City of Moreton Bay residents are being encouraged to transform their nature strips into verge gardens, creating street frontages that support local wildlife.
The initiative focuses on turning nature strips into spaces that support bees, lizards, birds and other wildlife by planting native plants.
Mayor Peter Flannery said verge gardens were the perfect opportunity to improve urban biodiversity.
“City of Moreton Bay’s urban environments play an important role in providing a series of interconnected stepping-stones for wildlife habitat across our landscape,” Mayor Flannery said.
“These stepping-stones allow native flora and fauna to expand and move between larger areas of wildlife habitat. By reintroducing native plants that naturally occur in a specific location, residents are effectively letting nature do the work.”
Native plants also thrive in the local climate and soil, requiring less maintenance and water, while providing food and shelter for wildlife.
City of Moreton Bay is offering guidance to help residents plan, prepare and plant their verge gardens. A range of resources is available online, along with demonstration sites at Margate, Deception Bay and Brendale.
Moreton Bay’s community nurseries supply native plants suitable for verge gardens. Residents can also apply for one free native plant voucher each year.
President of Friends of Redcliffe Botanic Gardens, Yvonn Hardy, encouraged locals to visit their community nursery.
“Our native plants nursery run by The Friends of Redcliffe Botanic Gardens stocks a variety of natives that are perfectly suited for verge gardens, not only due to their hardiness but also because they attract so many beneficial insects, not to mention birds and native bees,” Yvonn said.
“You can buy tubers for as little as $2.50, or bring your native plant Council voucher for free plants. You’ll find us inside the Redcliffe Botanic Gardens, George Street entrance.
“We love this initiative, which contributes greatly to making our spaces greener and restoring balance to our local natural environment.”
Residents can access native plants at the following Moreton Bay community nurseries:
- Bribie Island Community Nursery, Bongaree
- Friends of Lagoon Creek Community Nursery, Caboolture
- Pine Rivers Community Nursery at Kumbartcho Sanctuary, Eatons Hill
- Redcliffe Botanic Gardens Community Nursery, Redcliffe
Verge garden demonstration sites can be viewed at:
- 109 Sorrento Street, Margate
- 18 George Street, Deception Bay
- 33 Brendale Street, Brendale
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