Streaming Media
Start Date
3-2-2021 10:20 AM
End Date
3-2-2021 11:25 AM
Abstract
Native plantings are used in urban areas to improve pollinator habitat. To achieve wide adoption, these plant choices must be attractive to home gardeners as well as to pollinators. We distributed two surveys to identify native Willamette Valley pollinator plants that are aesthetically pleasing to home gardeners. The first survey sought to ascertain baseline attractiveness, and asked gardeners to rank the attractiveness of 23 wildflowers on a 1-5 Likert scale. In second survey, we were interested in how sharing information on the benefits of these plants impacts perceived attractiveness. We asked gardeners to rate the attractiveness of a subset of 11 of these 23 wildflowers both before, and after, being shared information on each flower’s attractiveness to bees. Both surveys also included space for open-ended comments.
We found a high level of acceptance of native wildflowers by gardeners (over half had mean attractiveness scores of 4.0 or above), and gardeners found native plants significantly more attractive after learning about the bees that visit each plant. Gardeners who identified as “native plant gardeners” found all of the study plants significantly more attractive than non-“native plant gardeners”.
In the open-ended comments, gardeners stated that they were most negatively concerned with the aesthetics and aggressive growth of flowers. Gardeners felt positively about flower aesthetics and beneficial ecological traits (e.g. pollinator attractiveness, drought tolerance). We identify five species of native wildflowers that Pacific Northwest nurseries might consider marketing as pollinator plants (Gilia capitata, Clarkia amoena, Eschscholzia californica, Madia elegans, and Sidalcea asprella ssp. virgata).
Subjects
Conservation biology, Environmental social sciences, Habitat restoration
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35478
Gardener Perceptions of Native Pollinator Plants
Native plantings are used in urban areas to improve pollinator habitat. To achieve wide adoption, these plant choices must be attractive to home gardeners as well as to pollinators. We distributed two surveys to identify native Willamette Valley pollinator plants that are aesthetically pleasing to home gardeners. The first survey sought to ascertain baseline attractiveness, and asked gardeners to rank the attractiveness of 23 wildflowers on a 1-5 Likert scale. In second survey, we were interested in how sharing information on the benefits of these plants impacts perceived attractiveness. We asked gardeners to rate the attractiveness of a subset of 11 of these 23 wildflowers both before, and after, being shared information on each flower’s attractiveness to bees. Both surveys also included space for open-ended comments.
We found a high level of acceptance of native wildflowers by gardeners (over half had mean attractiveness scores of 4.0 or above), and gardeners found native plants significantly more attractive after learning about the bees that visit each plant. Gardeners who identified as “native plant gardeners” found all of the study plants significantly more attractive than non-“native plant gardeners”.
In the open-ended comments, gardeners stated that they were most negatively concerned with the aesthetics and aggressive growth of flowers. Gardeners felt positively about flower aesthetics and beneficial ecological traits (e.g. pollinator attractiveness, drought tolerance). We identify five species of native wildflowers that Pacific Northwest nurseries might consider marketing as pollinator plants (Gilia capitata, Clarkia amoena, Eschscholzia californica, Madia elegans, and Sidalcea asprella ssp. virgata).
