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City of Wollongong
Resident Visitor Business

Verge Gardens

You can save around 20,000 to 40,000 litres of water per year by converting a verge lawn to a water-wise garden.

Residents can replace grass with plants on the Council strip (verge) between private property and the road.

Guidelines

Follow the Verge Garden Guidelines to create a safe and successful verge garden.

Key rules to remember:

  • 600mm clearance from the edge of the kerb (for car doors to open)
  • 1m clearance around letterboxes (for the postie!)
  • Max height of plants is 700mm (to maintain sight lines)
  • Maintain a safe level pathway 1500mm wide (for pedestrian access)
  • Talk to your neighbours about your plans (the verge is a public space)
  • NO structures or hard surfaces are allowed (use plants and organic mulch only).

Staff from Wollongong Botanic Garden share their tips and recommendations for a range of great plants suitable for your verge in this video series.

For more plant advice, or to purchase many of the local natives featured, visit the Greenplan Nursery at Wollongong Botanic Garden, or just go for a wander around the Garden!

Get inspired by checking out some local verge gardens in the gallery below.

We've created some demonstration verge gardens across Wollongong. Some are pictured above, or you can check them out in person by visiting the locations below.

See something you like? We've included the plans (officially called 'planting schemes') used to create these gardens, and examples of some of the plants used.

Coledale Community Hall (native garden)

745 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coledale

Kemblawarra Community Hall (bushfoods garden)

Cnr Shellharbour Road and Parkes Street, Port Kembla

Mount Ousley (sensory garden)

Bass Park, Dumfries Ave, Mount Ousley

Port Kembla Community Centre (mixed produce garden)

Cnr Wentworth and Church Streets, Port Kembla

For more plant advice, or to purchase many of the local natives featured, visit the Greenplan Nursery at Wollongong Botanic Garden, or just go for a wander around the Garden!

You can also check out these pages for more handy information about gardening:

What else can you do?

We're here to help in greening your suburb by providing advice and assistance, free trees, and encouraging you to green your home.