A preliminary study of South African consumers’ knowledge of and their attitudes towards using indigenous ornamentals in horticultural applications

Abstract

Crucial aspects related to the knowledge levels and attitudes of South African consumers in the formal commercial sector regarding the horticultural uses of ornamental plants in general, and indigenous plants in particular, were evaluated. The findings showed that consumer behaviour was most likely to be influenced by the following factors: the distinct benefits of using indigenous plants in gardens or landscapes, the local demand for indigenous plants and their availability on the South African market, the importance consumers attached to aesthetic appearances and horticultural performance of ornamental plants, tempered in the final instance by consumers’ personal preferences and shopping habits.

Keywords:

• consumer
• indigenous plants
• ornamental horticulture
• South Africa
• survey

Key elements of consumers’ attitudes towards South African flora, as well as their general levels of knowledge about such plants, were examined, in order to demonstrate the importance of consumers’ perceptions for the present and potential wider future horticultural applications of indigenous ornamentals. The results generated by this study were used to construct a view of the South African ornamental plant industry from a consumer's perspective. This construct could also serve as background for further research related to the selection criteria for indigenous plants for horticultural use in South Africa (Middleton 2012).

Researchers such as Reinten and Coetzee (2002), van Wyk (2008), Ascough and van Staden (2010), Backeberg and Sanewe (2010), Mathews (2010), Middleton and Vosloo (2011), Reinten et al. (2011), Rice et al. (2011) and van Wyk (2011) verify the notion that the large and rich biodiversity of the South African indigenous flora offers a valuable resource for investigation of new crops, whether it be for floricultural crops, medicinal and essential oil crops, or food and beverage crops. Utilitarian plants form a considerable part of the overall horticultural trade worldwide. In South Africa, gardens of people from all cultural groups, including those from indigenous cultures in urban and rural areas, make use of several indigenous and exotic plant species to provide one form of protection or another, such as hedges, windbreaks and shade trees (Molebatsi et al. 2010). Research by Lubbe et al. (2010) also found that the gardens of lower-income households tended to contain higher proportions of utilitarian plants, such as food and medicinal plants, than gardens in more affluent areas.

The business dynamics of introducing new ornamental plants to the world (irrespective of exotic or indigenous origin) are invariably difficult and challenging and not without risk, since the commercial success of new ornamentals about to make their debut on the market can never be guaranteed (Armitage 1998). The reason is mainly because newcomers face stiff competition for consumers’ favour from the very large numbers of ornamental plants from the world-over already on offer (Brickell 2001).

In order to minimise the risks associated with marketing new plants of indigenous extraction, businesses and others in the horticulture industry should carefully heed consumers’ attitudes and relatively basic knowledge about South African flora when developing new ornamentals from native stock in order to ensure that the new plants would appeal to consumers’ tastes and preferences.

A country-wide survey among role-players in the formal horticultural industry in South Africa was conducted in order to confirm the validity of a set of previously identified key consumer issues and to determine the weight of their relative importance in finding possible horticultural applications for such ornamental plants.

One hundred and ninety one completed survey questionnaires generated the quantitative data for establishing the relative importance of each of the most significant aspects related to consumers’ attitudes towards indigenous plants.

Since significant bodies of data collected for this study were quantitative in nature, their analysis required the application of the appropriate statistical tools of the SPSS statistical program, as described by Ho (2006) and Field (2009). Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and cross-tabulations, were calculated. The reliability of the data was tested by calculating the appropriate Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficients. In cases where the results of the Cronbach's alpha calculations indicated inconsistencies the scales were reversed. A factor analysis was carried out to search for underlying latent variables, which were used for a dimension reduction of the data. The various means of making the apt constructs were compared across relevant demographic variables by means of an analysis of variance. The data resulting from the statistical analyses enabled the researcher to make a number of findings which are described below.

The opening question put to participants of the survey read: From your experience, what percentages of your customers pertinently ask for indigenous plants?

The survey results showed that 49.8% of respondents’ customers expressly asked for indigenous plants. The significance of this finding lies in the fact that the respondents were representative of the whole range of role-players in the South African horticulture industry (i.e. researchers, growers, landscapers and retail nurseries). The implication is that almost half of the respondents’ customers were either actually using indigenous plants for gardening or landscaping, or were considering doing so.

Below are the salient survey results of the questions that related to consumers’ knowledge about and attitudes towards South African indigenous plants, with the affirmative results (percentages of respondents concurring with each) presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Consumers’ knowledge and attitude towards indigenous ornamental plants in South Africa

Statements on survey questionnaire		Percentage of respondents concurring with statement
1	Customers are knowledgeable on the benefits of indigenous plants (e.g. better survival during periods of drought)	57
2	There is a strong increase in the demand for indigenous plants	86
3	As long as a plant is attractive it does not matter to a customer whether a plant is indigenous or exotic	76
4	Customers are more concerned about the performance of a plant than whether it is indigenous or exotic	80
5	Customers often find the general appearance of indigenous plants ‘untidy’	65
6	Customers often prefer certain exotic plants and are not interested in indigenous replacements for these plants	71
7	Customers have entrenched shopping habits and it is difficult for them to change to new products	45

Further data emanated from the responses to the following question put to survey participants: To what extent do you experience a lack of variety in indigenous plants in the following horticultural groups? The survey results regarding the horticultural groups are presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Participants in the survey that experienced a lack of variety of indigenous ornamental plants in the South African market

Horticultural plant groups on the survey questionnaire listed from highest shortage to lowest shortage		Percentage of respondents that often experienced a lack of variety in the group
1	Indoor plants	72
2	Annuals (e.g. flowering seedlings)	66
3	Colourful plants (including coloured foliage)	62
4	Climbers	60
5	Shade plants	59
6	Fruit trees	57
7	Aquatic plants (e.g. waterlilies)	56
8	Ferns and foliage plants	56
9	Cold hardy plants	55
10	Grass and grass-like plants	55
11	Curiosity plants (e.g. unusual shapes)	52
12	Culinary herbs	51
13	Herbaceous perennials	50
14	Collectibles (e.g. cycads)	48
15	Vegetables	47
16	Outdoor container plants (patio)	46
17	Medicinal herbs	42
18	Accent plants (e.g. tree aloes)	41
19	Hedges (screening and security)	40
20	Fillers (large beds and quantities)	39
21	Shrubs	38
22	Cape flora (e.g. proteas, pin cushions)	38
23	Replacements for invasive plants	37
24	Groundcovers	36
25	Succulents	36
26	Plants for erosion control and soil stabilisation	36
27	Bulbs	31
28	Drought-resistant plants	28
29	Trees	26

The subsequent factor analysis of the larger sample revealed three data clusters with high levels of intercorrelations as independent factors. The method used was an exploratory factor analysis and a varimax rotation was performed to see how groupings of questions measured the same concept. The groupings of the same concepts then produced three common denominators for which three data clusters were identified. The three common factors or common denominators occurring in these three clusters were identified as:

• Factor 1: Consumers’ positive attitudes towards indigenous plants (statements 1 and 2 of Table 1)

• Factor 2: The fundamental or universally desirable ornamental plant attributes that indigenous plants should exhibit in order to gain entry to the market and acceptance among consumers (statements 3 and 4 of Table 1)

• Factor 3: The underlying factors that may have a negative impact on the use of indigenous plants as ornamental plants (statements 5, 6 and 7 of Table 1)

The findings suggest that most consumers (both wholesale consumers and end-users) have a positive attitude and are aware of the general benefits of indigenous plants for use in gardening and landscaping, such as their hardiness and climatic adaptations, better survival rates during droughts and their attraction of wildlife.

In contrast to plants that yield utilitarian products, ornamental plants are appreciated for their aesthetic qualities and are primarily used to beautify the living environments of consumers. Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly (2001) observe that the yardstick of what is considered beautiful or aesthetically pleasing is largely determined by cultural considerations, may differ from country to country, may show regional variances within the same country, and may differ from individual to individual and from generation to generation. Kariuki et al. (2011) state that sub-Saharan African cultures also recognise the aesthetic appeal of ornamental plants. Authors such as Lubbe et al. (2010) and Molebatsi et al. (2010) noted that ornamental plants, as a use category, form an important part of the home gardens of local indigenous cultures, and are especially in evidence in the urban and peri-urban areas of South Africa. This survey found that South African consumers in the formal commercial sector generally consider the two fundamental ornamental plant attributes, namely attractiveness and good garden performance, far more important than the origins of plants. This study has shown that indigenous plants should conform to a set of minimum requirements in order to maintain and even improve their share of the ornamental plant market. These requirements relate to the fundamental plant attributes, in particular their attractiveness and good garden performance, as demanded by consumers.

There are several factors that have a negative impact on the sales and usage of indigenous plants as ornamentals. First, consumers frequently have distinct preferences for traditionally popular exotic plants, irrespective of whether indigenous substitutes are available. Second, the majority of respondents considered the general appearance of many indigenous plants to be ‘untidy’ (comments from growers indicated that this is especially true in the case of bushveld and fynbos plants). Third, many consumers have entrenched shopping habits that are difficult to change. This study established that the first two factors (preference for certain exotic plants and the ‘untidy’ growth habit of indigenous plants) are more important than the third (entrenched shopping habits) in ultimately determining consumers’ plant-purchasing preferences. Institutions and individuals wishing to promote wider horticultural applications of indigenous flora should therefore identify those factors inhibiting their use and correct them where possible.

Although it may be difficult to change some of the more entrenched shopping habits among consumers, it may be possible to achieve some changes in traditional plantpurchasing trends through proper marketing, the effective dissemination of practical information among end-users, and by appealing to consumers’ appetite for new and adventurous products. Ornamental plants are regarded by some to be expensive and a luxury, especially during periods of economic down-turn. This suggests that an expansion of the market for indigenous ornamental plants may be much supported if it were possible to achieve cost and price reductions in these commodities. Although the market for indigenous ornamental plants within the large informal sector of the South African economy did not form part of the original research for this study, it stands to reason that this segment may offer significant market expansion opportunities, if it could be more extensively penetrated. Appropriate marketing strategies aimed at this particular segment of the population, combined with affordable pricing, could boost the overall usage of indigenous ornamentals in all gardens of South Africa.