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As many as 60 percent of children are now growing vegetables with their parents or guardians, with one in six naming a sunflower as their children’s favourite plant.
Watering the garden, planting bulbs, and potting plants were deemed the best garden activities to share with a youngster, while 21 percent enjoy filling up the bird bath.
Gardening Guru, Kate Turner, from Miracle-Gro, which commissioned the survey, said: “It’s amazing that so many youngsters are being inspired to take up such an important life skill.
“Not only that, but spending time with loved ones outdoors can be such a special experience that families can cherish for years.
“That’s why we’re working with Greenfingers – a national charity dedicated to supporting life-limited children and their families who spend time in hospices around the UK – to assist with a therapeutic garden within “The Nook”, a purpose-built children’s hospice in Norfolk.”
The study also found almost half (47 percent) spent the various lockdowns teaching new things to the young people in their care.
Gardening topped the list – but 40 percent also showed them around the kitchen to improve their cooking skills, while 16 percent passed on sewing skills.
And almost two-thirds (64 percent) of those polled hope their child or grandchild grows up to be green-fingered.
A further 43 percent believe gardening is beneficial to their youngster’s mental health, with eight in ten wanting their young wards to spend more time outdoors than inside watching TV.
Top reasons for this are that it’s better for their health (70 percent), and it helps them burn off excess energy (56 percent).
But 57 percent think it’s important for kids to have an interest in nature, as they are the generation that’s going to have to “save the planet”.
And 85 percent look forward to the bond that can develop by spending time in the garden with their children or grandchildren.
It also emerged half of respondents have spent more time gardening than in the pre-pandemic times – which has meant 37 percent of children have been outside more too, according to the OnePoll data.
Almost nine in ten enjoy teaching their kids or grandchildren new things, with 70 percent having fond memories of learning new skills from their own parents or grandparents.
Kate Turner, from Miracle-Gro, which has launched a special edition “Greenfingers” peat-free compost pack to support the charity, added: “Not only does spending time with loved ones in the outdoors create an incredible bond between families, but there is a huge wealth of knowledge that can be passed down from parents and grandparents.
“Getting kids interested from a young age can foster a love of gardening and the outdoors that can last a lifetime, and the memories can also live on forever.”
THE MOST POPULAR GARDENING TASKS FOR PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS AND KIDS:
- Watering plants
- Planting flowers/bulbs
- Potting plants
- Growing vegetables
- Weeding
- Picking vegetables
- Filling up the bird bath
- Sweeping a path
- Deadheading flowers
- Mowing the lawn
- Jet washing
- Painting fences
- Homing insects
- Pruning hedges
- Cutting back trees
- Leaf blowing
- Cleaning the pond
- Digging trenches
- Building a shed
- Laying decking
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