Join us for a special offering in the OSU Extension Master Gardener Advanced Training webinar series. “First Look” invites Oregon State University graduate students to share their research projects and results with Master Gardeners.
In this ‘first look’, Aaron Anderson (Ph.D. student in the OSU Department of Horticulture) will be introducing his research on gardening with native plants. Under the direction of Dr. Gail Langellotto, Aaron is researching native plants that support ecosystem services; that gardeners find attractive, and that they would want.
Currently Aaron is running a large field trial at OSU's North Willamette Research Center studying 23 native Willamette Valley wildflower species. Aaron monitors the floral bloom, performs timed pollinator observations, and samples the insect community on each plot. Additionally, he is currently asking gardeners to rank the aesthetics of these flowers via an online survey. From this research, Aaron plans on developing pollinator-friendly planting lists of PNW native wildflowers that are also attractive to home gardeners.
The OSU Garden Ecology Lab blog
Direct link to survey on attractiveness of wildflowers to gardeners
Photos: Aaron Anderson, Oregon State University
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