ISHS Acta Horticulturae 292: Recent Advances in Horticultural Science in the Tropics
INTEGRATING ORNAMENTAL PLANTS INTO THE HIGHWAY LANDSCAPE |
| Authors: | N. Azlan, Ab. Rahman |
| Abstract:
As more and more highways are being built, the need for planting materials increases, to hide ugly construction scars and harmonise naturally with the roadway landscape. The benefits are not only aesthetic, but also functional e.g. micro-climatic amelioration, engineering and wildlife benefits. A “complete highway” should therefore incorporate four basic elements into its design: utility, safety, economy, and beauty. The plants selected for highway landscaping must be able to withstand unfavourable conditions which are quite different from their natural environment. The adverse factors in the highway environment are heat, drought, gaseous pollution, compacted soils, and soils that are low in nutrient availability. The criteria for plant selection should also be based on the different design needs of the highway situation. For example, plants that are grown around highway interchanges should be functionally different from plants that are grown in rest areas or city suburbs. The maintenance of plant materials should be given a high priority so as to ensure a successful integration of these plants into the highway landscape. | |
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