Which Plant Where - Hort Frontiers Green Cities Fund

The Which Plant Where, When And Why Database For Growing Urban Greenspace project is a program of research that will result in a new database tool to ensure that landscape plantings can account for current and future climate scenarios to grow Australian urban greenspace in coming decades.

Backed by a five-year research program, this tool will enable plant selectors to select plants with the features they need tested under the climatic conditions they will live with in coming decades.

Imagine for a moment that you were asked to plant a landscape to last for the next century. As you survey the site, you start thinking about which turf species, plants and trees you might select, how to manage the soil, and how to ensure that the plantings survive and thrive for many decades to come. You start to wonder how much of an effect the predictions of more hot days, water-saving measures and the heat from roads and buildings would have on this particular site. You wonder whether the plants that you choose are even available to purchase in Australia right now?

As the 202020Vision goal of making our urban areas 20% greener by 2020 gains momentum, big questions arise about how to choose the right plants for the right spot in the right location under both current and future climates. We all want landscape plantings to last but the challenge is to factor in the many different variables about our site, its plant selections, and the growing climate now and in the coming decades.

Imagine for a moment that you were asked to plant a landscape to last for the next century. As you survey the site, you start thinking about which turf species, plants and trees you might select, how to manage the soil, and how to ensure that the plantings survive and thrive for many decades to come...

That's where the Which Plant Where When And How database comes in – an easy to use tool that would let you apply a range of filters such as soil type, region, plant type, heat tolerance, biodiversity benefit or availability tailored to your region so that you can be sure to select plantings that you know will survive and thrive wherever you are in tomorrow's climates.

The Which Plant Where When And How database is driven by a five-year research program being run by Australia's leading environmental and horticultural researchers at Macquarie University, Western Sydney University and the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage as part of Horticulture Innovation Australia's 202020Vision program.

They will be conducting a program of research that includes test plantings under some of the hottest and driest conditions in Australia to make sure that the information you get from the database is backed by real-world testing and research.

Most of all, the research will be done alongside people just like you who make planting selection decisions to deliver a tool that makes it easier and more reliable to those the right plant for the right place in the right climate with the right benefits.

Thermal images of plants under heat trials: at what point do the mechanisms in plants collapse? (Image credit: Renee Marchin)

For more information contact Leigh Staas at Macquarie University on leigh.staas@mq.edu.au or Prof David Ellsworth on d.ellsworth@westernsydney.edu.au.

Partners

Which Plant Where, When And Why Database For Growing Urban Greenspace (P00023661) is funded by the Hort Frontiers Green Cities Fund, part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative developed by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from Macquarie University, Western Sydney University and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and contributions from the Australian Government.