Diversity of garden flowers and gardeners’ objectives and practices in the south-west suburbs of Paris

The attached dataset was used in a study published in Landscape and Urban Planning (Collard et al., 2026), which investigates potential synergies and conflicts between two major objectives in domestic gardens: wild biodiversity conservation and vegetable production. Our hypothesis is that the practice of vegetable gardening engages gardeners in a relationship with living organisms, which could influence, positively or negatively, their perceptions about wild species and their garden, their decision to adopt more conservative or agroecological practices to manage vegetated areas, and consequently, the wild biodiversity found in their garden.
Full details of the methodology are provided in the Materials and Methods section of that article.
This dataset originates from a small-scale survey along with the ecological monitoring of domestic gardens located in a suburban area near Paris and provides detailed information on gardeners attitude towards biodiversity conservation and vegetable garden production, gardeners’ commitment to their garden and nature, gardeners’ practices, garden composition and flower diversity.
The suburban area studied is located in the Île-de-France region, encompassing three suburban towns: Palaiseau, Bures-sur-Yvette, and Orsay. The area shares a relatively homogeneous biotic and abiotic context, including similar soil types, weather conditions, and species pools. A total of 31 gardens were selected, including 16 with vegetable plots and 15 without. Recruitment was carried out in two stages:
- Environmental organisation recruitment: 22 gardeners were identified via local environmental associations. These gardens were expected to be more biodiversity-friendly, with fewer areas lacking vegetation and more flowerbeds.
- Supplementary recruitment: To balance the sample, an additional 9 gardens were selected using satellite imagery and door-to-door canvassing. These gardens tended to have more lawns, fewer flowerbeds, and more conventional, intensive practices.
All gardens were private, adjacent to the residence, and tended at least in part by the residents themselves.

Collard, B., Dutertre, Q., Baudry, E., 2026. Growing vegetables: A gateway to biodiversity in domestic gardens? Landscape and Urban Planning 265, 105520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105520