Planting in Artificial Conditions

The character of physical development efforts in the Ghanaian urban environment leaves little evidence of an organised organic relationship between them and the landscape in which they have been built. Even though nature is visibly manifested in the form of streams and rivers, hills and valleys, birds and. vegetation (trees, shrubs and grass lawns); buildings, roadways, pavements and other hard surfaces dominate the urban environment. Plants found in natural and semi-natural habitats present a significant potential for improving the quality of both city living and the natural environment of most towns and cities in Ghana which are rapidly facing degradation through abuse by the citizenry and lack of care and protection from the urban administrators. From the stand point of improving city-living, plants, more especially trees provide an element of human scale and diversity in the frequently architectonic and monolithic environment. Secondly, plants furnish a sense of identity for the various parts of the city, visually screening non-essential elements from our over stimulated senses, as well as separating visually and/or functionally Incompatible land uses. These plants also help to moderate many of the harsh extremes of micro-climates thus making cities more enjoyable places to live in. Thirdly, plants go a long way to visually improve upon cases of bad building designs. On the other hand, these environmental values of plants in the urban environment also include their contribution towards conservation and management of soil and water resources; and acting as natural fitters and buffers to reduce dust, noise and glare in the urban atmosphere. The establishment of plants in artificial condition, namely paved areas,, courtyards, raised and sunken beds, containers, balconies and roof-tops by structural planting with due considerations to their cultural (watering, pruning, fertilization etc. and technical requirements (soil, drainage, irrigation, sunlight, shelter, etc.), can further enrich the environmental quality of our urban towns and cities. These plant materials can no doubt provide aesthetic stimulus by reducing the inhuman scale in urban space and create micro-climates which may enable man to relate more to his environment. however, the realization of these cultural and environmental values of plants in the urban areas depend upon the careful and continuing intervention by man in the planning processes of urban development, but not as afterthought when buildings, roadways, drains, pavement, etc, have been constructed. Plants like human beings need certain requirements and conditions for growth and reproduction, but the artificial environment in which some find themselves are harsh and in some instances hostile to vegetative growth. All these point to the fact that plantings in artificial conditions cannot be neglected since they cannot look after themselves. For planting in the urban area to achieve or perform some of the their function creditably they must be consciously selected, planted and manage by the appropriate planting principles and techniques; using practicable selection criteria and by adopting appropriate maintenance regimes.

Source: KNUST