The City is committed to creating greener, cooler and more sustainable neighbourhoods in the face of climate change. We are proud to share some of the outcomes from the 2022/23 Waterwise Verge Rebate Program which encouraged residents to ditch their lawn, fake grass and pavement for a waterwise and wildlife friendly verge garden.
This initiative was proudly co-funded by Water Corporation’s Waterwise Greening Scheme and forms part of our ambition for the City to be a leading waterwise community.
The program outcomes include:
- Over 100 new waterwise verge gardens in the City.
- Over 4,800 Waterwise Plants greening our neighbourhoods.
- 65 lawns removed. Plus, six paving treatments and one synthetic lawn gone.
- 74% of participating verges have waterwise trees.
- 75% of verge gardens mulched to retain water.
- Two Waterwise Garden Workshops with over 120 attendees.
- The City now offers two Waterwise Demonstration Gardens for residents to visit for inspiration.
A highlight of the initiative was the plant giveaway event in May 2023, where City staff provided program participants their plants that featured verge and climate suitable species. The species included the stunning Grey Cottonheads (Conostylis candicans) with its bright yellow flowers; Prostrate Banksia (Banksia petiolaris) for its feature foliage and beautiful flowers; Coral Vine (Kennedia coccinea) an attractive pea-flowered vine that is a local conservation significant species; Green Prostrate Grevillea (Grevilla crithmifolia) which is loved by bees, butterflies and birds; and 16 others.
The City partnered with a waterwise and biodiversity specialist nursery, APACE, to grow the waterwise plants for the participants' plant packs. In addition, residents received a pack of Lucinda’s everlasting seeds.
The program has resulted in many inspiring transformations and makeover success stories:
Participating residents were provided support through $25,000 worth of funding to help transform their verges, delivered through three incredible partnering Waterwise Nurseries – Dawsons Garden World – Joondalup Store, Wildflower Society of WA Northern Suburbs Nursery and Zanthorrea Nursery. This funding could be used on waterwise plants and waterwise products like soil amendments, conditioners and mulch.
All the hard work to achieve these makeover success stories was undertaken by the participants of the program.
The initiative also encouraged and celebrated the use of waterwise, native plants and wildflowers in verge gardens to increase and foster local biodiversity and establish nature and biodiversity corridors throughout the City.
These waterwise and biodiverse verge gardens also provide the opportunity for many of the participants to save money and time, as these gardens are low maintenance and don’t require regular watering. The City also recognises the cooling effect from street trees and vegetation cover can reduce urban temperatures by up to five degrees.
Want to take action and create your own waterwise verge garden?
The City's Verges and crossovers page shares a range of tips and resources to help you get started. Water Corporation’s handy guide to waterwise verges can also help you convert your verge into a beautiful, biodiverse and waterwise garden.
