It’s officially spring and Dobbies’ London stores are gearing up for their busiest spring ever. In fact, new research from the UK’s leading garden centre retailer has found that a huge 72% of Londoners can’t wait to get back gardening now that spring is here.

The research, from Independent Media News, looked into this year’s gardening trends, attitudes towards gardening, garden centres themselves and some of the misconceptions about the UK’s favourite pastime.

It found just under half of people in London wanting to learn more about gardening, and 39% found gardening helps with mental health.

The research also looked into this year’s trends and found the top focuses in London were growing your own produce (43%), creating an outdoor social area (30%) and encouraging more wildlife into the garden (28%).

When it comes to what type of garden London locals might be looking to create, top trends are growing your own (39%), creating a social space (32%) and wild flower (32%). So, it’s clear that people are looking to make the most of their vegetable patch, together with a well-formed BBQ area or space to socialise with friends and family and enjoy a wild flower area in the garden.

Across the UK, even those without an actual garden are still looking forward to gardening. A massive 90% of people surveyed said they have still taken up gardening even if they don’t have an outdoor space by bringing the garden indoors. From sunny window ledges to cool dark corners, lots of plants thrive indoors, and you can grow your own produce just as effectivity indoors as out. What’s more, studies have proven that houseplants improve concentration and productivity by up to 15%, reduce stress levels, and boost your mood.1.

Gardening sustainably is high on the list of priorities for gardeners according to the survey. Almost 46% of Londoners said they are more likely to shop at a garden centre that is sustainably focused and 27% go to the garden centre for advice and tips. Dobbies is notably 100% peat-free in relation to bagged compost and has just launched a partnership with elho to offer plant pot and tray recycling in-store.

Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies, said: “Spring is our busiest time of the year, with our garden centres featuring a whole host of popular and new plants, seeds, houseplants and garden furniture, ideal for the gardens, balconies and window ledges of London’s homes.

“The past few years have seen a huge increase in the number of people enjoying gardening and recognising its benefits, for both physical and mental wellbeing. Our team are ready for a busy few months and we look forward to giving plenty of hints, tips and advice to gardeners, no matter their level of expertise or size of outdoor space.”