An overwhelming 82 per cent of Brits say the garden is an extremely important feature when house-hunting, according to the survey of 2,411 people.
And it is also the area of the home which gets the most attention when the keys are handed over.
According to the poll, most people spend at least £500 improving their garden and believe that improvements they’ve made, excluding the effect of general house price rises, have increased the value of their homes by more than £7500.
A quarter of green-fingered folk were so keen to improve their garden, they began completely replanting the lawn, shrubs and plants as soon as they moved in.
39 per cent gutted the garden of all its original contents, and started from scratch, redesigning the layout and re-landscaping.
Other key additions to the garden included a fish pond (12 per cent), a decked area (11 per cent), a new patio area (28 per cent) and a pergola (six per cent).
Some 15 per cent of gardening enthusiasts even went as far as splitting their garden into several sections such as a herb area, vegetable patch, seating area etc.
Andrew Goodsell, chief executive of Saga commented: "Whether you’re improving the kerb appeal of your house in preparation for sale or enhancing your living space purely for pleasure, this research shows that the impact a garden has on both property prices and emotional fulfilment can never be underestimated."
Interestingly, the poll has revealed that the under 30s age group are on the ball when it comes to increasing the value of their properties.
44 per cent of people aged 19 to 30 say they have significantly increased the value of their homes by making improvements to the exterior of the property and the garden.
