Rostański, K.M., 2008, Plant succession as a tool in landscape design, in: Ekológia (CSSR), 27, 4
- Author : Rostański, K.M.
- Year : 2008
- Title English : Plant succession as a tool in landscape design
- Journal/Series : Ekológia (CSSR)
- Volume Number (ANNUAL: Counting Volumes of the Year shown above) : 4
- Volume Number (CONSECUTIVE: Counting all Volumes of this Journal ever published) : 27
- Pages : 421-429
- Abstract in English : Rules of nature conservation and especially of biological diversity protection are reaching still more attention in landscape design. It has appeared that cleaning our environment from all kind of plants but these we are cultivating for food or other strictly determined purposes brought disaster for the nature and finally for our health and comfort. There is still more examples of designed green areas where you can find common or even ruderal plants. Such kind of aesthetics needs special approach to design. First step should always be the nature elements evaluation, which should recognise nature value of the area concerned and its surroundings. Introduced plants, if being expansive enough, are able to change and destroy valuable local plant communities. Second step is the selection of the places for common plants. Concerning importance of the area in urban structure and needed elegance should be establish possible proportion of the area given for plant succession. Third thing is determining style of the aesthetic composition, shape of pattern forms etc. That step is strictly connected with overall composition of the area designed. Forth step is the choice of the plants. Preferred should be the plants naturally occurring in the region concerned. That is the most safe way to protect local biological diversity. Plants designed for succession will be growing and success freely around. Some examples of proposals using succession of plants are given there. They are located in Chelm Sl., Zabrze, and Sosnowiec in Poland.
- Contents in English : All designs of open spaces, in spite of the scale and function, could in some way use aspects of biological diversity by involving possibly high use of native plants. There is possibility of the creation of some elements or even patterns which beside aesthetic value could enrich local diversity of plants by process of succession. Greenery is living and changing still, especially green patterns designed as dispersion centres are temporal and are useful only for short time but even in this short time they could show their native, local beauty.