Allan Armitage: Let's Tell Our Story About Pollinator-Friendly Plants

In the last 10 years, we have become more aware of the role pollinators and pollinator plants play in the world's ecosystem. We have come to understand that bees, butterflies, ants, and beetles contribute significantly to the global economy and food supply. We also know bees and butterflies are attracted to some plants more than other ones and that pollinator-friendly plants are important.

Of the great issues facing the ecosystems of our planet, there are not many that horticulturists and our industry can directly affect in a big way. The Amazon rainforest, the warming of planet Earth, and other issues all affect us, but there is little a gardener/horticulturist can do. However, let it not be said that we should not be involved in trying to maintain ecological balances at the local level. We brought out the marketing gloves, and we are now in the middle of the fight to reduce invasive plants, increase native flora, and promote pollinators. Profit motive aside, I sometimes feel we should all be wearing halos.

How Real is Real?

Of course, the profit motive doesn't hurt any. We have been told that the native plant and the pollinator movements are real. We have responded by breeding more native plants, whose very definition (rightly or not) is that they attract pollinators better than non-natives do.

However, I am not sure what real means. For me, the realness test is if my neighbors and daughters are behind it. As I wander through the gardens of America, I wonder if the gardeners are thinking about natives/pollinators when they walk through the box store or garden center? Do they ask if the plants in their carts are good for pollinators? If they are not, why not? Or, are they aware of anything other than that the plants are pretty?

Are consumers catching up to our marketing messages, or do we have a ton more to do to be sure they are listening? Gardening concepts are always evolving, this being one of them. The issue of pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants was not even on the radar 10 years ago, but it surely is now.

Eight Consumer Purchasing Insights About Pollinator Plants

I read an interesting paper in the June 2017 issue of HortTechnology by researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Florida. They surveyed the buying habits of consumers in relation to their interest in pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants. The survey was conducted in Connecticut, and approximately 850 people responded. Many esoteric points were uncovered.

Here are a few that interested me.

1. People are paying attention. About 46% of them have purchased pollinator-friendly plants and about 23% have moved to organic production practices. That is not high enough, but a significant number nevertheless.

2. While attracting pollinators was a reason to plant pollinator-friendly plants, nearly every respondent cited ornamental value and diversity (i.e., a pretty garden) as the main reasons they bought the plants. Pollinator-friendly was secondary.

3. If I had to guess why people are not bringing home pollinator-friendly plants, I would have guessed a lack of grab-you labeling. In the paper, the reason most cited for not purchasing pollinator-friendly plants was labeling, or the lack thereof.

We have been talking about labels, point-of-purchase materials, and solution-based benches set aside for issues like deer resistance and pollinators for years. Here is yet another survey that tells us there is still a lot to do.

4. Other reasons for not buying pollinator-friendly plants included higher prices and lack of diversity. It strikes me that if being a nickel more expensive (because of better labeling, packaging, etc) is the reason not to buy a pollinator-friendly plant, then the consumer was not interested anyway. Diversity (i.e., choice) is always an issue in the retail environment, from clothing to automobiles. We do the best we can.

5. A whopping 7% of the respondents thought all this hype about pollinators was just a marketing gimmick. Oh well, some people still don't wear seat belts — not much we can do. However, that still means that 93% do believe in the importance of pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants.

6. There were some interesting differences between garden centers and mass merchandisers, mainly that fewer people bought pollinator-friendly plants in the box stores and that labeling (or lack thereof) was more of a perceived problem at box stores than at garden centers. Perhaps not surprising either.

7. Older consumers buy fewer pollinator-friendly plants than do younger consumers. This is to be expected, as eco-issues such as organic practices, pollinators, etc. resonate more in younger generations. And of course, what with better digital information and the use of good garden apps, it would be expected that younger people are more aware.

8. Consumers trust information that universities and industry associations provide about pollinator-friendly plants more than from other sources, and perhaps such information in stores may carry additional weight.

The authors share some potential remedies to enhance sales of pollinator-friendly plants. Ornamental value, diversity of product, and better labeling stand out as no-brainers. What we need to do is tell pollinator plant stories in a way that motivates consumers to purchase them. Garden spending is still below 2008 levels. People spend less, and they are still intimidated about what we sell.

Pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants are a feel-good theme that we all should be touting, nay shouting. Every retail outlet and catalog, and anywhere people purchase plants should be screaming: "We are good for the environment and the world."

Bring in the green: Add plants to your reading corner, small pots by the kitchen window

NEW DELHI: Decorating with plants is one of the easiest ways to make a home feel more relaxed. Everyone can create a lush indoor garden as it can change the whole atmosphere with elements of nature.

Nikita Sethi, founder of Kalpane.in, an online marketplace for homegrown creatively made products and Gurpreet, founder of Elite Earth, gives you a few tips for a greener environment at home.

* Statement planters for your house: Try placing the plants in stands of varying heights to ensure they make a statement. Like one can always try on having an L-shaped shelve to save the floor-space and at the same time place the plants in a way that the height of each gives a statement to the room.

* Give your kitchen a makeover: The kitchen area can be used and plants can be integrating into the decor and small pots can be placed below the windows. One can try creating small vertical gardens for herbs and succulents. Cooking with fresh ingredients straight from your mini garden in the kitchen is the most exquisite thing and the welcoming décor just makes the kitchen a place to be.

* Reading nook: Plants brings the natural texture and good energy to your reading nook. A vertical plant arrangement looks like a piece of artwork and one can hang it in a corner and it will help in changing the atmosphere in the room.

* Give your home a beginning: Decorating the Hallways not just brings life to your house but the blooming flowers and the planters make it look inviting for the guests. The entrance of your house should always feel pleasant and warming and having shade plants all over the entrance just makes the house look more vibrant.

* Plants are your party saviour: It is not necessary to always have your plants on the top of the table. If you are planning for a housewarming party or a baby shower then you need to have a good table space. Tuck a couple of cement planters underneath to fill in the space with color, or use the wall hanging planters to make the space look more cool and chic.

Plants that bite

There is only one plant I know of that would actually bite you and that is the Venus Fly Trap. A bite from that plant would not be painful or even leave a bite mark. The four plants you will read about here all grow in this area and can cause mild to severe skin rashes resulting in pain, suffering, medicated creams and prescriptions.

Poison Ivy is generally the first poisonous plant that people think of. The old saying, "leaves of three let me be," refers to the three leaflets that make up one leaf. Other plants such as raspberry and boxelder have leaves that can easily be confused with Poison Ivy.

Poison Ivy plants can grow in the form of a small plant, a small bush or tree and even a vine that climbs high into trees. Virginia Creeper is another vigorous vine that climbs trees; however, it has five leaflets and is not harmful. All parts of the Poison Ivy plant contain urushiol oil that, when touched, spreads quickly on the skin due to the oily nature. Urushiol oil is very potent. One nanogram (one billionth of a gram) can cause a rash on human skin!

Poison Hemlock is a magnificent plant that found its way to ditches and fence lines in just the last few decades. I call it magnificent because it has large, shiny, beautiful, fern-like leaves. This plant is symmetrical and can grow 6 to 8 feet tall. In June, clusters of tiny white flowers appear followed by light brown seeds. All parts of this plant are poisonous to people and livestock. If you mow this plant down, be careful that juice from the stems don’t touch your skin. Blisters can form that look similar to Poison Ivy rash.

Wild Parsnip has been a common weed in the area for as long as I can remember. In the last 10 years, it has become an invasive weed in many parts of North America. It has been crowding out other friendlier ditch plants like the Foxtail and Brome grass. This plant will grow up to 5 feet topped with tiny yellow flowers in a flat, open cluster. The sap from this plant contains chemicals called furanocoumarins which, when exposed to sunlight, can cause a severe burn within 24 to 48 hours.

The fourth plant on my list can actually be eaten! Stinging Nettle when picked young can be used in salads, cooked like spinach, or steeped as a healthful tea. The problem arises when this plant gets bigger and matures. Hair-like barbs on the stems and leaf veins contain an irritant that feels like a bee sting if they touch bare skin. It is a sharp stinging pain that will go away in 10 to 15 minutes. It generally does not cause a lasting painful rash like the other plants mentioned above.

So how do you protect yourself when hiking out in nature? First and most important is to educate yourself and be able to identify these plants. Look them up and share the information with your family and friends. Then go out and try to find these plants so you know what they look like in their own home turf. Second, dress appropriately for your outdoor activity. A long-sleeved shirt and long pants with hiking boots and socks will protect you from poison plants and also ticks, mosquitos and gnats. Third, if your skin is exposed to poison plants, do not spread it by scratching or wiping your face with your hand. The oil can be easily spread, especially if you wipe sweat off your brow.

If you are "bitten," wash the exposed area with clean soapy water as soon as possible. Rinse with clear cool water. Launder your clothes to remove any residual oil. Consult a pharmacist for creams to use or seek medical help if a serious rash forms. And remember, "leaves of three let me be."

Best plants to grow in pots

There are all sorts of great reasons to grow plants in pots. You might live in a condo or townhouse with limited outdoor space. Perhaps the soil quality in your yard is poor. Or you may love the lush look of potted plants clustered around your patio or outdoor living room. Whatever your situation, find out more about the best plants to grow in pots — and the best pots to grow plants in.

Best plants to grow in pots: General tips

— The best plants for potting are those without a deep root system. Look for dwarf species or compact specimens that tend to grow upward rather than spreading outward.

— Choose plants that will do well with the amount of sun available. A balcony or deck attached to your house may offer only limited sunshine. A roof garden, on the other hand, could provide extremely strong sun, so you'll have to create some shade. Wheeled pots allow you to position your plants to catch the rays they need.

— Combine an assortment of plants in one oversize pot (or several smaller ones of different heights) for the most attractive effect. Find out what your chosen species want to do — for instance droop, clump, or climb — and mix and match accordingly.

— Consider the level of care that the plants you fancy will need. Is it compatible with your schedule and gardening skills? If not, you may want to find a professional gardener to look after your mini-landscape.

Types of plants to grow in pots

Vegetables. Most fast-growing, upward-climbing vegetable species are excellent for container gardening. Easy types to try are beans (bush beans are best), zucchini or summer squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers. NOTE: You'll need a support system ... which could be as simple as a nearby porch railing. Greens like lettuce and spinach also do well in pots.

Flowers. Go for maximum beauty, minimum maintenance. Flowers that are perennials in tropical climes (or invasive) tend to be hardy — perfect for your purpose. If you're a newbie (or even if not), geraniums are the no. 1 flower for potting. Not only do these hardy blooms thrive in containers, they provide a gorgeous array of color, delicate white to deep scarlet. Bring your potted geranium inside before the first frost, place in a sunny window, and it can live for years.

Fruit trees. Yes, fruit trees. They add so much to even a small outdoor space — good looks and with the right TLC, good eating too. Dwarf varieties are best for the confines of a pot. Check whether the fruit tree is self-fertile (such as citrus, peaches, and apricots — best if you only have room for one) or needs a partner for pollination (like apples and pears).

Best pots to grow plants in

Size. Plant pots must be deep enough to accommodate a root system — anywhere from 6-8 inches for most herbs, to 18-24 inches for a miniature tree. Potting soil is expensive, so you can add filler to the bottom third; crumbled Styrofoam works well. Make sure the base is broad enough that the pot won't tip over.

Material. Ceramic planters are ideal but tend to be pricey. UV resistant plastic pots are another option. If you want to get creative, follow the suggestion of Rodale's Organic Life and use galvanized trash cans or wooden barrels for large plantings.

Drainage. Whatever your container, ensure you have adequate drainage. Drill holes in the bottom, if necessary. Safeguard your floor, windowsill, etc., against the resulting runoff and condensation so it won't stain — or rot, in the case of a wooden deck. A saucer under the pot is a good start (TIP: water into the saucer, not the pot itself, for better absorption), but terracotta “pot feet” add an extra layer of protection.

Watering. FACT: Plants need more water in pots than in the ground. Cut down watering needs by topping the soil with mulch; great gardeners I know create decorative mulch from acorns, wine corks, or seashells. If you're planning a large-scale container garden, a drip watering system is a convenient option. For just a few potted plants, self-watering containers will reduce your workload and are handy if you're often away from home.

Research Brief: Grassland plants react unexpectedly to high levels of carbon dioxide

Plants are responding in unexpected ways to increased carbon dioxide in the air, according to a twenty-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and published in the journal Science. For the first 12 years, researchers found what they expected regarding how different types of grasses reacted to carbon dioxide. However, researchers' findings took an unanticipated turn during the last eight years of the study.

Researchers planted 88 plots with two different types of grasses, warm-season C4 grasses and cool-season C3 grasses, and exposed them to different levels of carbon dioxide, current carbon dioxide levels and the elevated levels the Earth might experience later this century due to human activity.

"Because carbon dioxide is needed by plants to grow, we expected grasses that have the C3 photosynthetic pathway to grow more under elevated CO2, because these plants are known to be able to increase their CO2 capture as CO2 levels rise. We also expected that growth of grasses with the C4 photosynthetic pathway would not be affected by higher CO2 levels, because these plants are generally less able to capture extra CO2 as CO2 levels rise," said University of Minnesota Professor Peter Reich. "While that held true for the first dozen years, that pattern changed."

Researchers found that during the last eight years of the study, C4 plant species grew more in an elevated CO2 environment than C3 plants. While it's uncertain why this shift happened, these findings could have significant implications.

"If mature grasslands worldwide behave like our experiment did, this could have long lasting impacts on how we think about the conservation and restoration of grasslands around the world," Reich said. "Grasslands cover between 30 and 40 percent of land and play a key role in soaking up carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels."

Along with impacts on conservation and restoration planning, these data could be used to help computer models better predict how plants will respond to changing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

"Our results suggest that the predictions made by these models might not be quite right and that we should not be overly confident about our assumptions regarding where, and by how much, land ecosystems will keep absorbing extra CO2 out of the air," Reich said.

Reich, a professor with the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences' (CFANS) Department of Forest Resources and Institute on the Environment (IonE) fellow, was the lead researcher on the study. Other study investigators included Professor Sarah Hobbie and graduate student Melissa Pastore, with the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior in the College of Biological Sciences, and Professor Tali Lee from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

About University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

The University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) brings science-driven innovators together to discover hands-on solutions to global challenges. With 10 research and outreach centers across Minnesota, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and the Bell Museum of Natural History, CFANS offer unparalleled experiential learning opportunities for students and the community. CFANS students enter career fields with some of the best job outlooks in the country, including 13 undergraduate majors and more than 25 minors ranging from agricultural education and marketing communications to conservation biology and forest and natural resource management, health and nutrition, to the future of food and agriculture management with a focus on business and technology.