Garden Should You Insure Your Garden?

Date Published:

22/06/2009

Our love of gardening means we fork out thousands on our backyards. But sadly this means that green-fingered crime is on the rise with the rich pickings on offer. Here’s how to protect your great outdoors.

By Sarah Jagger

Trevor Ward and his wife Jan from Bedfordshire came home from holiday to discover their entire pond had been emptied of the Koi Carp and pond pump. 'We’d taken part in our village’s open gardens event a few weeks before. The thieves must have gone from house to house that day until they saw what they wanted - and then came back for it while we were away. They even took our pond plants,' says Trevor. 'If we hadn’t had garden insurance, it would have easily cost us over £2,000 to replace it all,' he says.

Garden Crime On The Rise

In fact, the Wards aren’t alone. One in five Brits are victims of garden theft, according to Direct Line home insurance. The contents of the average UK garden are worth £1,237, and one in 10 gardens is crammed with goodies worth over £3,000, says a Lloyds TSB survey.

Then there’s the increasing number of households, who part with thousands of pounds for a professional garden makeover. Add to that our increasing love affair with outdoor hot tubs, decking, water features, ornamental plants, gas barbecues, patio heaters and expensive garden furniture – and you can see how this all adds up to our backyards being lucrative targets for thieves.

Accidental Garden Damage On The Up

But it’s not just the light-fingered who are garden pests. High jinks in the garden such as family gatherings, barbecues, and summer parties - especially when young children and a large amount of alcohol are present - can all add up to lawn damage, trampled borders and broken furniture, says Direct Line home insurance. The simple answer is to protect your garden contents with garden insurance.

What Your Home Contents Policy Covers

Start by checking what your current home contents policy provides. Typically the garden insurance element is limited to just £500 which covers what you plant in the garden, tools, equipment, furniture and garden ornaments.

Some insurers provide less. If you consider what you’ve spent on a lawnmower, barbecue, pots and plants then it’s very likely you’re under-insured. Mike Powell of independent financial research company Defaqto agrees most home insurance is inadequate when it comes to garden cover: 'Our research shows that less than one third of policies cover contents in the garden up to £1,000 and only one in five covers at least £1,000 for garden plants. Garden cover is a valuable benefit.'

For More On Gardens & Insurance

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