Urban Native Plants
都市公園行道樹(Chinese)

The key to using native plants successfully is carefully choosing plants that will match your site conditions. While some native plants are tremendously adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions, many are quite habitat-specific. Before you start selecting plant materials, know your site, including the exposure, soil texture, pH, fertility, moisture conditions, weed problems, and the history of use.

It is important to understand that most residential, and particularly urban landscapes, do not resemble any natural habitat. In these situations, the soil has been disturbed, natural vegetation has been cleared, and the microclimate has been changed. Furthermore, urban stresses such as compaction, pollution, salt runoff, and reflected heat can have a negative impact on remnant native trees and shrubs. The survival and growth potential of native species in these conditions may be no better or worse than exotic species.

Many plants that are native to river bottomlands are surprisingly adaptable to urban conditions. In their natural environment, these plants experience extreme fluctuations in soil moisture and oxygen. Researchers have found that these plants often can adapt to compacted, overly dry, or overly wet soils that are common to urban areas.

The needs of native plants may differ from conventional landscape plants. Fertilization may not be necessary with some meadow and prairie species. Over-fertilizing these plants may promote weak, spindly growth and invasion by weeds. In contrast, woodland plants need fertile, organic soils. Although most urban sites will not provide an ideal environment for woodland plants, amending soils with organic amendments will help.

While a carefully planned landscape using native plants can be low-maintenance once it has attained maturity, "native" landscapes may require considerable effort to establish, and are rarely maintenance-free. For example, a meadow or prairie community will decline if it is not managed by annual mowing, weed control, and reseeding.

Native Trees Increase Longevity
by Doug Chapman

Now is the time to consider use of regional native trees. Arboretums have recently spearheaded plant conservation and use of native trees. We have known for many years that native plants are better adapted to local conditions, yet we continue trying to use the same several hundred tree cultivars throughout all of North America.

Provenance, defined as the local origin of trees within their native range, will exhibit local adaptation. Many of our favorite tree species have a wide North/South native range, but provenances from Northern latitudes can't survive high temperatures in the South and conversely southern provenance trees within the same species are not cold temperature hardy. It has been shown that plant selections in northern latitudes of the species native range are more photo period responsive and cold temperature hardy.

The selection and introduction of regional native trees could lead to a boon for the nursery industry. No longer would the same cultivars be offered for use across the entire North American landscape. Regional seedlings and/or cultivars could lead to increased longevity of trees in our urban landscapes.

都市公園行道樹(Urban Exotic Trees)
最近自然歷史步行導覽活動
最近綠色文化生態旅遊活動

您可知道溫哥華市(Vancouver)每年總有成千上萬來自世界各地的遊客，特別來伊麗莎白女王公園(Queen Elizabeth Park)欣賞來自於全世界各地的美麗樹種，如山毛櫸(Beech)，白樺樹(Birch) ，山茱萸(Dogwood)，洪桐樹(Dove Tree) ，落葉松(Larch)，木蘭樹(Magnolia)，日本楓樹(Maple)，橡樹(Oak)，歐洲赤松 (Scots Pine)，紅木(Giant Sequoia)，雲杉(Spruce)，白面子樹(Whitebeam)與櫻花(Cherry)，以及各種高大典雅的行道樹。

史丹利公園(Stanley Park)樹木來自世界各地的園藝樹種。我們除了欣賞美麗的櫻花樹外，也可以看到梣樹(Ash)、山毛櫸(Beech) 、白樺(Birch)、洪桐(Dove Tree) 、榆樹(Elm)、銀杏(Ginkgo)、山楂(Hawthorn) 、冬青(Holly)、七葉樹(Horse-chestnut) 、菩提樹(Linden)、刺槐(Locust)、各種楓樹、橡樹(Oak)、松樹(Pine)、胡桃樹 (Walnut)、柳樹(Willow)、以及紅豆杉(Yew)。

漫步於香榭區(Shaughnessy)的新月公園(Crescent Park)，除了欣賞特色宏偉的古典建築，還有全世界各地的各種美麗樹種! 春天可以欣賞美麗的闊葉樹，如日本安息樹(Snowbell)、東京櫻花樹(Yoshino Cherry)、花白臘樹(Ash)、大葉菩提樹(Linden) 、歐洲山毛櫸(Beech)、白奇山茱萸(Dogwood) 、平葉榆樹(Elm)、英國山楂樹(Hawthorn)、櫻桃李樹(Cherry Plum)。

夏天除了欣賞美麗庭園的感性世界，還有各有特色宏偉的古典建築。無論是十八世紀的喬治亞式城市屋、西班牙殖民式的大莊園、聯邦時代的房子、斗蓬式的小型別墅、或者是特大的加州式平房，都在此爭相媲美。豪宅 內有舞廳、花園、溫室馬房、網球場、及客房。房子內部有酒窖、玻璃吧台、各式的密室、畫室及月光浴室等。

秋天是個色彩繽紛的季節，黃澄澄的果實，充滿詩意的紅葉，隨風起舞的黃葉……。你可以看見五彩繽紛的紅楓樹(Red Maple)、洋桐楓樹(Sycamore Maple)、藤楓(Vine Maple)、日本楓樹(Japanese Maple)、銀楓樹(Silver Maple)、挪威楓樹(Norway Maple)、七葉樹(Horse-Chestnut)等變色葉行道樹。此外還有許多來自世界各地美麗動人的公園行道樹。

冬天還可觀賞許多珍貴的針葉樹，如英國紅豆杉(Yew)、藍雲杉(Blue Spruce)、挪威雲杉(Norway Spruce)、東方雲杉(Oriental Spruce)、加州海岸紅杉(Redwood)、英國冬青(English Holly)、西部鐵杉(Western Hemlock)、道格拉斯冷杉 (Douglas Fir)、美國扁柏(Lawson Cypress)、西部紅柏(Western Red Cedar)。

歡迎您全家一起來認識並關心，環繞在我們四周的都市公園行道樹，共同為未來創造綠色的生存空間而努力。 相信您可藉此機會多了解它們的特性與生態。當然我們也希望大家的住宅後院能多種植本地野生的花草樹木，因為自然的園景(Naturescape)能幫助野生動物尋找適當的食物，以及溫暖的棲息地。