A recent survey commissioned by the Common Sense Gardening Group, and conducted by Yolo Communications, said 40% of gardeners have seen an increase in the number of weeds and invasive plants in their gardens.

Almost 50% of the gardeners surveyed said they would like to spend less time on weeding their gardens, and 43% of survey respondents use garden care products to control issues with garden weeds.

The Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) sites that hedge bindweed, with its white trumpet-shaped flowers, can be a particularly common weed problem for gardeners at this time of year; choking plants in garden beds and borders*.

Eliminating garden weeds in a traditional fashion can be both time-consuming and arduous, and gardeners have identified that using garden care products is one way to create an immediate impact on problem areas.

Some of the common weeds found in typical UK gardens include prickly thistles and poisonous hemlock, and these can begin to inundate gardens as soon as temperatures start to rise.

Most people don’t want to waste their leisure time weeding their outdoor space, so garden products provide a reliable solution. Although many gardeners use garden care products, around 22% of survey respondents actually believe that they are fundamental to the proper maintenance of their gardens.
 
Gary Philpotts, the Chair of Common Sense Gardening Group, said: "Summer is almost upon us and as temperatures rise, people are clearing up their gardens. This research endorses our mission to better educate people on the important role garden care products play in creating and maintaining a garden. As ever, a majority of the population will not have time to tend to their garden and will be turning to garden care products to assist them in eliminating weeds quickly from their outdoor areas."

Due to new technology and research, garden care products are effective, safe and easy to use for weeding, just so long as the application instructions are followed.

Common Sense Gardening Group is an alliance of five member companies involved in the manufacture and sale of garden care products, and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) endorse the group's ethos and championship of consumer gardening concerns.

The group is part of the Crop Protection Association, which is an important aspect to the UK plant science industry. The primary focus of the Common Sense Gardening Group is on the safety of garden care products and it aims to assist consumers with gardening problems they experience. The group also provides tips on the safe use, storage and disposal of garden products.

The results of this survey were no surprise to many industry experts and complements anecdotal research already carried out by the European Crop Protection Association which has found there are a number of benefits and economies linked to the correct use of weed control products. Garden care products are a particularly inexpensive way to get rid of invasive species, and are relatively easy to apply and very time efficient.

All garden products which are approved to use around the home or garden need to undergo stringent safety assessments before they can be registered as safe to use. Physical controls are also incorporated into product design and packaging to reduce risks of consumer contact with products and prevent any misuse. The Common Sense Gardening Group provides further information on garden products online at https://garden-care.org.uk.