US Landscaping Products Market Research

Demand for landscaping products in the US is forecast to rise 3.5% annually to $14.7 billion in 2028. Opportunities will arise from:

• a tight housing market pushing owners to invest in their current homes - including their outdoor space - in lieu of moving
• consumers who began gardening during the pandemic staying engaged, either via products that keep the hobby easy and fun or through more challenging garden projects
• TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube tutorials encouraging consumers to take on gardening or other outdoor improvement projects

Outdoor Structures Offer Solutions for Those Who Frequently Utilize Their Outdoor Spaces

The best opportunities exist in product areas that address the specific interests and needs of those who entertain outdoors or often use their outdoor spaces. For instance, sheds provide space to store lawn and garden care equipment and supplies, as well as outdoor recreational items such as bikes and toys; however, larger versions can also serve as hobby spaces, getaways (“she-sheds”), or exercise areas. Products that extend the outdoor season - or otherwise make a space useable for longer - often solve additional problems for the growing share of homeowners who see their yards as potential livable space.

Opportunities also exist for products that can fit a wide range of spaces and offer good value. For instance, pergola sales are expected to grow at a rapid rate due to their ability to be used in either in traditional lawn settings or on small decks and patios. Pergola sales will also be boosted by the increasing availability of lower-cost, premade structures that make them more attainable for a wider swath of consumers.

Retaining Both Casual & More Serious Gardeners Essential to Boosting Sales

A significant number of people took up gardening during the pandemic, but participation levels have moderated somewhat; retaining these gardeners will be essential for suppliers. Sales opportunities for casual gardeners can arise from products that are easy to use and keep gardening fun - for instance, pots and planters that create patio or balcony gardens, or raised garden beds for yards. Among serious gardeners, encouraging more frequent gardening activity and more challenging projects will create opportunities for landscaping product sales. Products that can assist in these projects, and reduce both the hard work and frustration that may accompany more difficult projects, will benefit.

Ability to Enhance & Increase the Function of Outdoor Spaces Boosts Hardscaping Demand

Hardscaping will maintain its leading position in the landscaping products market as outdoor living remains popular among homeowners. Hardscaping can play an essential role in defining outdoor living spaces, can improve the functionality of these spaces, and can be used in conjunction with other outdoor living features to create an inviting and usable area. The rising popularity of mixed materials and shapes in hardscaping products will offer opportunities for not only traditional materials, but also more niche options such as porcelain and ceramic pavers. Opportunities will arise from product improvements that allow quicker and easier installation, which can enable professional installation crews to work more quickly through projects.

Historical Trends

Landscaping product sales on a year-to-year basis are affected by several factors, including:

• consumer demographics
• trends in economic growth and consumer spending
• housing completions and other construction activities
• renovation and repair construction spending
• existing home sales
• price changes for materials, products, services, and labor
• labor shortages in the landscaping industry
• popular design trends, such as traditional English-style country gardens, sustainable landscaping, low-maintenance landscaping, xeriscaping, vertical gardening, and wildlife-friendly landscaping, among others.
• product trends and new product development
• changing weather patterns and regional climate differences
• ongoing interest in landscaping activities and outdoor living

Product Types

Demand for landscaping products is forecast to advance 3.5% annually to $14.7 billion in 2028. A number of factors will impact the overall mix of landscaping products being sold and their sales potential:

• ongoing participation in gardening of all types, especially vegetable gardening, which will support sales of products like pots and planters, raised beds, and hobby greenhouses
• the rise of smart technology in landscaping, with more consumers adopting automated lighting
• a move away from formal spaces to natural-looking outdoor rooms that are more casual and integrated into the outdoor space but are also comfortable and private
• a greater emphasis on sustainability, both in what products and materials are used but also in overall landscaping designs
• expanding outdoor social spaces to include the front yard as well, which increases the need for hardscaping and products like water features

In 2023, hardscape products accounted for the largest share of demand. These products, which are employed in a variety of end uses to give landscapes defined edges and shape, will maintain leading market share through the forecast period. Gains will be driven by the versatility of hardscape materials such as concrete ready-mix, pavers and block in both residential and commercial applications, with especially healthy growth in recreation and infrastructure markets.

Outdoor structures will see healthy gains, supported by several factors. These include:

• steady growth of sheds due to their utility in storage as well as specialized spaces such as hobby areas or workshops
• a surge in the popularity of pergolas, which not only enhance outdoor living spaces but also support a variety of climbing plants, creating natural shade
• the availability of prebuilt kits from major retailers, which offer cost-effective alternatives to site-built options
• the trend towards outdoor living that surged during the pandemic now focuses on multifunctional spaces that extend living areas for dining, entertainment, work and relaxation

Inflation & Pricing Trends

Many variables can influence a landscaping product's price, including:

• raw material, labor, energy, and transportation costs
• product size
• level of demand
• customization and design expenses
• trade and tariff issues

As a result, there is a wide variation in the prices of landscaping products, ranging from less than a dollar for a clay brick to thousands of dollars for a gazebo kit.

The cost of plastic materials, which are commonly used to make a variety of landscaping products like pots, planters, lawn décor, and bird feeders, as well as in hardscaping products like plastic edging, is influenced by crude oil and natural gas prices. Energy costs also affect concrete and clay brick prices, both of which undergo energy-intensive production processes.

Downward pricing pressure in some product areas (particularly relatively basic items such as pots, lawn décor, and bird feeders, as well as landscape lighting fixtures) also stems from the significant share of these products that are imported from countries with lower production costs, mostly in the Asia/Pacific region. In certain product segments, the manufacturing cost savings more than offset the cost of shipping the finished product to other markets. This influx of lower priced landscaping products putts pricing pressure on domestically produced versions.

Increasing demand for larger, more specialized, or aesthetically pleasing products is causing a shift in the market toward higher value products, which in turn boosts average prices. For example, trends toward the installation of more elaborate outdoor living spaces are supporting the use of more aesthetically pleasing hardscaping that better mimics indoor design trends. Some gardeners are switching from the use of low-cost plant pots or DIY raised beds to larger and pricier pre-made raised beds and planters.

Through 2028, average prices for landscaping products are projected to increase 1.0% per year. This is a significant deceleration from 2018 through 2023, as average prices are expected to moderate from unusually high levels brought on by inflationary pressures. The use of higher value landscaping products in outdoor living spaces will contribute to average pricing growth.

International Activity & Foreign Trade

Global Trends

Landscaping products are used throughout the world, with the largest share of sales in the US, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The higher standards of living in these countries typically lead to more luxurious living quarters, such as single-family homes that often feature landscaped outdoor spaces.

The US is the largest landscaping products market in the world, supported by its large population and housing market, as well as the relatively large amount of yard space that accompanies most homes. Like other developed countries, the US has a strong history supporting the upkeep of yard space and gardens. This culture pushes most households to participate in the industry to some degree.

Western Europe represents the second largest regional market for landscaping products, behind North America. While countries in Western Europe also have a lawn culture like the US, their yards are comparatively smaller on average. The largest national markets in Western Europe include Germany, Italy, France, and the UK.

In general, the regional differences in the types of landscaping products sold in these developed markets have more to do with the local climate than cultural differences. For example, greenhouses are primarily sold in countries that have a short growing season, while regions with warmer climates are more likely to be leading markets for bird and wildlife products.

The developing nations of Asia, Central and South America, and the Africa/Mideast region will experience the fastest growth in landscaping product demand in light of rising incomes and the development of a middle class.

Report Details

This study covers the United States market for landscaping products, which are defined as hard goods used in landscaping activities.

Historical demand data for 2013, 2018, 2023 and forecasts to 2028 and 2033 are provided, as well as annual data for 2020 to 2027. Analysis of the landscaping products market in the US is provided by product:

hardscaping products

• concrete pavers, slabs and ready-mix concrete
• stone slabs, veneer (natural and manufactured), tile; blocks and boulders
• lumber (e.g., wood, wood-plastic composite)
• clay brick
• aggregates (e.g., sand and gravel, crushed stone)
• other hardscaping products, such as ceramic and porcelain tile; all other hardscaping products, including metal and plastic edging; plastic or rubber pavers; and plastic faux rocks

outdoor structures

• sheds
• pergolas
• hobby greenhouses
• gazebos
• arbors and trellises
• bridges and other structures (e.g., obelisks, windmills, wishing wells)

decorative landscaping products

• water features (e.g., fountains, ponds, waterfalls)
• statuary
• all other outdoor décor (e.g., wind spinners, garden stakes, wind chimes, gazing balls)

pots, planters, and raised beds (plastic, ceramic, wood, metal)

landscape lighting

• solar-powered
• low-voltage
• line-voltage and other lighting

bird and wildlife products

• feeders
• houses
• bird baths and other products (e.g., accessories, such as baffles, guards, stands, trays, and pedestals)

other landscaping products, including:

• heating products
• synthetic turf
• fabrics and accessories

Demand is also segmented by market, including new and renovation and repair applications:

• residential
• commercial
• recreation and infrastructure (e.g., parks, golf courses, playgrounds)

Demand is also segmented by end user: professional and consumer/do-it-yourself.

Finally, demand is examined by US region.

In addition, retail sales for products are provided.

Consumables, equipment, and furniture are excluded from the scope of this study, as are any related service revenues.

The hardscaping used to produce site-built outdoor kitchens and heating products is included, but the similar materials that are incorporated at the manufacturers’ level into prefabricated versions are not. In the case of heating products, prefabricated units or kits are accounted for with heating product demand. Also excluded from coverage in this category are hardscape products used in non-landscape areas like driveways or roadways. Additionally, bricks and blocks that are part of home structure are generally excluded. Products used in retaining walls are typically not included if the structure is necessary to the integrity of yard or building.

While outdoor structures that are prefabricated or built onsite from a kit are included in this study, those that are built onsite using customer-selected lumber or other materials (e.g., not part of a factory-compiled kit) are not included. Also excluded are site-built bird and wildlife products used in parks, zoos, nature preserves, and other non-landscaping applications.

Raised beds are included with pots, planters, and raised beds if they are sold ready to use or in kit form for DIY assembly. Raised beds made from separately purchased lumber would be included in the hardscape product segment. Beds made from scratch with salvaged or recycled materials are excluded.

Among other exclusions are:

• disposable pots and trays used for seed starting or other applications and grow bags
• landscape lighting that is attached to a building (such as security lights)
• synthetic turf in stadiums and sports fields other than golf courses
• feed products such as birdseed