D3331: Homeowner associations and pollinator garden aesthetics

Pollinator populations are declining around the world, and the habitat and floral/nesting resource loss due to urbanization is seen as a major driver of these declines. Pollinator gardens serve as crucial floral and nesting resources for pollinators in urban habitats. Long-standing social norms surrounding urban landscape management have discouraged the establishment of pollinator gardens as they are seen as unkempt or wild. Opinions and regulations from HOAs have been identified as a significant deterrent for residents to establish pollinator gardens. Survey of over 1,000 residents among 30 HOAs/registered neighborhoods in Athens, GA assessed attitudes towards different designs of pollinator gardens ranging from “groomed” to “wild landscape” and/or the presence or absence of designated signage indicating the purposeful management of the garden to serve pollinators. Results from the survey suggest a moderately “wild landscape” is acceptable to most residents. Furthermore, the presence of a educational sign increases the attitude towards all designs of a pollinator garden. These results suggest the value of educational signage and a guideline for pollinator conservation efforts to coordinate with HOAs/registered neighborhoods to develop pollinator gardens that meet aesthetic expectations of residential landscape design while also supporting pollinator conservation.