Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85891
chemical care Strength in NUMB RS BY CINDY RATCLIFF Poised for growth, green industry statistics show promise. d o a Google search on lawn care, and much of what you'll see relates to do-it-yourself (DIY) topics like "10 Ways to Grow Grass" or "8 Ways to Save Money on Costly Lawn Care." Despite the popularity the DIY path sug- gests, the landscaping and lawncare industries have weathered a glum economy and indi- cators predict a small amount of growth in 2012. Even though U.S. consumer spending was unchanged in May, for example, there was increased spending on services for the second straight month – a good thing for the green industry. And many statistics point to the strength of the landscaping and lawn care market. The landscaping services market is poised to reach $80 billion by 2015, according to Global In- 20 TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE / August 2012 dustry Analysts (GIA), which indicates moder- ate to strong growth after several years of fl at growth or declines: good news for everyone included in "landscaping services," defi ned as lawn, garden, ornamental shrub and tree services to hardscaping services. Driving that long-term growth is a "post recession economic recovery, resurgence in consumer spending, growing emphasis of homeowners on backyard beautifi cation and the imminent rise in remodeling activities," according to PRWeb.com. If you're not quite ready for that level of optimism, check out the numbers that don't come with analysis but still speak to the strength of the industry. Here is a snapshot of some of the trends and more interesting statistics that make the green industry go. 3