THE USAGE OF SOME DECORATIVE REPRESENTATIVES OF PICEA Mill GENUS IN THE LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN SKOPJE (REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA)

Abstract

With the development of landscape design in our region, the interest for decorative species has increased. The usage of the already present ones became bigger and in the same time numbers of new species, varieties and cultivars were introduced. Thus, many representatives of the Picea Mill genus can be found which, considering their physiological, ecological and specific morphological characteristics (form, texture and color), take their places on our green areas. The aim of this research is to point out the representatives of the Picea Mill genus that can be found in our region and also to determine their usage when designing the open green spaces. There are recommendations for the usage of some of them as elements or part of the elements of the landscape design. For this research was used the visual method, which considers finding out and determining the representatives of the Picea Mill genus in the green areas, garden centers and nurseries as well. It was concluded that the most present taxons of the Picea Mill genus are: Picea abies, Picea abies ‘Inversa Pendula’, Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’, Picea glauca ‘Conica’, Picea omorica, Picea pungens, Picea pungens ‘Glauca’, Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ and Picea pungens ‘Hoopsii’. Their frequent and complex usage in the design of the green areas as focal points, specimen plants, in plant grouping, as parts of alpineums and rock gardens, is due to the specific morphological characteristics as well as their shape and height.