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Lawn uses a signifi cant amount of water and we should aim to plant lawn only in areas where it can be actively used. Replacing much of the lawn within Fremantle’s verges with water wise, native plants will not only help reduce Fremantle’s overall water usage but will also provide habitat, promote biodiversity and enhance your street aesthetically.

This guide will equip you with the information you need to go about planting your verge so that it enhances your home, your neighbourhood and the environment.

The City of Fremantle encourages its residents to take part in the verge beautifi cation program, whereby unused lawn is replaced with water wise shrubs and groundcovers.

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Hibbertia scandens >>Patersonia occidentalis fl ower >>

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MaintenanceAssistance

You will fi nd a planted verge requires less maintenance than one that is covered in lawn (no more mowing or excessive watering will be required), although you will need to weed and prune from time to time and possibly hand water during excessively hot and dry periods.

The best time of the year to plant is in late autumn or early winter – in time for the fi rst rains of the year. If this can’t be achieved, try to avoid planting in the hottest months of the year (December through March).

Depending on the weather conditions you may need to hand water your verge while plants are establishing over the fi rst 12 months. If local, drought tolerant plant species are used, you may not need to water your verge once plants are established.

Alternatively you can install reticulation to your verge, just make sure that any watering is in compliance with Department of Water regulations. Also, be aware utility companies will need to access below ground services located within the verge, from time to time.

For elderly residents (over 60), or those with a disability who are unable to maintain their verge, the Council can point you in the direction of local community groups who may be able to assist with verge planting & maintenance.

If you live adjacent a bus stop, shop, school or other busy area and have a signifi cant amount of pedestrian traffi c, you might fi nd that the lawn or plants within your verge become worn and have diffi culty surviving. Contact the council to discuss options for paving a section of your verge – each verge will be assessed on an individual basis.

Hibbertia scandens fl ower >>Dianella revoluta ‘Variegata’ >>

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Recommended Nurseries

Mulch

Apace Community Revegetation Nursery1 Johannah StreetNorth Fremantle WA 6159Phone (08) 9336 1262

Fremantle residents can purchase up to 20 plants from Apace Nursery at a discounted price of $1.50 per plant each year. Residents should collect coupons from the Council Offi ces fi rst – bring along a copy of your council rates or other documentation proving you are a City of Fremantle resident.

Lullfi tz Nursery1071 Thomas RoadOakford WA 6121Phone (08) 9439 2555

South Fremantle Garden CentreCnr Hampton Rd & Clontarf Rd Beaconsfi eld, WA, 6162Phone (08) 93354996

Mulch is an important element to any successful garden as it helps the soil retain water. Mulch (which is produced from street-tree prunings in the area) is stockpiled at the City of Fremantle depot and is available at no cost to Fremantle ratepayers for use on their verge. Please contact the Council to arrange for more information.

If the Council’s mulch supply is low, www.mulchnet.com is another source of mulch.

Keep mulch well maintained and ensure it does not spill on the footpath or road. Some topsoil might need to be removed from the verge to keep the mulch level with the top of the kerb and footpath.

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How To Prepare Your Verge Garden

Residents are not permitted to plant trees in their verge, instead Council handles the installation of street trees as they have access to underground service locations and are aware of regulations surrounding verge tree installation. Species selection is guided by the City of Fremantle Street Tree Guide and the Fremantle Green Plan.

If the trees within your verge require underpruning please contact the Council as residents are not permitted to undertake pruning or any other work to street trees.

STEP 1: LAWN & WEED REMOVAL

Perhaps one of the more diffi cult aspects of preparation is removing the existing lawn.

You can dig all of the lawn straight out of the ground; using a shovel to cut up the lawn and remove it will make the job easier. This is quite a time consuming job and you will need to remove a signifi cant amount of soil beneath the lawn to get rid of the runners/roots. Even then, it’s unlikely you will get all of the runners and you may fi nd the lawn still grows back over time, so you must be prepared for slightly more initial maintenance in order to remove the lawn.

Alternatively, you can treat the lawn with glyphosate; a herbicide which only affects living plants, and will therefore not cause damage to the plants that you will be installing soon after. Make sure you don’t apply it to any living plants you want to retain. Round-up Bi-active is the Council’s preferred glyphosate product as it is safer to aquatic animals and requires no with-holding period.

Round-up Bi-active can be purchased from most hardware stores and should be applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions – you may need to apply it twice. The lawn will take approximately 2 weeks to die, and then it can be easily removed. You can also apply Round-up Bi-active to any weeds growing on the verge.

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STEP 2: SOIL PREPARATION

Even out any lumps in the soil so that it slopes evenly from your property boundary or the footpath down to the kerb.

Mixing a native fertiliser evenly through the soil or applying a wetting agent can help encourage plant growth.

STEP 3: SETTING OUT PLANTS

Set out the plants (still in their containers) on your verge to make sure you get the spacings and locations correct. Keep a distance of 1m between any groundcovers and the footpath, verge or driveway and avoid installing any shrubs that will obstruct your letterbox.

STEP 4: PLANTING

Once you remove plants from their containers, they should be planted immediately. It’s a good idea to slightly loosen the roots around the outside of the rootball.

Dig a hole that is approximately 30cm bigger than the rootball and install the plants so that the top of the rootball is level with the surrounding soil. Fill in the exposed hole and lightly compact the soil around each plant to remove all air pockets and voids. Soak soil around each plant with water to further consolidate the surrounding soil and encourage healthy growth.

STEP 5: MULCHING

Apply mulch to the entire garden bed, so that it is about 10cm thick. Make sure you keep the mulch just clear of the base of the plants.

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Myoporum parvifolium ‘Purpureum’ >>Trachelospermum jasminoides >>

Pimelea ferruginea >>Myoporum parvifolium >>

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Species

The following plants, particularly those native to Western Australia are hardy and drought tolerate – requiring minimal water.

Be mindful of what your neighbours have planted and try to tie in with the species and designs within your street to create a coherent streetscape.

Make sure you avoid:

Plants that are prickly, spiky, poisonousor cause allergic reactions.

Any plants over 0.7m high, as noted in the local law (which will obstruct sightlines).

Any species with a tendency to grow into a large shrub/small tree (such as some Hakeas & Grevilleas). Your nursery will be able to advise you further about this.

‘Hard landscape’ elements such as paving, walls, rocks etc.

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COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME ORIGIN NOTES

STRAPPY PLANTS, BELOW 500MM

Grey Cottonheads Conostylis candicans WA Grey, strappy foliage with yellow fl owers.

Dianella ‘Little Rev’ Dianella ‘Little Rev’ East Coast Aust. Upright foliage, only growing to 30cm.

Flax Lilly Dianella revoluta East Coast Aust. Green, strappy foliage with purple fl owers.

Variegated Flax Lilly Dianella revoluta ‘Variegata’ East Coast Aust. Green & white ‘variegated’ foliage.

Blue Fescue Festuca glauca Central Aust. Clumping grass with blue/green leaves.

Morning Iris Orthrosanthus laxus WA Blue fl owers and light green leaves up to 0.7m high.

Moses in the Cradle Rhoeo discolor Mexico Spear shaped, red and green leaves.

Native Iris Patersonia occidentalis WA Blue fl owers and light green leaves up to 0.4m high.

SPREADING GROUNDCOVERS, BELOW 300MM

Coral Bush Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral Carpet’ WA New foliage is red, eventually

turning green.

Pig Face Carpobrotus virescens WA Succulent leaves and bright pink fl owers.

Emu Bush Eremophila glabra prostrate form WA Grey foliage & orange fl owers.

Spider Net Grevillea Grevillea thelmanniana WA Vigorous grower, with atractive red fl owers.

Grevillea Grevillea crithmifolia “Green Carpet” WA Light pink, fragrant fl owers in spring.

Snake Bush Hemiandra pungens WA Vigorous, low groundcover with purple fl owers.

Native Wisteria Hardenbergia comptoniana WA Dark green foliage with purple fl owers.

Creeping Ivy Hedera canariensis Canary Islands Dark green star shaped foliage. Good for shady areas.

Snake Vine Hibbertia scandens East Coast Aust. Dark green foliage with yellow fl owers.

Shore Juniper Juniperus confertus Japan Fragrant needle like foliage.

Native Beauty Kennedia prostrata WA Grows to only 10cm high, with bright red fl owers.

Creeping Boobialla Myoporum parvifolium East Coast Aust. Also available in cultivar with purple foliage.

Fan Flower Scaevola sericea WA Purple fl owers.

Star Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides China Dark green foliage with white,

fragrant fl owers.

SHRUBS BETWEEN 350-700MM

Calothamnus Calothamnus hirsutus WA Spreading shrub with red fl owers.

Bottlebrush (small) Callistemon ‘Little John’ East Coast Aust. Red bottlebrush fl owers.

Gin Gin Gem Grevillea obtusifolia ‘Gin Gin Gem’ WA Dense shrub with pinkish red fl owers.

Cushion Bush Leucophyta brownii WA Grey foliage. Suits full sun & tolerates salty winds.

Pink Rice Flower Pimelea ferruginea WA Good in cottage gardens. Pink fl owers.

Fan Flower Scaevola striata WA Pink fl owers from spring to autumn.

Fan Flower Scaevola ‘Purple Fanfair’ WA Purple fl owers from spring to autumn.

Coastal Rosemary Westringia dampierii WA Grey/green foliage. Good for hedging.

COMMON

STRAPPY

Grey Cotto

Dianella ‘L

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Variegated

Blue Fescu

Morning I

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Native Iris

SPREADI

Coral Bush

Pig Face

Emu Bush

Spider Ne

Grevillea

Snake Bus

Native Wi

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Snake Vin

Shore Jun

Native Bea

Creeping B

Fan Flowe

Star Jasmi

SHRUBS

Calothamn

Bottlebrus

Gin Gin G

Cushion B

Pink Rice

Fan Flowe

Fan Flowe

Coastal Ro

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<< Grevillea thelmanniana<< Scaevola sericea cultivar

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Verge Design Examples

Footpath

Footpath

Shrubs

Shrubs

Strappy plantsGroundcovers

Groundcovers

Groundcovers

Groundcovers

Shrubs

Footpath

Lawn

Lawn edging

Strappy plants

Strappy plants

Existing tree

Existing tree

Groundcovers

Area for rubbish bin (mulch only)

Area for rubbish bin (mulch only)

Area for rubbish bin & occaional parking (mulch only)

If your verge is particularly small, just the one species of groundcover might be suffi cient.

Keep an area free, nominally 1x1m for your rubbish bin

To maintain pedestrian access without a footpath, retain a small strip of lawn along the kerb. You can also place your rubbish bin here.

The entire verge can be planted when there is an existing footpath along the back of kerb, providing pedestrian access & space for your rubbish bin.

A mulched, unplanted area along the back of the kerb can be used for pedestrian access & to place your rubbish bin.

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