På villplantejakt i hagen

Abstract

Private gardens represent important green infrastructure and include a range of habitats (e.g. lawns, flowerbeds and greenbelts), but little focus has been paid to the role of their spontaneously occurring flora for biodiversity. We recorded the occurrence of wild grasses, herbs, ferns and horsetails in four Western Norwegian private gardens in 2020. A total of 131 species (50–90 per garden) included 12 tree species, four ferns and horsetails, 16 graminoids and 93 herbs including 26 annuals and biennals. 47 species occurred in three gardens and 21 in all four. The species included many ubiquist, weedy species, as well as typical hay-meadow species. We argue that wild species in gardens should be considered as more than weeds, and that they represent a resource for ornamental and aesthetical purposes. Used this way they can substitute the use of problematic, invasive alien horticultural plants. We particularly draw focus to the hay-meadow species and argue that turning speciespoor lawns into more varied wildflower habitats will add an aesthetical element to a garden, support a wealth of flowering plants and pollinators, and moreover reduce the maintenance workload for the garden owner.