PORTLAND, Ore. — At the 49th Farwest Show — the largest nursery industry trade show west of Texas — an audience listened as Oregon State University Extension Service entomologist Gail Langellotto shared the top 10 Oregon native plants most popular with pollinators.
Langellotto, a professor in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, presented findings from a three-year research project showing that native plants are especially attractive to native pollinators, particularly bees.
The study measured both the number of pollinator visits and the diversity of pollinators across 23 native plants. Four non-natives — lavender, catnip, oregano and pineapple sage — were also included as benchmarks. While some non-natives attracted pollinators, most were non-native honeybees.
“The clear winner for native bees was Douglas aster,” Langellotto said. “It had the highest bee diversity and abundance. I fell in love with it.”
Shifting perceptions of native plants
Though native plants are growing in popularity, many gardeners hesitate to use them for aesthetic reasons. But Langellotto, who leads the OSU Garden Ecology Lab, said perceptions often change once gardeners learn the ecological benefits. Oregon is home to more than 500 species of native bees, many of which depend on native plants.
Aaron Anderson, a former Ph.D. student in Langellotto’s lab, narrowed the original list of 23 plants to 10, all of which were:
- Drought tolerant
- Bee friendly
- Thriving in full sun
- Available in nurseries
Among the plants studied, Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum), a tough perennial with long-blooming blue, daisy-like flowers, ranked first with bees but only eighth with gardeners. Other top performers for pollinators included:
- Globe gilia (Gilia capitata)
- California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Varileaf phacelia (Phacelia heterophylla)
- Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena)
Photos and more information are available in the OSU Extension publication Native Plant Picks for Bees.
Growing demand, limited supply
One barrier to greater adoption is availability. Anderson had to visit eight nurseries to find the 23 plants for his research. Langellotto encouraged growers to meet this emerging demand. “As the public begins to see the connection between native plants and native bees, more and more gardeners decide to grow natives,” she said. “The growing demand should encourage more growers to add native plants to their inventory.”
Oregon’s greenhouse and nursery industry was the state’s most valuable agricultural commodity in 2020, worth nearly $1.2 billion, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The Farwest Show annually draws an estimated 5,000 attendees to the Oregon Convention Center and nursery tours.
OSU Extension speakers at Farwest
In addition to Langellotto, four other OSU Extension faculty and one research assistant presented sessions at the show:
- Luisa Santamaria, Extension nursery specialist and plant pathologist, gave a Spanish-language session for pesticide certification
- Jay Pscheidt, Extension plant pathologist, spoke on spraying techniques for hard-to-spray crops such as boxwood
- Lloyd Nackley, associate professor of nursery production and greenhouse management, discussed climate change and its effects on crops
- Brian Hill, faculty research assistant in Nackley’s lab, shared best practices for spraying techniques
Nackley emphasized the urgent challenges posed by climate change. “Nurseries have a front-row seat to climate change,” he said. “Historical weather continues in 2022. We have to maintain plants with the fewest inputs. We have to select the right plants to deal with climate change.”
Nackley and his team help growers identify plants suited for changing conditions and refine irrigation and nutrient practices for optimal performance.
