Durability of 28 Ground-Covering Woody Species and Cultivars in Road-Side Planting in Warsaw, Poland

Shrub species selection for road-side planting should consider their ability to cope with stress factors imposed by road trafic. In our examination we evaluated durability of 28 ground-covering woody species and cultivars in road-side environment in Warsaw. A dendrological inventory of planting beds located along Niepodległości Avenue was carried out 11 years after planting. The survival rate of each planted group of shrubs (a patch) was determined. Electrical conductivity of soil in planting beds was measured in order to determine soil salinity. Planting beds were divided into 3 groups: (1) wide beds at street corners, (2) narrow beds between pavements and interior roads, (3) road-side beds between interior roads and main roads. The results showed that the greatest number of shrubs was lost in the road-side planting beds, but in the wide beds and the narrow beds there were also some plant losses. The most resistant species to road-side environment were Spiraea × cinerea ‘Grefsheim’, certain cultivars of Spiraea japonica, Rosa rugosa and Ribes alpinum ‘Schmidt’.