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Fremantle Verge Beautification Guidelines
Fremantle Verge Beautification Guidelines 1 Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Hibbertia scandens >> Patersonia occidentalis flower >> The City of Fremantle encourages its residents to take part in the verge beautification program, whereby unused lawn is replaced with water wise shrubs and groundcovers. Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines >> Lawn uses a significant 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. 1 You will find 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 first 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 first 12 months. If local, drought tolerant plant species are used, you may not need to water your verge once plants are established. Assistance 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. Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Planting & Maintenance If you live adjacent a bus stop, shop, school or other busy area and have a significant amount of pedestrian traffic, you might find that the lawn or plants within your verge become worn and have difficulty 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 flower >> Dianella revoluta ‘Variegata’ >> 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. 2 3 > Apace Community Revegetation Nursery 1 Johannah Street North Fremantle WA 6159 Phone (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 Offices first – bring along a copy of your council rates or other documentation proving you are a City of Fremantle resident. 4 > Lullfitz Nursery 1071 Thomas Road Oakford WA 6121 Phone (08) 9439 2555 > South Fremantle Garden Centre Cnr Hampton Rd & Clontarf Rd Beaconsfield, WA, 6162 Phone (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. Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Recommended Nurseries Festuca glauca >> > Grevillea crythmifolia >> Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Mulch 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. 5 Trees 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 ST TEP 1: LAWN & WEED REMOVAL Perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of preparation Perhap removing the existing lawn. is rem can dig all of the lawn straight out of the ground; You ca 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 need to remove a significant amount of soil beneath the will ne lawn tto get rid of the runners/roots. Even then, it’s unlikely will get all of the runners and you may find the lawn still you w grows back over time, so you must be prepared for slightly more iinitial maintenance in order to remove the lawn. Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines How To Prepare Your Verge Garden Alternatively, you can treat the lawn with glyphosate; Altern herbicide which only affects living plants, and will a herb therefore not cause damage to the plants that you will be therefo installing soon after. Make sure you don’t apply it to any install living plants you want to retain. Round-up Bi-active is the Council’s preferred glyphosate product as it is safer to Counc aquatic animals and requires no with-holding period. aquati << Juniperus confertus << Scaevola ‘Purple Fanfair’ 6 Round-up Bi-active can be purchased from most hardware Round stores and should be applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions – you may need to apply it twice. The lawn will instru take approximately 2 weeks to die, and then it can be easily ap removed. remov You can also apply Round-up Bi-active to any weeds growing on the verge. we 7 STEP 2: SOIL PREPARATION STEP 4: PLANTING Even out any lumps in the soil so that it slopes evenly from your property boundary or the footpath down to the kerb. 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. 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. 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 ST TEP 5: MULCHING Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Myoporum parvifolium ‘Purpureum’ >> Trachelospermum jasminoides >> Pimelea ferruginea >> Myoporum parvifolium >> Apply mulch to the entire garden bed, so that it is about 10cm thick. Make sure you keep ke the mulch just clear of the base of the plants. 8 9 COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME ORIGIN NOTES STRAPPY PLANTS, BELOW 500MM Grey Cotto Cottonheads Conostylis candicans WA Grey, strappy foliage with yellow flowers. Dianella ‘Little ‘L 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 flowers. Variegated Flax Lilly Dianella revoluta ‘Variegata’ East Coast Aust. Green & white ‘variegated’ foliage. Fescue Blue Fescu Festuca glauca Central Aust. Clumping grass with blue/green leaves. The following plants, particularly those native to Western Australia are hardy and drought tolerate – requiring minimal water. Morning IIris Orthrosanthus laxus WA Blue flowers and light green leaves up to 0.7m high. 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. SPREADI SPREADING GROUNDCOVERS, BELOW 300MM Make sure you avoid: > > > > Plants that are prickly, spiky, poisonous or 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. << Grevillea thelmanniana << Scaevola sericea cultivar 10 >> Moses in tthe Cradle Rhoeo discolor Mexico Spear shaped, red and green leaves. Native Iris Patersonia occidentalis WA Blue flowers and light green leaves up to 0.4m high. Coral Bush Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral Carpet’ WA New foliage is red, eventually turning green. Pig Face Carpobrotus virescens WA Succulent leaves and bright pink flowers. Emu Bush Eremophila glabra prostrate form WA Grey foliage & orange flowers. Spider Ne Net Grevillea Grevillea thelmanniana WA Vigorous grower, with atractive red flowers. Grevillea Grevillea crithmifolia “Green Carpet” WA Light pink, fragrant flowers in spring. Snake Bus Bush Hemiandra pungens WA Vigorous, low groundcover with purple flowers. Native Wi Wisteria Hardenbergia comptoniana WA Dark green foliage with purple flowers. Creeping IIvy Hedera canariensis Canary Islands Dark green star shaped foliage. Good for shady areas. Snake Vin Vine Hibbertia scandens East Coast Aust. Dark green foliage with yellow flowers. Shore Jun Juniper Juniperus confertus Japan Fragrant needle like foliage. Native Bea Beauty Kennedia prostrata WA Grows to only 10cm high, with bright red flowers. Creeping B Boobialla Myoporum parvifolium East Coast Aust. Also available in cultivar with purple foliage. Fan Flowe Flower Scaevola sericea WA Purple flowers. Star Jasmi Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides China Dark green foliage with white, fragrant flowers. Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Suggested Species SHRUBS BETWEEN 350-700MM Calothamn Calothamnus Calothamnus hirsutus WA Spreading shrub with red flowers. Bottlebrus Bottlebrush (small) Callistemon ‘Little John’ East Coast Aust. Red bottlebrush flowers. Gin Gin G Gem Grevillea obtusifolia ‘Gin Gin Gem’ WA Dense shrub with pinkish red flowers. Cushion B Bush Leucophyta brownii WA Grey foliage. Suits full sun & tolerates salty winds. Pink Rice Flower Pimelea ferruginea WA Good in cottage gardens. Pink flowers. Fan Flowe Flower Scaevola striata WA Pink flowers from spring to autumn. Fan Flowe Flower Scaevola ‘Purple Fanfair’ WA Purple flowers from spring to autumn. Coastal Ro Rosemary Westringia dampierii WA Grey/green foliage. Good for hedging. 11 If your verge is particularly small, just the one species of groundcover might be sufficient. Keep an area free, nominally 1x1m for your rubbish bin Groundcovers Area for rubbish bin (mulch only) Footpath Shrubs Strappy plants Groundcovers Area for rubbish bin (mulch only) 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. 12 Footpath Shrubs Groundcovers Lawn edging Lawn Groundcovers Strappy plants Existing tree Footpath Shrubs Strappy plants Existing tree Groundcovers Area for rubbish bin & occaional parking (mulch only) Grevillea obtusifolia prostrata >> Callistemon ‘Little John’ >> Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines Verge Design Examples 14 Fremantle - Verge Beautification Guidelines
