A blooming farm business
Amenity horticulture has grown by 50% since 2000 — a prime example of how the changes in the economy have thrown up opportunities for farmers.
This is part of the Celtic Tiger property boom, with the garden being viewed as ‘another room’ by house-owners, who are willing to spend large amounts of money on extra features such as decking, fountains, ponds, statues and barbecue areas.
Meanwhile, per capita consumption on cut flowers has increased considerably, driven by increased urbanisation and higher disposable incomes.
Between 2003 and 2005, 31% growth took Irish consumer spending on amenity horticulture to an estimated €332 million. Latest figures indicate this rate of growth continued for the past two years. Now, the Irish consumer is estimated to be spending €431m on plants and cut flowers for the home and on garden products.
This figure excludes corporate spending on landscaping of housing developments, commercial property, roadside planting or interior landscaping. The average project spend on landscape-related products per annum, per company is €70,000.
It is a business in which farmers can get involved for a small investment, selling high-value items — high compared to food commodities such as milk or meat, at least.
Many have taken on enterprises which can fit well into mainstream farming activities — such as growing daffodils, cut foliage, Christmas trees or turf grass.
Wildflowers and shamrock are examples of potentially lucrative products which grow wild on farms. Growers who produce high-quality plants at the right price, or tap into a new niche in this fast-developing industry, are assured of success.
It’s in an open market without direct agricultural subsidies or quota restrictions — what many farmers who feel they can have a competitive advantage have been looking for.
And it is an area where Ireland can compete, thanks to our high plant-health status, and a mild temperate climate, ideal for a large range of garden or landscape plants and flowers. For conifers such as Christmas trees, our climate is exceptionally favourable.
Bord Bia supports the amenity horticulture sector with market research and intelligence, business support and development programmes, promotional activities, conferences, seminars and a range of quality programmes.
Prospects are good for continued buoyancy in the amenity horticulture sector.
Cut flower consumption in Ireland still lags behind most Continental European countries.
Our ageing population is likely to demand more and more gardening products.
Low-maintenance gardening is being popularised on television, and is driven by consumers’ lack of spare time and expertise, which is resulting in more and more affluent house-owners employing landscape architects, designers and contractors.
Meanwhile, more people are in smaller households or living in apartments, which opens up new market opportunities for interior plants, patio plants, hanging baskets and container plants.
Government incentives are likely to continue for the amenity horticulture business, due to its labour intensive nature and possibilities for foreign revenue, with at least €14m of nursery stock, cut foliage, bulbs, flowers and Christmas trees being exported, mainly to Britain and Northern Ireland.
The business will also get a shot in the arm from the Bloom 2007 gardening event in Dublin over the June Bank Holiday. Bord Bia aims to match the quality and high standards of top gardening shows in Britain and attract more than 50,000 garden enthusiasts to the event.
