Department of Urban Horticulture and Planting Design

Ornamental plants and trees are exposed to extreme environmental conditions in both indoor and outdoor urban spaces.  In future, due to climate change, urban areas will experience more frequent and more severe incidences of heat and drought stress, which will have an impact on the plants that grow there.  Such conditions present particular challenges for plant selection, plant production and plant use.  At our department, thanks to the integration of these specialist fields, we are able to study plants and their physiology across their entire life cycle.  Starting with breeding, continuing through production, all the way to the marketing and use of plants, this applies to all types of plant, from one-year-old ornamental plants to centuries-old shrubs and trees.  To help us deal with such a broad research spectrum we have built up international, national and regional networks of cooperation partners from various different disciplines.  In addition to carrying out fundamental research, we are strongly committed to initiating applied research projects in cooperation with partners within the industry, such as ornamental plant producers, tree nurseries, seedling growers, plant breeders, soft- and hardware manufacturers, towns and associations.  Our main research areas include the stress physiology of plants in urban locations, the interactions of microorganisms with plants, and the use of vertical planting systems in indoor and outdoor spaces.