Urban densification has led to the adoption of vegetated façades as a nature-based strategy to increase urban green spaces and enhance urban living conditions. However, limited knowledge regarding suitable plants for vegetated façades can impede the process. In this field experiment conducted in Southern Finland, we investigated the performance of 12 potential plant taxa for a vegetated façade by assessing their visual appearance and sizes in relation to façade orientation, floor height, substrate pH, and mycorrhizal inoculation. The 12 plant taxa were categorized into 4 growth forms according to their morphologies: spreading conifers, dwarf conifers, creeping conifers, and climbers. We aimed to evaluate plant performance during the initial two growing seasons, which is critical for the successful establishment of these plants in vegetated façades. Eight of the twelve plant taxa exhibited relatively high performance in terms of visual appearance and size. Notably, creeping conifers outperformed other growth forms in visual appearance, which was most likely due to their close-to-ground morphology. Façade orientation and substrate pH were the most influential predictor variables. Façade orientation affected both plant visual appearance and size, while substrate pH primarily affected plant visual appearance. The east-facing façade (less exposure to sun and wind) and mildly acid substrate (pH 6–6.5) were more conducive to most of the plant taxa. Certain species and cultivars, such as ‘Lalli’, maintained constant plant visual appearance and size regardless of façade orientation and substrate pH, suggesting their adaptability and stability across various conditions. Floor height and mycorrhizal inoculation only displayed marginal and taxon-specific impacts. Given that some plants in our vegetated façade exhibited optimal performance different from those in their reported natural habitats, we encourage conducting long-term, on-site experiments to identify suitable plants for vegetated façades to ensure successful vegetated façade implementation.

中文翻译：

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芬兰南部植被立面中立面方向、楼层高度、基质 pH 值和微生物接种对木本植物性能的影响

城市致密化导致采用植被立面作为一种基于自然的策略，以增加城市绿地空间并改善城市生活条件。然而，对适合植物外墙的植物的了解有限可能会阻碍这一过程。在芬兰南部进行的这项田野实验中，我们通过评估与立面方向、楼层高度、基质 pH 值和菌根接种相关的视觉外观和尺寸，研究了 12 种潜在植物类群在植被立面中的性能。 12个植物类群根据其形态分为4种生长形式：蔓延针叶树、矮化针叶树、匍匐针叶树和攀缘针叶树。我们的目的是评估植物在最初两个生长季节的表现，这对于这些植物在植被外墙的成功种植至关重要。十二个植物类群中的八个在视觉外观和大小方面表现出相对较高的性能。值得注意的是，匍匐针叶树在视觉外观上优于其他生长形式，这很可能是由于它们接近地面的形态。立面方向和基材 pH 值是最有影响力的预测变量。立面方向影响植物视觉外观和大小，而基质 pH 值主要影响植物视觉外观。朝东的立面（较少暴露在阳光和风中）和弱酸性基质（pH 6-6.5）更有利于大多数植物类群的生长。某些物种和栽培品种，例如“Lalli”，无论立面方向和基质 pH 值如何，都保持恒定的植物视觉外观和大小，这表明它们在各种条件下的适应性和稳定性。楼层高度和菌根接种仅显示出边际和分类单元特异性的影响。鉴于我们的植被立面中的一些植物表现出的最佳性能与其报告的自然栖息地中的植物不同，我们鼓励进行长期的现场实验，以确定适合植被立面的植物，以确保植被立面的成功实施。