Browsing by Subject "woody plants"

Green roofs and facades may provide multiple benefits for urban areas, such as retain storm water run-off, reducing heat-island effect, supporting biodiversity and providing places for food production and community gardening. However, without successful vege-tation it is hard to achieve the benefits that green roofs and facades may provide. Green roofs and facades are not favourable sites for vegetation so plants must be able to thrive in harsh conditions. It is important to test the suitability of plants in that kind of environmental conditions and climate prevailing at the planting site. In this study, we observed the growth and hardiness of woody plants on green roofs and facades of an apartment block of flats in southern Finland. The effects of environmen-tal factors on plant success were examined on three facades facing different directions. The observations covered the first year after planting. The number of woody species stud-ied was 32, including trees, shrubs and vines. For some species, several varieties were test-ed, so the total number of plant taxa was 52. The observation period lasted from December 2017 to September 2018. The growth and visual appearance of the plants were measured using several variables. Based on the first growing season, most of the taxa studied displayed a good survival potential in prevailing growing conditions. There were only slight differences between survival of taxa. Especially direction of the façade had impact on plant survival. Plants on green walls showed the highest mortality on the west facade, but the later planting date may have influenced the results on that facade. The results can be confirmed only after a longer follow-up period.