On the verge

GROWING edible plants on the nature strip is always a chancy business - will someone steal my pumpkins or use them as a footy?

How about natives? Some councils are happy to have you greening uo the street while others seem to take pleasure in ensuring the strip stays plant-free.

When I moved in down the west coast over five years ago, I did the right thing and rang them to enquire about nature strip gardens. Go ahead I was told by council, but remember, if we need to dig the pipes or something it could be disturbed.

Tough-as-old-boots native iris will hopefully survive in the replanted verge garden

So inspired by many gardenerswho have had fun with more garden space and went for it. My plan was for a mix of natives and exotics with a focus on attracting more birds and bees to my front and rear gardens where I grow fruit and veggies.

Soon a 'captain cook' bottle brush, some tube stock of grevillias and a handsome hakea were surrounded by a dash of nasturtiums. The plants all bloomed there and soon little birds including blue wrens and New Holland honeys eaters were flitting in and out of the vegetation - until last month when the workers came through to put in a footpath.

Alas, I came home one night and found a ripped up mess - just a hakea and the bottlebrush looking worse for wear while the grevillias were upside down, roots to the air and foliage buried in the mounds of dirt.

Go figure.

So I've replanted the grevillas, hoping for a recovery but despite watering they are looking pretty shaky. They have been joined by some divided clumps of mature native iris, a 1m protea which popped up in my front garden after i took out the monster a few years back to make way for a fruiting cherry and some more nasturtium's.

Here's hoping they take.

So it was good to see Gardening Australia's Costa's take on verge gardens.

Despite this setback, I'm all for everyone to get out and plant something that makes your heart sing, the birds and bees a bit happier and the street a greener place to be.