The garden surrounding the house and the plants growing in it have not only an aesthetic function, but also increase air humidity, protect against noise, shield from winds, and provide peace to its inhabitants.A well-designed garden should not only guarantee a positive aesthetic experience, but also create a microclimate that strengthens our he alth.
The urban environment, due to human activity, tends to show higher levels of both soil, water and air pollution. Fortunately, however, we have more and more tools with which we can "fix" our environment.
The idea of using plants to reduce pollution in the environment has been known for a long time, but the fascinating scientific discoveries made in recent years have allowed the development of the first technologies for environmental purification.Plants are capable of simultaneously absorbing many different pollutants.Fragments of plants containing them are either composted or, in the case of heavy metals, incinerated in special incinerators or stored in mines.
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Air-purifying cis (taxus baccata), like tawlina, should be planted in the vicinity of busy roads (Image: Fotolia.com) |
Phytoremediation is widely used in degraded post-industrial areas, where it aims to restore them to such a state that they can be used as recreational, commercial and residential areas.
Plants use their roots to take up heavy metals and transfer them to the above-ground part, thus removing them from the soil.A very future-oriented area of phytoremediation are urban areas, especially those located in the vicinity of communication routes, where soil, water and air are contaminated.There are many dangerous pollutants in the air, i.e. suspended, polycyclic dust aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, ozone and heavy metals.
Home gardens are places where the unique abilities of plants can be used. This especially applies to facilities in the vicinity of roads, streets or busy intersections. Among conifers that are perfect for planting in such areas, intensely absorbing pollutants, we can mention yews, Sabine junipers, mountain pine, Siberian microbiota, but also taller trees, such as Serbian spruce or California fir.
Heavy metals also pose a threat: lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and antimony.Among the plants that perfectly remove them from the environment, there are many perennials, e.g. smagliczki, clothes, geese, goldenrod or rudbeckie.Among woody plants, we recommend black locust, Siberian carrageenan, shrub amorphous, sycamore maple and field maple.
The second group of pollutants hazardous to he alth are organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, chlorinated biphenyls, benzene and its derivatives and petroleum derivatives. Most of it is contained in car exhaust fumes, smoke from incinerated garbage, from burnt meadows and from fires.
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Tawlina jarzębolistna (sorbaria sorbifolia) effectively cleans the air, making it suitable for planting, for example, near roads (Image: Fotolia.com) |
All these impurities are effectively retained in the waxy coating on the plant surface. It has been found that after depositing on the surface of this bloom, they slowly move to the first layer of skin cells, where they are retained. Dirt 'immobilized' in this way can be easily removed by raking leaves in the fall.This type of pollution is not absorbed from the soil by plants, however.Fortunately, some species, for example white mulberry, black locust, ornamental apple trees, birch trees, release substances into the soil that favor the growth of bacteria that can decompose them.
Particulate matter is considered to be the most dangerous group of pollutants. They are solid or liquid particles that hang in the air and float for days or even weeks.The finer ones get into the alveoli, causing respiratory and circulatory diseases, including lung cancer.They are collected by plants on the surface of the leaves, in the wax.
Tree species that absorb the greatest amounts of suspended dust are Pennsylvania ash, 'Pallida' Dutch linden, Swedish rowan, 'Youngii' birch, Turkish hazel, 'Erecta' aspen and European ash. Shrubs and climbers are also very important in every garden. Species recommended for air purification are mountain ash, Meyer's lilac 'Palibin', common yew, shrub hydrangea, red currant, Japanese tavern, van Houtte's tavern, elderberry 'Aurea' and common ivy, five-leaf ivy andthree-leaf vine.
Prof. Stanisław Gawroński, SGGW, Warsaw
Bronisław Jan Szmit, ZSZP
