Britons turn to gardening and walking during retirement

The popularity of gardening among the older generation has been highlighted by a new survey conducted by Lincoln Financial Group.

It seems that doing a spot of weeding or cultivating plants in the greenhouse is one of the most well-liked hobbies of retirees.

While walking came out on top with 14 per cent of the popular vote, gardening came in a close second with 13 per cent.

The top five was made up by photography (eight per cent), cooking (nine per cent) and golf (five per cent).

According to Simon OConnor, head of products and marketing at Lincoln Financial Group, the survey highlights the fact that recent retirees are having to make do with simpler pleasures in the wake of the global economic crisis.

"Long gone are the days when people expected to be able to head off into the sunset for the trip of a lifetime once retired," he commented.

"These days its all about the simple luxuries such as learning new hobbies and generally making do with what you can – all on home turf."

Researchers at Kansas State University discovered recently that older gardeners were more likely to have improved physical health than their non-gardening counterparts.