of its ‘under glass’
growing tastes and the preferences of
its homeowners. Commonly however,
we are experiencing increased demand
for larger and lean-to structures
which we believe reflects a customer
desire to invest long-term in their
homes. We do still see a demand for
small, practical greenhouse solutions
for city dwellers but increasingly
homeowners want something which
makes a beautiful statement in their