Wednesday, September 30, 2026
The backbone of the garden
Plants, the foundation of the garden market
We rarely sell a spade, fertilizer, lawnmower, potting soil, or robotic mower for their own sake. First and foremost, there needs to be a desire to plant, cultivate, or maintain a green space. This desire is fueled by plants. All product categories depend on them, from tools to motorized equipment, from landscaping to decoration. Plants are therefore an important barometer for all of us in the gardening industry. And we must closely monitor their trends each year.
Every product category has its ups and downs from one season to the next. Plants, however, remain the stable benchmark, the one that gets everything else going. But if the plants falter, how do you sell the equipment that goes with them? That was the case this summer… If the grass isn't growing, there's no point in getting the lawnmower out. The robotic mower, however sophisticated, is useless if the grass hasn't grown since the last cut. It's basic and foolproof!
In short, in the garden, plants are vital… To borrow an old slogan from way back!
2024, a multi-speed market
Looking ahead to 2024, let's rewind a bit! The overall market is down 6%, 4% once inflation is adjusted. And we've fallen below the 8 billion mark, to €7.7 billion to be precise. Not great! We were so ready to break the 10 million mark… One can dream!
That year, several categories saw growth. Motorized equipment increased by 5%, and garden maintenance by 3%. Others declined. Outdoor plants decreased by 3%, and indoor plants by 1%. Garden leisure activities plummeted by 14%, landscaping by 10%, equipment by 9%, and decoration by 8%.
Despite this decline, plants still account for 25% of the €7.7 billion. This resilience is significant, even in a challenging year. Garden centers limited their losses to -4%, better than the overall market, largely thanks to plant sales.
If you remember, 2024 was a rainy year! When it rains, the grass grows and garden equipment sells well. But if the sky is gray, we don't bring out the patio furniture. That's not about the plants, it's about the weather. That said, if it's raining, there's no point in going outside to plant and arrange flowers... Our job is so simple!
By 2025, the plant life will regain its vigor.
The following year was a bit different. The market declined again, this time by 2%, to €7.6 billion. A fourth consecutive year of decline—what a nightmare. Outdoor plants, however, showed the best performance of the year, with increases of between 1% and 2%. The same was true for plant care products and potting soils.
Other categories are losing ground. Equipment sales are down 4%, outdoor furniture sales are down 7%, and motorized vehicles are experiencing a significant slowdown at -13% after a strong year in 2024.
The weather, as usual, played its part with a favorable start to the year. Things got less rosy after that. The second half of the year was more volatile, and the October rebound wasn't enough to reverse the trend. Households are also prioritizing savings. Meanwhile, the real estate market is stagnating, which is naturally limiting the creation of new gardens.
Over the years, things become clearer: if the weather is suitable, we plant; if we plant, everything else progresses… It's becoming clearer and clearer!
What do amateur gardeners want?
Once we have captured this weather/plant duo, all that remains is to ask our consumer for additional information!
Nearly 60% of French people have a garden, and 85% of those with outdoor space have worked in it. A huge customer base, but an increasingly demanding one. Not for lack of space, in any case.
The Promojardin-Promanimal survey, conducted in three waves with 2,556 respondents between June and August 2026, provides clear clues as to what motivates them, or not…
61% of French people want more greenery in the streets and public spaces. That's great, but only 17% want it in private gardens. Fortunately, 47% see greenery as a solution to climate change within ten years.
As for drawbacks, 43% cite price as the primary concern, while 26% mention ease of maintenance. Simplicity and price: two words that should resonate with all product categories, without exception. No consumer is immune to the allure of simplifying their life rather than acquiring more equipment.
Heatwave: accelerator or deterrent?
As of 2026, we're still dealing with it, you've seen the damage…
This question of heat has been coming up constantly for the past two summers. By the time of the next Garden Trends JdC in March 2027, will we already be experiencing a heatwave? If you had any doubts about our weather dependence, you can dispel them right now!
Okay, that's a lot of figures to absorb and analyze. But to simplify, the garden market rests on two important pillars.
On the one hand, the weather, on the other hand, vegetation and all the values associated with it.
Meanwhile, our consumer, who has less money to spend, still seeks to be amazed by a flower or a decoration. And they are also very aware of the essential role of plants in protecting themselves from climate change.
So what???
If we had to summarize our future reflections, we could address them in the following way:
- Adding greenery to our product ranges and communications
- Simplify our speeches
- To have a closer relationship with our customers.
As for the weather, forget it, for now, we don't have any control over it. We can only anticipate the heat and protect ourselves from it in our offices and points of sale.
Plants remain the foundation of our business. Other sectors rise or fall around them depending on the year. What economic model is there for distributors and manufacturers who don't rely solely on plants? That's a crucial question; I'll let you delve into it with me to find a somewhat satisfactory answer.
We'll discuss this further in upcoming articles… Later in the season, before addressing the topic at a conference during JdC Garden Trends 2027. The goal isn't to scare off any particular product category. It's simply to put plants back at the heart of the discussion, where they've always been.
President of Promojardin-Promanimal
Sources
Promojardin/Les Echos Studies Study
Univers Habitat, Garden Market Review 2025
Promojardin-Promanimal