Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. ssp. caucasica Rousi) is one of the most important wild edible fruits, grown in Turkey for centuries without any chemical treatments. The plant is extremely resistant to adverse environmental conditions. In this study, the main agro-morphological and biochemical berry traits and, to a lesser extent, other plant morphological traits of 10 sea buckthorn genotypes sampled from the eastern Anatolia (Sivas province) region were assessed. Among the 10 genotypes, five of them presented a shrub growth habit, whereas five of them presented tree growth habit, with leaf area ranging from 2.56 to 4.22 cm². The majority of genotypes had an oblong berry shape with variable berry skin color ranging from dark orange to orange, light orange, and yellow. The weight of 100 berries varied from 13.85 to 23.87 g, while juice yield and vitamin C content was found to be 44.87–57.15% and 37.45–62.85 mg/100 g fresh berry base, respectively. Soluble solid content (SSC) was in the range of 12.56–14.67%. The genotypes exhibited a great variability in total anthocyanin content (from 9.1 to 38.7 mg/L), with relatively dark-orange sea buckthorn berries containing more anthocyanin than orange, light-orange, and yellow berries. Linoleic acid was the main fatty acid detected in the pulp of sea buckthorn berries, ranging from 24.11% to 36.37%, depending on the genotype. Investigated genotypes proved also to be rich in total phenolic content, showing at the same time great variability in this trait. The results obtained from the relatively limited number of genotypes show promising traits for further valorization of both horticultural and nutritional traits, suggesting potentially even higher variability, if more genotypes are going to be considered in the future.

Urban vegetation plays a crucial role in meeting the challenges posed by rapid urbanization and climate change. The presence of plants and green spaces in urban areas provides a variety of environmental, social, and economic benefits. Understanding how users perceive ornamental plants in public green spaces and what their preferences are for certain vegetation elements is extremely important for planning and designing functional and aesthetically interesting urban landscapes. Although landscape experts sometimes use their creativity to create new trends, it is important not to ignore the attitudes and preferences of the public, who sometimes have a different opinion from that of the experts. The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions and preferences of the public and landscape experts for different vegetation elements and the differences in attitudes between these two groups. The study was conducted in Croatia in April 2012 using an online survey (n = 348). The results showed that trees were the most preferred vegetation element and that the public preferred flower beds and lawns to a greater extent than the professionals. All respondents perceived vegetation elements as volumes (trees, shrubs, and hedges) and plains (flower beds and lawns). In addition, respondents perceived two basic types of flower beds according to the features that characterize them: conventional and sustainable. The results show that users perceive the functional and spatial characteristics of the different vegetation elements, which is very important for the design of functional and sustainable urban green spaces.

Green spaces are becoming increasingly important for cities due to the growing pressures of urbanization and climate change. Along with trees, shrubs, and lawns, flower beds are an important part of urban green spaces. The majority of flower beds in public spaces consist of annual and biennial flower species. Such seasonal flower beds feature eye-catching colors but require significant effort to maintain and manage. Compared to these conventional flower beds, those with herbaceous perennials are more ecologically effective and less costly to maintain, and therefore more sustainable. The aim of this research was to analyze flower beds with perennials in the public green spaces of the city of Zagreb and to develop a tool based on predefined criteria and indicators to evaluate the sustainability of flower beds. In the context of the research, sustainability meant appropriate selection of flower species based on environmental conditions (temperature, light, precipitation), species diversity, greater ground cover and extensiveness of maintenance. The research results showed that there were 327 flower beds with perennials planted in the ground. The constructed Flower Bed Sustainability Index (FBSI) showed that the majority of these perennial beds (56.3%) had a conventional character, as only 28.1% of the beds had a completely correct species selection. This result indicates that the use of perennials does not necessarily guarantee the sustainability of flower beds, since, as in the case of flower beds with seasonal flowers, it depends, among other things, on the correct selection of species adapted to local environmental conditions. The FBSI is shown to be a suitable tool for assessing the degree of sustainability of a flower bed and could be a useful tool in landscape design and management of such types of green spaces.

Plantings surrounding kindergartens are an integral part of urban green spaces. These open areas play a very important role in the lives of children, in their development, their eating habits, and environmental awareness. For this reason, it is extremely important to select adequate plant species, which are not dangerous for the children. There are 10 public and 9 private preschool institutions in the entire area of the two Novi Zagreb (East and West) city districts. Only public kindergartens have been included in this research. The aim was to determine the size of green open space surrounding public kindergartens, analyse woody plants on site, determine the taxonomic affiliation of plant species, and detect the presence of poisonous and allergenic plant taxa. In green space surrounding kindergartens in the Novi Zagreb – East city district, 49 taxa of trees, and 18 taxa of shrubs and woody climbers from a total of 22 plant families have been identified. Similary, in the Novi Zagreb – West city district, 49 taxa of trees, and 24 taxa of shrubs and woody climbers from a total of 26 plant families have been determined in kindergarten plantings. A total of 32 poisonous taxa, and 36 allergenic taxa have been catalogued in the Novi Zagreb – East city district, while a total of 34 poisonous taxa, and 42 allergenic taxa have been listed in the Novi Zagreb – West city district. The most poisonous species were: Taxus baccata, Prunus laurocerasus and Sambucus nigra. The species with the highest allergenic potential were: Thuja occidentalis, Betula pendula and Acer platanoides.

Vrste roda Helleborus se u ukrasnoj hortikulturi koriste kao vrtne biljke, lončanice za primjenu u vanjskom prostoru, kao vrste za uređenje interijera, a sve se više traže kao cvjetna vrsta za rez tijekom zime. Cilj ovog rada je opisati osnovne morfološke značajke i uvjete uzgoja vrsta roda Helleborus te dati pregled asortimana vrsta i kultivara kasnojesenske i zimske cvatnje. Pregledom literature utvrđeno je da Helleborus niger L., crni kukurijek, na tržištu postaje sve traženija ukrasna biljka, a prate ga i križanci između vrste H. orientalis i drugih vrsta ovoga roda (H. × hybridus). Iako tržišno slabo zastupljene u ukrasnoj hortikulturi se primjenjuju i druge vrste (H. viridis, H. foetidus, H. purpurascens, H. tibethanus, H. vesicarius te H. multifidus) te sve veći broj kultivara. Za cvatnju početkom zime, posebno u vrijeme Božića, najpoznatija je vrsta Helleborus niger L., a sve se više komercijaliziraju i međuvrsni križanci. Pri tome osobit značaj imaju križanci između vrsta H. niger, H. argutifolius Viv. i H. lividus Aiton. Razmnožavanje je moguće sjemenom, dijeljenjem te kulturom tkiva. Uzgaja se u uzgojnim posudama 12- 14 cm promjera u koje se sadi od 50. do 18. tjedna. Potreban mu je supstrat pH od 5,8 do 6,0, ne podnosi visoku razinu soli u tlu, a za prodaju početkom zime uzgaja se u zaštićenim prostorima od sredine listopada. Osjetljiv je na visoku vlagu, koja uz visoke temperature potencira pojavu bolesti (Fusarium, Pythium i Phytophtora).

Uz sve funkcije koje imaju zelene površine, školski vrt ima još i edukativnu ulogu. Nekad je bio vezan uz škole u ruralnom području, dok danas postoje brojne potvrde o njegovoj važnosti u obrazovnom procesu bez obzira radi li se o ruralnom ili urbanom okruženju. Gradska četvrt Sesvete cijelim je svojim područjem smještena izvan granica grada Zagreba kao naselja. Zauzima čak četvrtinu njegovog ukupnog prostora na sjeveroistoku grada. Još prije nekoliko desetljeća najveći je dio tog prostora obilježavao izrazito ruralni način života, elementi kojega su i danas jasno vidljivi u većini ovdašnjih naselja. Industrijalizacija i s njom povezano doseljavanje tisuća novih stanovnika ponajprije su, već sredinom šezdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća, potaknuli brzu urbanizaciju tada još malih Sesveta i drugih tadašnjih samostalnih naselja. Na cijelom području postoje 4 gradske i 5 privatnih predškolskih ustanova te osam osnovnih škola. Neke od tih institucija imaju vrt koji je uključen u obrazovni program sa svrhom razvoja pozitivnih psihofizičkih osobina kod učenika. Cilj rada bio je istražiti postojanje vrtova uz odgojno-obrazovne institucije (predškolske TIP 1 i osnovnoškolske TIP 2) na području gradske četvrti Sesvete, identificirati biljne svojte prema kategorijama (jedno- i dvogodišnje cvjetne vrste, trajnice i geofiti, grmlje, drveće i penjačice); procijeniti uređenost vrtova i njihovu usklađenost s tradicijom i prostorom u kojem se nalaze. U vrtovima TIP 1 zabilježeno je ukupno 97 svojti (44 jedno- i dvogodišnje, 12 trajnica i geofita, 15 grmova i 26 stabala), a u vrtovima TIP 2 ukupno 40 svojti (8 jedno- i dvogodišnje, 7 trajnica i geofita, 19 grmova i 6 stabala). Osim jednog vrtića, niti jedna od istraživanih odgojno-obrazovnih institucija na području gradske četvrti Sesvete niju imala vrt uključen u odgojno-obrazovni rad.