Youngsters now think gardening is cool

Youngsters now think gardening is cool

» 6th July 2010 «

Gardening is increasingly being viewed as 'cool' among young Britons, the Guardian reports today (July 6th).

Lantra, the sector skills council for environmental and land-based trades, witnessed a 52 per cent rise in searches for horticulture courses on a year-on-year basis in May.

One institution noticing this trend is Capel Manor in Enfield, which has seen a 25 per cent increase in demand for such courses from 16 to 18-year-olds in the past 12 months.

Indeed, the level of interest has been so significant that the specialist college is set to open a new site in Crystal Palace in September in order to meet the additional demand.

"Whilst no jobs are recession-proof, green jobs are a good bet," Madeline Hall, the head of the college, told the newspaper.

"Plants in parks, gardens and green space need year-round care; trees keep growing. We have a new generation of eco-warriors, young iconoclasts looking to make a living but to make a difference too."

James Callicott, 15, and 17-year-old Jack Dunckley are two of the designers for this year's Hampton Court Palace flower show, despite not being born when it was first held in 1989.

Posted by Martin Corby