Rhodothamnus sessilifolius is a species of the Ericaceae family endemic to the Artvin province in NE Turkey. This is in the critically endangered species list and current populations are decreasing, therefore, it requires protection and reproduction. Thus the present study aimed to investigate the effect of various gibberellic acid (GA3) applications on germination of the R. sessilifolius seeds. The effects of various GA3 concentrations on final germination percentage, mean germination time, germination value, and germination rate were analyzed in a growth cabinet. The study demonstrated that gibberellic acid application positively affected germination. Seed percentages of germination were 2.22 %, 18.89 %, 17.78 %, and 15.56 % in the control group for 100, 500 and 1000 ppm GA3 concentrations, respectively. First germination was observed in seeds treated with GA3 after 11 days. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between all measured germination properties. These results are promising for future conservation strategies.

Urban growth has been fast for decades. Because money is very important in this urban-based world, humanity focuses on economic development, and is often too busy to deal with sustainability. Therefore, in a world that is constantly changing, creating sustainable cities that contain a diverse range of habitats supporting plant establishment is essential. Some surprising urban habitats in which plants can grow, such as cracks on pavements and walls, rocky areas, abandoned places and roofs might be extremely important for sustainability, while urban spaces are under artificial pressure. In this study, which suggesting a method to create more sustainable green roofs for urban areas, and considering roof vegetation is already important for supporting the ecology of urban areas, we surveyed 37 roofs in an urban part of Trabzon city focusing on the habitat effect. We found 51 plant species growing on these 37 roofs, and determined five different roof vegetation typologies in the research area. The main goal in any artificial green roof is to cover roof surfaces with vegetation, and success is considered a perfect coverage rate. We found roof surface size, species richness, size of the sunlit part, daily sunlight duration, and depth of the substrate are the most effective habitat attributes on vegetation coverage on rooftops in the research area.

This study aimed to evaluate and optimize the effects of three auxin types—indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)—applied at four concentrations (1000, 3000, 5000, and 8000 ppm) on the rooting performance of Photinia × fraseri Dress. stem cuttings. The experiment was conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions using a sterile perlite medium. Rooting trays were placed on bottom-heated propagation benches maintained at a set temperature of 25 ± 2 °C to stimulate root formation. However, the actual rooting medium temperature—measured manually every four days from the perlite zone using a calibrated thermometer—ranged between 18 °C and 22 °C, with an overall average of approximately 20 ± 2 °C. The average values of these root-zone temperatures were used in the statistical analyses. Rooting percentage, root number, root length, callus formation, and mortality rate were recorded after 120 days. In addition to classical one-way ANOVA, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to model and optimize the interactions between auxin type, concentration, and temperature. The results revealed that 5000 ppm IBA significantly enhanced rooting performance, yielding the highest rooting percentage (85%), average root number (5.80), and root length (6.30 cm). RSM-based regression models demonstrated strong predictive power, with the model for rooting percentage explaining up to 92.79% of the total variance. Temperature and auxin concentration were identified as the most influential linear factors, while second-order and interaction terms—particularly T·ppm—contributed substantially to root length variation. These findings validate IBA as the most effective exogenous auxin for the vegetative propagation of Photinia × fraseri Dress. and provide practical recommendations for optimizing hormone treatments. Moreover, the study offers a robust statistical modeling framework that can be applied to similar propagation systems in woody ornamental plants.

The family Ericaceae is a large family of Angiosperms spread throughout the temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It includes plants, shrubs and trees that are often found in acidic and inefficient growing conditions. It offers ecologically based and sustainable landscape design alternatives by using natural species in plant designs. Many species of the Ericaceae family are naturally found in the mountainous and forested areas of Turkey, which is a very rich country in terms of plant species diversity with its geographical location and climate characteristics. Landscape designs created using natural vegetation offer ecologically based and sustainable alternatives. However, in urban areas, natural vegetation is not utilized sufficiently and efficiently. These plants, which create a visual impact with the beauty of their forms, leaves, flowers and fruits in the rural landscape of Turkey, have not found sufficient use in the urban landscape, despite the favorable conditions in terms of climate and growing environment. In this study, the morphological characteristics and landscape usage possibilities of some Ericaceae family plants that grow naturally in Turkey and can be used to create effective landscapes with their aesthetic properties were investigated. It is aimed to encourage the use of these natural species, which have high potential in terms of sustainable and economic applications, in open-green areas.

Spartium junceum L., the natural vegetation of Turkey flora, is one of the indicator plants of the Mediterranean climate. Especially in rural landscape, they offer aesthetic wives with floral beauties in dense stains. Functionally, they are effective in planting design in many ecologically distressed areas, such as in sloping areas, highway vegetation, coastal areas affected by sea salt, and so on. They are also preferred for controlling dune areas. In addition to these properties, this species is mainly used as a medicinal and aromatic plant. In particular, the aim of the study were 1) to evaluate the aesthetic, medicinal and aromatic properties of Spartium junceum L. in rural and urban areas in landscape architecture 2) to investigate the effect of different medium on the germination of seeds of Spartium junceum L. As a result of the study, the success of the germination of seeds has been determined: peat 34%, peat + soil (7: 3) 35,33% and peat + sand (7: 3) 42,67%. In addition, root length, the number of root and plant length of germinated seedlings were measured. In the statistical analysis results, the best medium of root length and number of roots was determined as peat + sand (7: 3) medium. Peat + sand (7: 3) and peat + soil (7: 3) medium are in the same group in terms of plant height.

The aim of this study is to encourage the use of Rhododendron luteum Sweet, distributed in high altitudes in its natural habitat, in planting designs and landscape architecture and to cultivate these plants by seed propagation. In this context, the effects of different altitudes on R. luteum germination and post-germination seedling growth were investigated. The germination success of R. luteum seeds collected at 3 different altitudes, 1,586 m, 1,760 m and 2,100 m a.s.l., was investigated under greenhouse conditions at a temperature of 25 ± 2 °C and humidity of 70 ± 2% and in soil, peat, soil + peat (5:5), peat + sand (7:3), soil + sand (7:3) and soil + peat + sand (4:4:2) propagation media. The post-germination seedling height, root length, and the number of leaves of the seedlings were determined. Different altitudes had significant effects (P < 0.05) on height, root length, and the number of leaves of the seedlings. The highest germination percentage was 76.69% with the seeds collected from 2,100 m. Furthermore, seedlings that grew from these seeds possessed the best seedling growth with a greater height, longer roots, and a greater number of leaves. Keywords: landscape architecture, Rhododendron luteum, seed propagation, variation