\n<\/b><\/p>\n
In a research PhD supervised by Nigel Dunnett<\/a>, landscape designer Anna Andreyeva looks at resilient urban planting solutions, testing native plants from the Eurasian steppes. Since her field experiments are planted in BACSAC\u00ae raised beds, we were keen to interview her and to learn more in details about her project.<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Photo-intro-option-1-800x533.jpg\")
\u00a9 Annie Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u2013 Hello Anna. Can you introduce yourself and what led you to enroll in this PhD focused on plant ecology?<\/h4>\n
I\u2019m a landscape designer and planting consultant. I was born in Moscow and settled in the UK with my son, about four years ago. I come from a family of enthusiastic gardeners: my great-grandfather was a forester, we regularly hugged trees on our walks in the forest and me and my mom grew every perennial we could get a hold of in our countryside garden. In my late twenties, I went from passionate plant geek to landscape design professional, introducing the New Perennial naturalistic style to Russia. However, when my big public realm projects started to fail due to poor maintenance, I became more interested in plant ecology and decided to enroll in a PhD at the landscape department of the University of Sheffield (England) in order to gain a stronger scientific background.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Portrait-Anna_format-horizontal-800x533.jpg\")
\u00a9 Annie Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
\u2013 In a nutshell, what are your PhD expected outcomes?<\/h4>\n
My research aims to develop drought-and-cold tolerant plant mixes \u2013 inspired by steppe vegetation \u2013 with year-round visual interest; and to ultimately apply these planting schemes for use on roof gardens, roof terraces and green roofs. Our cities can greatly benefit from the delicate beauty and resilience of steppe plant communities.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Can you explain what steppes are?<\/h4>\n
Steppes are vegetation types from temperate climates that can be found in different parts of the world (Eurasia, North America, Patagonia, or North Africa). Commonly dominated by perennial grasses and colorful forbs, they endure extreme temperature shifts: from hot dry continental summers, to cold winters, often with low precipitation and strong winds. But you can\u2019t imagine the wealth of perennial plants thriving there! Salvias, Euphorbias, Scabiosas, Alliums, Vebascums, even peonies, and lilies for instance are typical steppe plants. And Asparagus too! We\u2019re quite familiar with them in our gardens, but we don\u2019t know they come from the steppes.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Alliums-senescens-1160x1740.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tAllium senescens \u00a9 Annie Jones\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Scabiosa-caucasica-_Fama-Deep-Blue_-1160x1740.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tScabiosa caucasica \u00a9 Annie Jones\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Scabiosa-orcholeuca-1160x1740.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tScabiosa orcholeuca \u00a9 Annie Jones\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\u2013 Why is a planting design inspired by the steppes relevant to urban contexts?<\/h4>\n
From an urban landscape practitioner perspective, here\u2019s what\u2019s at stake in our cities.<\/p>\n
\n- We need more nature to mitigate the consequences of climate change. And since space is limited in our increasingly built-up cities, roofs are untapped potentials for which steppe planting is a relevant model.<\/li>\n
- Long-lived and drought-tolerance planting with lowest maintenance. Steppe grasses live up to 50 years and most steppe forbs up to 10 years. And with hosepipe bans in place this summer, it is important to rely on species that can cope with heat waves.<\/li>\n
- Longer season of flowering to provide value for pollinators. In the UK non-native steppe plants continue to flower when the native species are no longer in bloom.<\/li>\n
- Beauty. I believe that planting is an art form and this aspect is no less important as biodiversity or sustainability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u2013 How did you design the site you were given for this field experiment ?<\/h4>\n
My experiments are located on a hilled site overlooking the former industrial city center of Sheffield. It is very windswept, just as the steppe habitats are! To recreate green roof conditions, I installed 24 BACSAC\u00ae raised beds, filled with two different substrate depths: 20 cm which is the standard depth for green roof and 40 cm which is another common standard depth for \u201clandscape over-structure\u201d projects. Although steppe soils are the most fertile in the world, I used a common green roof substrate that will most likely be used by the landscape industry, so as to select the plants that\u2019ll best thrive in this type of soil.\u00a0Then, I created two distinct plant mixes of grasses and forbs, with different flowering periods that stretch from early spring to late autumn. One is based on Central European and Ukrainian steppe communities, and the other one is based on Asian steppe plants. Lastly, the irrigation has been limited to emergency situations: only the day before several days in a row of temperatures over 26 degrees.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Anna-watering-800x533.jpg\")
\u00a9 Annie Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u2013 For which reasons did you use BACSAC\u00ae square raised beds?<\/h4>\n
I have been using BACSAC\u00ae for almost a decade now. They work really well for use on roof gardens and balconies due to the ease of installation. For this scientific field experiment, BACSAC\u00ae raised beds allowed me to create a flexible and contemporary work space, with minimal long-term impacts on the site. Over this summer heatwave, I also noticed most of my plants did not show signs of drought stress, thanks to a good insulation of the BACSAC\u00ae materials.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Can you name a high profile landscape project which effectively demonstrates the use of Steppe plant communities?<\/h4>\n
The steppe planting achieved by Nigel Dunnett at Barbican center in London. It is an outstanding example of landscape above concrete structure where drought stress is of high relevance.<\/span><\/p>\nTo find out more about this project check out nigeldunnett.com\/barbican\/<\/a><\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Barbican-Londres-copie-800x512.jpg\")
Barbican Estate, London, England. Designer: Nigel Dunnett. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\nPodcast: listen to Anna\u2019s interview with Jennifer Jewell Cultivating Places<\/a><\/em>.<\/span>
\nFollow Anna on Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bacsac.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/BACSQUARE9-800x513.png\")
BACSQUARE 9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n+ SHOP<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2013 Hello Anna. Can you introduce yourself and what led you to enroll in this PhD focused on plant ecology?<\/h4>\n
I\u2019m a landscape designer and planting consultant. I was born in Moscow and settled in the UK with my son, about four years ago. I come from a family of enthusiastic gardeners: my great-grandfather was a forester, we regularly hugged trees on our walks in the forest and me and my mom grew every perennial we could get a hold of in our countryside garden. In my late twenties, I went from passionate plant geek to landscape design professional, introducing the New Perennial naturalistic style to Russia. However, when my big public realm projects started to fail due to poor maintenance, I became more interested in plant ecology and decided to enroll in a PhD at the landscape department of the University of Sheffield (England) in order to gain a stronger scientific background.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My research aims to develop drought-and-cold tolerant plant mixes \u2013 inspired by steppe vegetation \u2013 with year-round visual interest; and to ultimately apply these planting schemes for use on roof gardens, roof terraces and green roofs. Our cities can greatly benefit from the delicate beauty and resilience of steppe plant communities.<\/p>\n Steppes are vegetation types from temperate climates that can be found in different parts of the world (Eurasia, North America, Patagonia, or North Africa). Commonly dominated by perennial grasses and colorful forbs, they endure extreme temperature shifts: from hot dry continental summers, to cold winters, often with low precipitation and strong winds. But you can\u2019t imagine the wealth of perennial plants thriving there! Salvias, Euphorbias, Scabiosas, Alliums, Vebascums, even peonies, and lilies for instance are typical steppe plants. And Asparagus too! We\u2019re quite familiar with them in our gardens, but we don\u2019t know they come from the steppes.<\/p>\n From an urban landscape practitioner perspective, here\u2019s what\u2019s at stake in our cities.<\/p>\n My experiments are located on a hilled site overlooking the former industrial city center of Sheffield. It is very windswept, just as the steppe habitats are! To recreate green roof conditions, I installed 24 BACSAC\u00ae raised beds, filled with two different substrate depths: 20 cm which is the standard depth for green roof and 40 cm which is another common standard depth for \u201clandscape over-structure\u201d projects. Although steppe soils are the most fertile in the world, I used a common green roof substrate that will most likely be used by the landscape industry, so as to select the plants that\u2019ll best thrive in this type of soil.\u00a0Then, I created two distinct plant mixes of grasses and forbs, with different flowering periods that stretch from early spring to late autumn. One is based on Central European and Ukrainian steppe communities, and the other one is based on Asian steppe plants. Lastly, the irrigation has been limited to emergency situations: only the day before several days in a row of temperatures over 26 degrees. <\/p>\n I have been using BACSAC\u00ae for almost a decade now. They work really well for use on roof gardens and balconies due to the ease of installation. For this scientific field experiment, BACSAC\u00ae raised beds allowed me to create a flexible and contemporary work space, with minimal long-term impacts on the site. Over this summer heatwave, I also noticed most of my plants did not show signs of drought stress, thanks to a good insulation of the BACSAC\u00ae materials.<\/p>\n The steppe planting achieved by Nigel Dunnett at Barbican center in London. It is an outstanding example of landscape above concrete structure where drought stress is of high relevance.<\/span><\/p>\n To find out more about this project check out nigeldunnett.com\/barbican\/<\/a><\/strong> Podcast: listen to Anna\u2019s interview with Jennifer Jewell Cultivating Places<\/a><\/em>.<\/span>\u2013 In a nutshell, what are your PhD expected outcomes?<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Can you explain what steppes are?<\/h4>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\u2013 Why is a planting design inspired by the steppes relevant to urban contexts?<\/h4>\n
\n
\u2013 How did you design the site you were given for this field experiment ?<\/h4>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\u2013 For which reasons did you use BACSAC\u00ae square raised beds?<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Can you name a high profile landscape project which effectively demonstrates the use of Steppe plant communities?<\/h4>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nFollow Anna on Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n+ SHOP<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"