Factors affecting the decorativeness of flower beds in a regular style on the example of the city of Izhevsk

Kuzmina Nadezhda Mikhailovna ORCID: 0000-0002-0430-930X Senior Researcher, Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science "Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences" 426067, Russia, respublika Udmurtiya, g. Izhevsk, ul. T. Baramzinoi, 34 kuzmina1956@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Fedorov Aleksandr Vladimirovich ORCID: 0000-0003-2759-2037 Doctor of Agriculture Chief Researcher, Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science "Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 426067, Russia, respublika Udmurtiya, g. Izhevsk, ul. T.baramzinoi, 34 oiar@udman.ru Other publications by this author

Ardasheva Ol'ga Al'bertovna ORCID: 0000-0001-6828-4802 PhD in Agriculture Senior Researcher, Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science "Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 426067, Russia, respublika Udmurtiya, g. Izhevsk, ul. T. Baramzinoi, 34 o.ardashewa@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

IntroductionIn 2017, for the first time in the history of Russia, the project "Comfortable Urban Environment" was launched, thanks to which our cities and towns should become more cozy, more beautiful and more convenient.

Environmental indicators often fall below acceptable values. One of the urgent tasks of improving the state of the environment is the creation of ecological comfort zones – places of short-term rest. In an urban environment, these are squares, boulevards, parks, embankments, walking areas in the city center, etc. Floral decoration is a mandatory part of places of short-term rest. In literary sources, the use of flower plants in the design of cities is recommended in the ratio: annuals – 55%, perennials – 35%, corms – 10% ^[1]. Floral and decorative decoration in the city helps to increase the comfort of the human environment, creates a positive psychological climate, a good mood. The positive impact of the green environment on the physical and mental health of the population is confirmed by studies in European cities ^{[2, 3, 4, 5]}. It is noted that the comfort of the environment in places of short-term rest is affected by the quality and decorativeness of flower beds ^[6]. Even small green areas can improve the ecological and spatial-compositional component of the urban environment. Abroad, vertical landscaping is used to improve the aesthetic and ecological qualities of the environment in the design of the architectural environment ^[7]. The green spaces of the city are the main counterbalance to the negative impact of urbanization, as they perform basic ecological and aesthetic functions.To achieve an earlier decorative effect, ready-made flower seedlings are used, while it is very important in what conditions it was grown (the level of illumination, the use of various fertilizers). On the topic of growing seedlings of common annual flower crops (Salvia splendens Sell ex Schult, Petunia ?hybrida hort. Ex E.Vilm.et al.) a number of studies have been conducted by Russian and foreign scientists.^{[8, 9]}.

Landscaping in the city is not always at a high level. The monitoring of urban flower decoration is relevant today to determine the factors affecting the quality and decorativeness of flower beds.

In 2019-2020, the flower decoration of the most visited objects in the central part of Izhevsk was monitored. In the study area in 2019, 8 types of flower decoration were identified (flowerbed, stationary flower girl, rabatka, rockery, mixborder, vertical gardening, flowerpot), the area of which was 3478 m2. The total area under flower crops in the 2020 season decreased by 83 m2 and amounted to 3395 m2. The typical composition remained the same. The area of spring flower decoration (Tulipa Linnaues, Viola ? wittrockiana Gams ex Hegi) decreased by 264.6 m2 ^[10].

A beautiful covering of annual crops can be obtained if the correct planting density and high-quality agronomic care of flower beds are observed. In regular-style flower beds, the soil should not be visible between the plants. The higher the planting density, the faster the closure of plants occurs. In the reference literature, planting norms for annual crops are given, but these norms are contradictory in various sources (Table 1).

Table 1Norms of planting annual crops given in various sources

Types of annual flower crops

The norms of planting density of annual crops in terms of the number of pieces per 1 m2 taken from the literature source of 1969 are much less than the norms proposed for the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg ^{[11, 12, 13]}. The planting density for annual crops offered by the nursery of ornamental crops "Luxury Garden" ^[14] is similar to the norms for the city of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Planting of annual crops can be compacted, medium and sparse, depending on the planting density per 1 m2. The difference between the initial and final values of the density range for a single culture in reference sources reaches 50 pcs./ 1 m2 (Table 1).

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the floral design of the central part of the city of Izhevsk, to determine the optimal planting area of annual ornamental crops per 1 m2 and the factors that influenced the quality and decorativeness of regular-style flower beds in the conditions of Izhevsk, which is the novelty of these studies.

Objects and methods of researchThe selected objects for research are located along the same route: Victory Square, Kuzebai Gerd Square, Likhvintsev Boulevard, the square at the residence of the Head of the Udmurt Republic, the square at the Children's Cafe.

Most of the studied flower beds can be attributed to the regular style, since they have a rectangular or round shape, are located symmetrically from the central object (front entrance) or in the center of the boulevard. In flower beds, different types of ornamental plants are planted in the form of repeating patterns ^{[1, 11]}. The paper presents a comparative characteristic of regular-style flower beds according to the data obtained for 2019 and 2020:

1. Flower beds in the Victory Square. In the central part there is a large flower garden in the form of a circle. In the center of the flower bed is a flower bed in the form of a star. The space around the star is decorated with inserts of lawn, various flower crops and bulk white rubble. The theme of the flower garden is well suited for this Victory Square.;

2. Floral decoration of the entrance group at the residence of the Head of the Udmurt Republic;

3. Floral decoration of the boulevard near the "Children's Cafe";

4. Floral decoration of the boulevard on Likhvintsev Street. Rectangular flowerbeds with the same pattern are located in the center of the sidewalk throughout the boulevard;

5.       The entrance group at the Government House. The objects of floral decoration are arranged symmetrically from the entrance to the building. Flower beds consist of narrow workpieces with a pattern on a lawn background.

The examination of flower beds was carried out according to the principle of the route method ^[15]. When determining the area of the objects of floral decoration, a tape measure of 5 meters was used. The area of the Central Square of the city of Izhevsk was measured using the map of the city "Izhevsk", scale 1:15000 ^[16]. With the help of reference literature, the types of floral decoration and the species composition of plants were determined ^{[1, 17]}.

For a qualitative assessment of flower beds, the following were taken into account: the surface of the flower bed, the habitus and decorativeness of plants, the presence of decay, soil condition, planting rate, clogging ^[18]. The assessment of the quality of flower beds was carried out according to a 3-point system:

- 3 points - the surface of the flower garden is carefully planned, the plants are well developed and decorative, there are no weeds, the soil is loose and moist, planting seedlings of flower crops meets the standards;

- 2 points - the surface of the flower garden with noticeable irregularities, there are bald spots up to 10% of the flower garden area, the plants are normally developed, but there is a slight drop off or the presence of weeds occupying no more than 10% of the flower garden area, the soil is compacted and dry;

- 1 point – the surface of the flower garden is roughly planned, there are bald spots up to 30% of the flower garden area, plants are poorly developed, little decorative, weeds occupy more than 10% of the flower garden area, the soil is dense and dry.

It is proved that groups of different plant species constructed using the laws of composition have a more favorable effect on the visual environment ^[19]. Therefore, to assess the decorative effect of flower beds in the floral design of Izhevsk, a 4-point assessment was developed in the Department of Plant Introduction and Acclimatization of the Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (UdmFIC UrO RAS), taking into account the laws of composition^[10]:

4 points – a flowerbed with a pattern, the color scheme is selected according to the laws of harmony, in mixborders the arrangement of plants corresponds to the laws of composition;

3 points – a monotonous color scheme or not quite harmonious, a good condition of flower crops, or the design of the object taking into account the laws of harmony, but high weed infestation;

2 points – random planting order, the studied crops are in good condition, the amount of weed vegetation is insignificant;

1 point – random planting order, weed vegetation drowns out flower crops.

Results and discussionFlower beds located on the territory of the studied objects are decorated mainly with annual flower crops.

The area of flower beds in the regular style was 1570 m2 . The high proportion of annuals can be explained by the following features: flowering seedlings make it possible to decorate streets, squares, squares in a short time, a wide variety of colors ensures the creation of elegant bright flower beds. For high quality and decorative flower beds with annual crops in a regular style, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of their growth, development and planting density.

In the landscaping of regular - style flower beds in 2019-2020 , 13 species of ornamental plants of single - season use belonging to 10 families participated . The characteristic of the species composition of the studied flower beds in a regular style is presented in Table 2.

Table 2 Characteristics of the species composition of the studied flower beds in the regular style 2019-2020.

¹

In 2020, the species composition of annual crops decreased by 4 species: A. houstonianum, C.x hybrid, S.Splendens, Canna x generalis. These crops in 2019 had a high assessment of quality and decorativeness.

A study of regular–style flower beds in 2019 - 2020 revealed different planting densities of annual crops. The characteristics of flower beds on the studied objects are given below.

When examining the central flower garden in the Victory Square in 2019, a harmoniously matched color scheme was noted. Purple P. ?hybrida successfully harmonized with orange T. patula ‘Tangerine' and yellow T. patula ‘Lemon Drop' and pink B.?semperflorens-cultorumhort. In 2019, the decorative rating was reduced to 3 points and the quality to 1 point due to the poor quality of care. Inserts from the lawn were not cut in a timely manner. There was a high weed infestation. The white gravel was not cleared of grass. In 2020, the design of this flowerbed was similar, but there was an improvement in care, which led to an increase in the quality rating to an average (2 points). The decorative score remained at the same level (3 points). Bald spots were noted due to the dead seedlings. The high quality and decorativeness of the central part of the flower bed in the form of a star with an increased planting density (36 pcs /1 m2) of B. ?semperflorens-cultorum hort in 2019 and 2020 were noted. The planting density of annual crops of the rest of the flowerbed was 23 pcs. / 1 m2.

In 2019, the quality and decorativeness of the floral decoration of the entrance group at the residence of the Head of the Udmurt Republic was at an average level. In 2020, the planting density of flower crops was increased to 36 pcs/1 m2 against 23 pcs/1 m2 in 2019. The increase in the density of plantings had a positive effect on the quality and decorativeness of the floral design. There was practically no weed in the flower beds. There were no bald spots.

In 2019, the flower beds at the "Children's Cafe" with planted flower crops P. ? hybrida and T. patula along the boulevard had a highly decorative appearance. A range of colors (purple, orange, yellow, burgundy) has been successfully selected. The quality of the flower beds was at an average level. There were bald spots after untimely weeding. In 2020, the timing of planting seedlings of flower crops was violated. The overgrown and elongated seedlings were planted only at the end of June. In central Russia, it is recommended to plant seedlings of ornamental plants in the first decade of June (from June 5 to June 10) after possible recurrent frosts ^[1]. In 2017, seedlings of ornamental plants were planted in early June. From June 5 to June 7 , the night temperature dropped to +2 C0 . The optimal timing of planting seedlings of ornamental crops can be considered June 8-12, since night temperatures are usually set above + 10 From 0 during this period and begin to rise in the future. The planting density was underestimated compared to 2019 to 16 pcs/1 m2 versus 23 pcs/1 m2. A large number of seedlings died. Bald spots formed. The quality of these flower beds remained at the level of 2019 – average. The assessment of decorativeness was reduced due to the sparse density of plantings.

In 2019, flower beds along the boulevard on Likhvintsev St. with flower crops T. patula and B. ?semperflorens-cultorum hort. had average quality, decorative above average within 3 points. In 2020, there was an improvement in the agricultural care of flower beds, so the quality assessment improved to 3 points, the decorativeness remained at the same level. In the design of rectangular flower beds, the color scheme was not quite harmoniously chosen. The pattern uses two color tones and both warm yellow (T. patula) and red (B. ?semperflorens-cultorum hort) and this pattern is repeated 16 times. Three color tones are perceived more comfortably, cold, for example blue, could be added to two warm tones ^[20].

The floral decoration of the entrance group at the Government House consists of narrow workpieces with a pattern on a lawn background. The pattern of K. scoparia, C. maritima, pink and red B. ?semperflorens-cultorum hort on the background of the lawn looked quite decorative, the lawn itself had bald spots and poor quality of haircut, weed vegetation was visible in the work. The assessment of decorativeness has been reduced to 3 points due to the low level of care, the assessment of the quality condition of the flower garden is mainly 2 points. In 2020, the quality and decorativeness of floral decoration at the Government House were noted at a high level, which was facilitated by an increase in the density of planting of flower crops and timely agricultural output.

When comparing the design of flower beds in a regular style at the objects studied in 2019-2020, the dependence of the quality and decorative effect of flowerbeds on the density of planting annual crops was revealed. In the process of statistical processing of the obtained evaluation points of quality and decorativeness, the average score of quality and decorativeness of floral decoration on the studied objects was obtained. Table 3 presents a comparative characteristic of the average score of the quality and decorativeness of the flower beds of the studied objects, depending on the planting density of flower crops.

Table 3 Comparative characteristics of the average score of the quality and decorativeness of flower beds depending on the planting density of flower crops on the studied objects

¹

According to Table 3, it can be seen that in 2020, in the flower beds at the residence of the Head of the Udmurt Republic and at the Government House, the average assessment of the quality and decorativeness of flower beds increased. At these facilities, the planting density of seedlings of flower crops compared to 2019 was increased for all planted crops at these facilities to 36 pcs ./ m2 versus 23 pcs./ 1 m2. Diagram 1 clearly shows that with an increase in planting density, the average decorative rating increases.

Diagram 1 Comparative characteristics of the average assessment of decorativeness depending on the planting density of flower crops on the studied objects.The planting density of annual crops on the studied flower beds in the city of Izhevsk is close to the recommended norms of 1969 ^[11].

To date, in many cities of Russia, more compacted planting of annual flower crops of 50-100 pcs. / 1 m2 is used ^{[12, 13, 14]}. With compacted planting in flower beds, rapid closure of annual crops is achieved and weed growth is suppressed. In the case when the distance between the crops is too large, it is very difficult to create a complete cover of flower beds. Bald spots quickly become overgrown with weeds, creating competition for crops and reducing the decorative effect of flower beds. After weeding such flower beds, time is needed to restore the decorative effect of annual crops. With too sparse planting in flower beds at a Children's cafe in Izhevsk in 2020, the closure of annual crops did not occur even by the end of the growing season.

Table 4 presents a comparative characteristic for assessing the decorativeness of the studied flower garden areas in the central part of the city of Izhevsk in 2019-2020.

Table 4Comparative characteristics of decorative flower beds in the regular style at the studied objects of the city of Izhevsk in 2019-2020.

Assessment of the decorative nature of flower beds in a regular style

The area of flower beds with high decorativeness in 2020 decreased compared to 2019 from 43% to 18% of the total area of flower beds. The decrease was influenced by sparse planting in flower beds at the Children's Cafe.

ConclusionThe obtained data from the study of the floral design of the most visited central part of the city of Izhevsk in 2020 showed a tendency to worsen compared to 2019.

There was a decrease in the species composition by 4 species. The area of flower beds with high decorativeness decreased by 399 m2 . We can positively note the improvement in the quality of care of flower beds compared to 2019. Several reasons have been identified that have affected the deterioration of the decorativeness of regular-style flower beds: a low level of care for flower beds, a reduction in species composition, violation of the planting dates of flower crops, sparse plantings (16 pcs / 1 m2), non-professional use of the laws of harmony. Most of all, the assessment of the quality and decorativeness of flower beds was influenced by the density of plantings. Due to the low planting density in 2020 and the dead seedlings, bald spots formed, which negatively affected the decorative floral design of the Children's Cafe. An increase in the density of plantings to 36 pcs. / 1 m2 had a positive effect on the quality and decorativeness of the floral design of the entrance group at the residence of the Head of the Udmurt Republic and at the Government House of the Udmurt Republic. There was practically no weed in the flower beds. There were no bald spots. The financial issue does not allow the use of compacted planting of ornamental plants in the flower beds of Izhevsk. Our research has revealed the optimal planting density in Izhevsk - 23 pcs. / 1 m2. With a planting density of 23 pcs/ 1 m2 in 2019, the decorative effect of flower beds was at an average and high level (Tables 2, 3). According to observations of the weather conditions of June in the years of research, it can be concluded that the optimal timing of planting seedlings in the Middle Urals can be considered June 8-12. The recommendations for the middle zone of Russia indicate June 5-10 ^[1].

The city of Izhevsk is the capital of the Udmurt Republic, but, unfortunately, the floral design of the urban environment in 2020 did not always correspond to this status. Flowers create a positive mood. The emotional state and quality of recreation of citizens and guests of our capital depends on the quality of decorative floral decoration, but due to unprofessionally decorated and unkempt flower beds, the quality of comfort of the environment decreases, and as a result, negative emotions are formed in people.

The information presented in the paper can be useful for gardeners and landscape builders of short-term recreation areas in an urban environment.