Vertical gardens are a smart and aesthetic solution of how to improve urban microclimate. So far, the assortment of plants suitable for outdoor green wall installations in Czech climatic condition has not been sufficiently explored. Therefore, we decided to establish experimental vertical gardens with a substrate system facing all four cardinal directions in the Prague location. During the experiment, the following species prospered best despite of the vertical garden wall orientation: Deschampsia caespitosa ‘Goldtau’, Festuca glauca, Festuca ovina, Fragaria vesca and Koeleria glauca. The following species performer well on the south and east wall: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Armeria maritima ‘Leuchtendrosa’, Stipa tenuissima ‘Pony Tails’ and Thymus serpyllum. In vertical gardens facing north and west, the following woody plants were evaluated best: Andromeda polifolia, Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’, Pachysandra terminalis, Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’, and Vinca minor. These evergreens are a true benefit to the garden. The species Campanula poscharskyana can only be recommended for the north orientation. Lysimachia nummularia performed well just on the west-oriented walls. All the above-listed species can be recommended for planting in vertical gardens with a substrate system in the climatic condition of Central Europe.
green walls, grasses, woody plants, structurally supported gardens, cold resistance of plants
Čechová, K., Kunt, M., Jebavý, M., Kozáková, D. (2023): Assortment of Plants for Growing in Vertical Gardens of Central Europe. Scientia Agriculturae Bohemica, 54, 1-10. DOI: 10.7160/sab.2023.540101