Abstract
This study surveyed planting areas along streets in Gangwon-do to find out how to improve the planting and use of street trees and herbaceous plants. There were 301,491 trees of 41 species on the streets of Gangwon-do in 2004. The predominant species of street trees were Ginkgo biloba ($40\%$), Prunus spp. (Prunus yedoensis and Prunus sargentii) ($25\%$), Platanus occidentalis ($5\%$), followed by Betula platyphylla var. japonica, Zelkova serrata, Prunus armeniaca var. ansu, Acer palmatum, and Pinus thunbergii. Eighty-four herbaceous plant species were found in the Youngseo district (the southern area of Gangwon-do); the ratio of native species to exotic was 51:33. The predominant species were Cosmos bipinnatus, Petunia hybrida, Tagetes spp., Aster koraiensis, and Fagopyrum esculentum. Eighty-nine herbaceous plant species were found in the Youngdong district (the eastern area of Gangwon-do); the ratio of native species to exotic was 55:33. The predominant herbaceous plants were Aster koraiensis, Tagetes spp., Petunia hybrida, Rudbeckia bicolor, Cosmos bipinnatus, Salvia splendens, Brassica oleraceae var. acephala, Aquilegia buergeriana var. oxysepala, Coreopsis drummondii, Viola tricolor, and Dianthus superbus var. longicalycinus. Appropriate pruning adds to the aesthetic value of trees and prolongs their useful life; it also maintains good health and thereby reduces the need to control insects and diseases. Street trees had not been properly pruned due to the presence of power lines and a shortage of pruning information. The pruning was controlled by Korea Electric Power Company, which has no pruning information. Pruning must be maintained by a professional landscape company in order to maintain good shape, such as that which is done for bonsai. In order to improve the planting, use and maintenance of landscape plants in Gangwon-do, the following recommendations are made: street tree species should be diversified, suitable street trees should be selected for each space, native species should generally be used, trees should be appropriately pruned and properly fertilized, pests and diseases should be controlled, plantings should be done in multiple layers, spatial arrangements should be improved, larger trees should be planted, and drainage and underground electric wires should be considered when planting.