Nature Strip planting mindfulness

Noticing where I live more people are planting up their nature strips (they might be called verge gardens also), well ... we call them nature strips in Australia. We are using these strips as a place to get down and a little dirty (or not) and becoming very mindful about how we use these spaces.

The nature strip for those reading from overseas, is the kerbed area between your house and the footpath (or sidewalk) that is usually green but in many cases is becoming a rainbow mix, with shrubs, grasses, vegies, fruit trees, herbaceous perennials, etc.  In Australia we are lucky to have so much space, that many of us have front lawns, and gardens, unless of course we live in flats or units or built up areas.

Well, there are a few design and sustainability issues that need to be remembered with planting up your verge or nature strip: hmm .... well don't many of us forget that lawns sequester carbon emissions.  Yes, they do! So we can expend energy on mowing them (I personally persist with an old hand mower), and if you plant a slow growing lawn, on balance the lawn will kick in more of a carbon sink than you think!

So think about what lawn you are going to have (how thirsty, how durable, how fast growing) and if ever in doubt ask the people at your local nursery.

Secondly, if you are going to have a verge planted up with shrubs -  be mindful about maximum height. Shrubs on a nature strip can cause vision hazards. Ideally they shouldn't get much taller than a metre, for any taller than this, they can be a bit tricky to see over when backing out on to the roadway.  An ideal plant in Australia is the  spreading wattle with bright green foliage - Acacia cognata mini cog and smallish grevillea shrubs.

Thirdly, another matter to remember is the mulch that you put down on your nature strip, assuming you are planting it up, can end up in the drains, as can the soil (if you don't use mulch). Now some people don't realise that the organic matter (along with all the other stuff: hydrocarbons, fertilisers, pathogens) we allow to filch in to our drains can cause an imbalance as it ends up in our waterways, as the aerobic - anaerobic what za doodles get all out of whack.  I didn't do well at biology so readers might like to go away and research this. It has a lot to do with the plants and aquatic species getting the incorrect amount of oxygen, because there is a build-up of toxins in the water. Take it from those who did a sustainable landscape design diploma - to prove to herself she isn't a biological dunces - that it doth matter what we putteth down our draineth. Those readers who did actually get a pass for biology, and any other design matters, please do feel free to add your comment.

So this is yet another reason why I extol the virtues of maintaining a lawn and using a manual mower on the nature strip.  Because there is less organics getting blown and washed away.  Lawns are very nifty when it comes to keeping the substrate all nicely tucked in. If you do plant up the nature strip, we do recommend the mulch be sourced from a reclaimed timber industry source, but the mulch will have to be replenished from time to time.

This is where the produce is left for neighbours to share! Fantastic!

One design tip - is to plant up the nature strip fully so that there is less chance of organics being distributed on to the road and in to drains. You will need a more built up area for where you pass to get in to your car (pavers, gravel etc), and park the rubbish bins etc. Why not have a book exchange box or share your vegies box on your nature strip, too!

Book exchange box several suburbs away 

We also need to be mindful ( we learnt to be perpetually and perennially mindful in our sustainable landscaing diploma) about weeds self-seeding along our verges and front gardens .... don't get me started on Aganpanthus praecox subspecies! Plants are like children; it pays to do a head count every now and then!

Oh and I almost forgot to add that you will probably have to register your intention to 'refurbish' your nature strip with your local council or municipal government authority, as the case may be, as the nature strip is really public property.

Here's two little rhyming sequences from a while back to compensate for this being a very all over the place blogpost, and because a few of us are gearing up for the Get Eco-Creative Exhibition at the Sustainable Living Festival coming up in Melbourne, here is one attempt at eco-creativity to tempt you, to come along.

Remember our platypuses
Think of our cranes, 
Take care with the slop
You put down your drains!


Ahh, drains, how do I love thee
Let me count all the types
Let us count the wildlife
At the end of our pipes ....