Roots dynamic in urban woody landscape shrubs and their influence on shoot morphology

Abstract

Roots are very much the 'hidden half' of any plant, and no more so that when grown as landscape plants in the urban environment. Root systems are expected to 'perform' in a variety of difficult and stressful environments, whether they are constrained in containers of limited volume, planted into shallow soils with restricted water / nutrient availability (e.g. green roofs) or even expected to grow in the absence of soil (e.g. within hydroponic systems commonly used in green facades).