Britons who dig partying in garden call time on pubs

GARDEN parties are set to be all the rage this summer as an estimated 15 million Britons give pubs and restaurants the cold shoulder, a new survey has claimed.

Taking inspiration from television gardeners such as Matt James and Diarmuid Gavin, more than one in three garden owners will be sprucing up their plots as they prepare to entertain friends and family over the next few months.

A full re-landscape is on the cards for 38 per cent of the 400 homeowners questioned by Edinburgh-based Standard Life Bank, while one in five plans to add lighting and music features.

The average spend will be up to 1000, although ten per cent are willing to shell out as much as 4000 to create the perfect garden for a party.

The vast majority of garden party hosts, 84 per cent, will get their hands dirty and do the work themselves, while a substantial number, 51 per cent, will rope in their family and friends and make it a socialising event.

Andrew Boddie, head of marketing at the bank, said: "The garden is becoming increasingly important for homeowners and is being treated as an extra room.

"The benefits of garden parties aren’t just social; as people invest in their gardens they increase the value of their property."

The survey found that, overall, British people will devote an average of eight days a month to looking after their gardens in 2005, with 35 per cent of garden owners pledging to spend more time gardening than they did last year.