Melburnians' gardens influenced by age and education: new Deakin study

Researchers from Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences surveyed 417 people from all over Melbourne about their views on native plants and wildlife in their home gardens to find out whether a cultural shift towards native plants could be on the horizon.

Study co-author Dr Amy Shaw said that while the survey data confirmed that many respondents had a positive perception of Australian native plants, it also revealed a few surprising results.

“We found a definite relationship between individuals’ education level and age and their preferred type of garden,” Dr Shaw said.

“Those with a university degree are more likely to want a garden full of fruit and vegetables or a garden with a bush setting than those without a degree. Younger respondents said they’re more interested in a fruit and veg garden than a bush garden.

“Interestingly, respondents who preferred a garden with a bush setting or a fruit and veg garden also felt a stronger connection with nature than those who listed other types of gardens as their favourite."

Dr Shaw said the survey showed that many Melburnians have considerable interest in planting native species but there was still much work to be done in changing attitudes.

“Almost three quarters of respondents reported having at least some Australian native plants in their yards and just under 90 per cent said they would consider adding more native plants in the future,” Dr Shaw said.

“Judging by these results, attitudes towards native plants are improving but some Melburnians still hold outdated perceptions of native gardens as unattractive, messy or potentially dangerous.

“We need to make Australian plants the norm so that’s what people aspire to have their gardens look like. Once people see a native garden full of native wildlife as beautiful, then we can gradually step closer towards that becoming a reality.”

Dr Shaw, who completed the study as part of her PhD thesis Backyard Biodiversity: community and wildlife gardener attitudes and practices, said that Melburnians had definite preferences when it came to wildlife in their gardens.

“Over three quarters of respondents said they wanted to see more wildlife in their gardens,” Dr Shaw said.

“Australian native birds like parrots and honeyeaters were obvious favourites but, surprisingly, frogs and lizards topped many respondents’ lists of the wildlife they would most like to see in the garden.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, insects were the most unwelcome wildlife. People were split over seeing possums in urban areas, with just over 30 per cent of respondents not welcoming of possums while almost 50 per cent said they would be pleased to see the furry critters.”