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.

The composition of the essential oil depends on the duration and conditions under which the distillation of the plant material is carried out. In this study, one sample without fractionation and eight fractions (each after 15 min of steam distillation) of the essential oil of cultivated H. italicum were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The steam conditions for all samples were as follows: flow rate 800 L/h, temperature 104 °C, and pressure 0.4 bar. The test of the antimicrobial activity was performed with the modified Kirby–Bauer method (disc diffusion method) on non-selective nutrient media (blood agar) using the reference bacterial and fungal strains. A total of 75 different components were found in the essential oil samples obtained. A shorter distillation time makes the oil richer in monoterpenes and more suitable for the perfume and cosmetics industry. On the other hand, prolonged distillation leads to the essential oil being enriched with sesquiterpene oxides, which can have a negative effect on the fragrance of the essential oil. The essential oil of H. italicum showed antimicrobial activity only against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and the best activity was shown by the sixth fraction.

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.

Transplants of Tagetes patula L., T. erecta L. and Calendula officinalis L. were subjected to brushing treatment until appearance of visible inflorescence buds. At the end of treatment, plant height was statistically significantly decreased only in C. officinalis, whereas, at the beginning of flowering, the height of plants was statistically equal to untreated groups in all examined species. In T. patula, the treatment also did not influence other measured morphological parameters. However, in T. erecta, treated plants had higher numbers of lateral branches and leaves, and, in C. officinalis, the treatment resulted in more upright stems. Besides, treated plants in both T. erecta and C. officinalis had a higher number of inflorescence buds. The results indicate that brushing is not effective method for reducing plant height in the examined cultivars of T. patula and T. erecta, yet may be a valuable tool to improve some commercially important characteristics in T. erecta and C. officinalis transplants. However, some plants were damaged by brushing treatment, especially in C. officinalis. Further research is therefore needed to find the effectiveness of methods of applying mechanical stress in which physical contact with plants is reduced or avoided.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis L., Lauraceae) is an important Mediterranean aromatic species widely used as a culinary spice and a source of bioactive constituents. This study aimed to evaluate the essential oil (EO) composition, macronutrient content, polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity of bay laurel along the Croatian Adriatic coast. A total of 49 volatile compounds were identified in dried leaves using GC–MS, representing 99.27–100.00% of the EO composition. The EOs were dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes (86.51–95.55%), with 1,8-cineole (42.40–56.83%), α-terpinyl acetate (6.89–12.76%), sabinene (6.10–8.65%), linalool (2.06–14.46%), and methyl eugenol (0.45–10.10%) as the major constituents. Polyphenolic profile obtained by spectrophotometric methods showed that total polyphenol content ranged from 6.03% to 9.65%, tannins from 1.81% to 4.76%, flavonoids from 0.23% to 0.71%, and total phenolic acids from 1.34% to 3.03% (rosmarinic acid equivalents) and 2.51% to 5.66% (chlorogenic acid equivalents). Furthermore, we highlighted the antioxidant activity of Croatian bay laurel using the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Ethanolic extracts exhibited higher antioxidant activity than aqueous extracts, reaching 74.58–82.03% ABTS inhibition and 57.93–69.54% DPPH inhibition. This study provides the first integrated characterization of Croatian bay laurel leaves and highlights their antioxidant potential.