Are Alien Plants Superior at Supporting Insect Diversity in the Garden?
From Growing Greener by Tom Christopher
April 29, 2026 · 29 min · Episode 360
About this episode
The episode discusses differing views on the role of alien plants in supporting insect diversity in gardens.
James Hitchmough, an eminent British garden designer and former professor of horticultural ecology asserted on a previous episode that research confirms that gardens rich in alien plants support a greater diversity of insects. Today, Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society, an organization founded to promote insect and invertebrate conservation shares a different understanding of the science.
People in this episode
Host: Tom Christopher
Guest: Matthew Shepherd
Topics covered
- alien plants
- insect diversity
- gardening
- horticultural ecology
- conservation
Keywords
- alien plants
- insect diversity
- gardens
- Matthew Shepherd
- James Hitchmough
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Xerces Society
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