The British love affair with gardening is as popular as ever according to new research from Halifax Estate Agents.

It reveals that around two in every five of us (41pc) spend over four hours working in the garden each week during the summer months and enjoy spending further time relaxing there too.

The report shows that 30% of us spend over five hours maintaining our gardens each week. Whether this is weeding the flowerbeds or cutting the grass, over one in ten people (11%) work for 4-5 hours each week with more than a quarter (27%) spending 2-3 hours.

It seems that all this hard work in the garden is well worth the time, as a fifth of respondents are so pleased with their efforts, they spend 6-10 hours a week socialising or relaxing in their garden. A further 14% spend 11-20 hours whilst 5% spend 21-30 hours.

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Key findings of the report
- People enjoy spending time working in the garden: Two in every five of us spend over four hours working in the garden in an average week during the summer months. Around one in twenty spend over 30 hours each week in their garden.- Gardening is popular with both young and old: Over a quarter of Brits between 18-24 years old spend over five hours working in the garden, as do a fifth of people aged 25-34. Over half of pensioners aged over 65 years spend between 2 and 10 hours socialising or relaxing in the garden.

- Socialising in the garden is most popular in the South East: A fifth of people from Scotland revealed that they do not spend any time socialising or relaxing in the garden. This compares to 45% of people in the South East who spend over six hours relaxing in the garden each week.

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The Halifax research also suggests that over half of respondents would forgo a second bathroom or even an extra bedroom to ensure their access to outdoor space. This highlights the importance that Brits place on having an alternative space to relax and unwind in. Many homeowners do see the garden as an extra room and use it as such.Colin Kemp, managing director of Halifax Estate Agents, comments: “Many find tending to the garden a form of relaxation, making it such a popular past time. Tending to your garden is important when deciding to sell your property as first impressions really do count. You would always tidy your house before a viewing and the same should apply to your garden.”