Garden centre customer attitudes to pollinators and pollinator-friendly planting

Veronica R Wignall,Francis L.W Ratnieks,Karin Alton

doi:10.7717/peerj.7088

Abstract

Growing nectar- and pollen-rich flowering plant varieties in domestic gardens and other greenspace is an important pro-environmental behaviour that supports pollinating insects. Wildlife gardening is popular in the UK; however, public attitudes and behaviour relating to planting for pollinators are currently not well understood. We investigated these through questionnaires and interviews with customers in five garden centres in Sussex, southeast England, a relevant and useful consumer group representing horticulturally-engaged members of the public. Garden centre customers had strongly positive attitudes and were motivated to plant for bees and other pollinators: most (77%) grew pollinator-friendly varieties, while 64% would be more likely to buy a plant with a pollinator-friendly logo. Personal motivation to support pollinators was linked to a recent increase in personal and public awareness of their declines through (often negativistic) information from mass media sources. Practical implications of these findings in relation to the horticultural retail industry are discussed.

Highlights

Growing varieties of flowering plants that support pollinating insects is one of the most effective behaviours through which the general public can directly help these insects, which are considered to be in decline in the UK and worldwide, in part due to reduced availability of nectar- and pollen-producing flowers (Carvell et al, 2006; Potts et al, 2010; Vanbergen & the Insect Pollinators Initiative, 2013; Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuysbc, 2019)
Almost all (97%) questionnaire respondents thought that bees and other pollinators were beneficial to their garden, most (97%) reported that they already take some action to help these insects in their outside area, and many (53%) prioritised pollinator-friendly features when purchasing flowering plants
This study investigates garden centres customers’ attitudes towards pollinators and pollinator-friendly planting, since this relevant and important consumer group represents members of the UK public who are actively engaged in gardening

Summary

Introduction

Growing varieties of flowering plants that support pollinating insects is one of the most effective behaviours through which the general public can directly help these insects, which are considered to be in decline in the UK and worldwide, in part due to reduced availability of nectar- and pollen-producing flowers (Carvell et al, 2006; Potts et al, 2010; Vanbergen & the Insect Pollinators Initiative, 2013; Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuysbc, 2019). Gardens and other private or community greenspace (e.g., allotments, cemeteries) have been shown to provide an important resource for flower-visiting insects in both rural (Bates et al, 2011; Samnegård, Persson & Smith, 2011) and urban environments (Ahrné, Bengtsson & Elmqvist, 2009; Gunnarsson & Federsel, 2014; Baldock et al, 2019). Many UK residents engage in wildlife gardening, an increasingly common pro-environmental behaviour (Gaston et al, 2007; Goddard, Dougill & Benton, 2013). In a survey of over 500 households in Leeds, 41% of participants stated that watching or attracting wildlife was an important reason for using their garden (Goddard, Dougill & Benton, 2013). Public attitudes towards flower-visiting insects and supporting these in gardens.

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