British Gardens Transform Into the New Living and Dining Rooms This Summer

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Jun 07, 2012, 11:00 ET

LONDON, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

With more than half of Brits spending more time at home to save money^[1] as the recession continues to bite, the garden is becoming an even more important extension of our living space. Indeed, 57% of Brits will be using their gardens to relax and entertain throughout summer, as revealed in a recent survey by garden design specialist Floral & Hardy.

Interestingly, gardening is Britain's third favourite summer garden activity with only 17% choosing this option! A significant 29% of respondents plan to relax with a good book and 28% will use their outdoor space to entertain friends and serve food. The garden seems to be a seasonal extension of Britain's dining and living rooms.

Only 8% of us are hopeful of a hot summer and are planning on sunbathing. The least popular garden activity is playing sport, with a tiny 4% selecting this, perhaps feeling more tempted to watch all the sport on television than participate this summer.

Britain's most popular summer garden activities are:

1) Reading and relaxing (29%)

2) Having a barbeque or entertaining (28%)

3) Gardening (17%)

4) Watching wildlife (9%)

5) Sunbathing (8%)

6) Playing with children in sand pits, paddling pools or trampolines (5%)

7) Playing football or sports (4%)

Paul Ellison, from Floral & Hardy garden design, comments: "Personal outdoor space is a valuable commodity in the summer and with our unpredictable British weather it's important to take advantage of garden space when you can. Floral & Hardy specialises in contemporary garden design, tailoring gardens to the needs of the owner."

Regarding garden use, Ellison continues: "If gardening is low priority for our clients, we factor this into the design. This way our customers can spend more time enjoying their gardens than they do maintaining them. Likewise, if space to entertain or cook outdoors is important this is something we can consider in the garden design, we have even built full outdoor kitchens before."

Floral & Hardy specialises in contemporary garden design, including the creation of outdoor living spaces. Inset lighting to highlight key features, comfortable living room style outdoor furnishings, outdoor heaters, built in kitchens and covered areas can all be incorporated to create contemporary garden rooms.

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