POTENTIAL USE OF WILD FLOWERS IN URBAN LANDSCAPE

Biodiversity in urban areas is constantly declining due to increasing urbanization, industrialization and mechanization. The use of local wild species is continuously declining due to their unavailability and usual trend of using commercial or exotic plants in landscape. The full potential of wild flowers is often not met due to the lack of integrated planning and management and the limited specific knowledge, based on wild flower adaptation. Wildflowers are relatively easy to care for and they require least maintenance, the idea of using them in landscape is going to be popular around the world. When selecting wildflowers for a landscape, it is important to understand the conditions required by the plant when growing in the wild and to purchase plants from a reputable nursery. A lot of work is going on for the selection and development of native wildflowers for use in landscape. The present study was conducted to explore the possibilities of using wild plants for establishment of sustainable landscape in accordance with the perception of the people’s and local conditions. The data were analyzed statistically with the software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The idea of use of wild flowers in landscape received a quick response from the community and had great impact on the city landscape. According to respondent’s opinion, wild flowers and native plants can be a unique and interesting addition to the landscape and the use of local wildflowers in naturalistic plantings proved to be a low-cost technique for managing green areas, contributing to biodiversity, and a useful tool for the conservation of species.