A study shows that there are alternatives with ecological added value for petunia, begonias, etc.: Many of Germany’s threatened plant species are suitable for planting in parks, gardens or balconies and are already commercially available. The researchers have already used their results to develop an internet app that can help those interested in selecting suitable plants for conservation gardening and identify providers.
Fascinating variety of shapes, colors and adaptations: Germany’s flora is characterized by an enormous diversity of species. But this treasure is dwindling, as studies document: According to this, around 70 percent of our native plant species are affected by a declining trend and the existence of many is already endangered or there are only small remaining populations. The main cause of the decline is the loss of habitat: In addition to agriculture, natural areas are falling victim to increasing urbanization. But it is precisely these settlement areas that hold significant potential for nature conservation, say researchers. Not only typical ornamental plants could be planted in private or public green spaces, but also endangered wild plant species.
Urban habitat for endangered plants
A research team from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research and the University of Leipzig is also promoting this concept of so-called conservation gardening. For their current study, the scientists have now systematically investigated the question of which of Germany’s threatened plant species are actually suitable for garden use and to what extent they are already offered by specialist nurseries. To do this, they evaluated the plant species of all 16 German federal states that are endangered according to the Red List with regard to their suitability for horticultural use. The team also uses information from plant and seed manufacturer websites to record the commercial availability of the species.
As the team reports, the number of endangered species varies between 515 and around 1,120 depending on the federal state. The assessment of the needs of these plants has now shown that on average around 40 percent of them are suitable for horticultural cultivation – i.e. have potential for conservation Gardening. As the research at specialist nurseries revealed, over half of these species are already available for purchase and some can also be sent by post.
As the team points out, when assessing the plants’ requirements it became clear once again that, in addition to being attractive, many also have characteristics that are beneficial for gardening: “Almost half of these plant species prefer dry soils. For conventional garden plants it is only around a third,” says first author Ingmar Staude from the University of Leipzig. This aspect is also interesting in view of the trend in climate change, emphasizes the researcher. Other species are of course suitable for other location features – for example for the ecologically high-quality greening of ponds in urban areas.
An app helps you choose plants
In order to implement their results in a particularly targeted manner, the researchers used them to develop a so-called Shiny app for conservation gardening used. It is a freely accessible tool on the Internet that can help private and landscape gardeners as well as authorities find suitable plant species for use in gardens, balconies, green spaces or even green roofs. You can specifically focus on promoting biodiversity in your own federal state. In order to find suitable species, the user enters location characteristics such as lighting conditions or soil conditions and other parameters into the search mask in addition to the intended use. You can then find out where you can get the species suggested by searching the listed providers.
The researchers hope that their results can now benefit their goal: they want to make better use of the enormous potential of the millions of gardens and green spaces in Germany and involve people in species protection. According to opinion polls, social interest in such options is also growing. Staude concludes: “New approaches are needed that no longer view humans and biodiversity as separate aspects. “Conservation gardening can raise societal awareness of the biodiversity crisis while taking participatory measures to counteract the decline of native plant species,” says the researcher.
Source: University of Leipzig, specialist article: Scientific Reports, doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39432-8