Nature Strips

When people become interested in gardening, they often feel that just having a bit of uninteresting lawn outside their home is a bit boring. Wildlife gardeners see an opportunity to make more wildlife habitat space.

According to the City of Ballarat website nature strip “appearance can bring economic benefits to businesses and property owners and we encourage property owners to recognise the value of nature strips and to also take pride in maintaining them. Nature strips are an integral part of our urban environment.”

It is a positive step to have the value of the benefits of nature strips acknowledged and we hope this extends to allowing us to add some low growing native plants.

Currently there is no policy or guidelines for City of Ballarat residents to follow when it comes to planting a nature strip. 

As more of us want to avoid chemicals that kill plants and insects, there is place to register  if you do not wish for Council to undertake spraying on the road reserve in front of or along your property, you can apply to be listed on the No Spray https://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/naturestrips

Some general tips before you plant

Our Ballarat Gardens for Wildlife garden team would like to provide some general guidance if you are looking at planting out your nature strip to avoid some of the problems that may arise. Nature strips are a wonderful extension to a garden and may provide some habitat for small birds, insects, frogs and skinks. 

Remember people still need to be able to walk along the adjoining footpath and have good visibility, access and not be obstructed by plants. This is no different from being required to keep garden vegetation cut back to the fence line. 

1.       Make sure you do an assessment of what is already growing as it may already have local native grasses and all you need to do is add a few more daisies.

2.       Seek approval from the owner if it is a rental property.

3.       Lodge a ‘Dial Before You Dig’ query online or dial 1100 to locate services prior to any excavation.

4.       Consider your ability to maintain the landscaping in a safe and 'tidy' condition in the long term.

5.       Don’t build up the soil level around an existing street tree or cut the roots. 

6.       Set plants back 50 cm from the edges of the kerb and footpath. People need to be able to open a car door and get out of a car or perhaps step onto the garden to pass someone.

7.       Avoid planting plants that have a potential to be weedy, as seeds may wash down the gutter to a nearby reserve or creek and spread. e.g. instead of  gazanias plant native daisies.

8.       All plantings to be a minimum of 1.8m clear from property boundary where no existing footpath. While birds need some prickly plants for protection avoid them on the nature strip and plant them in your own garden instead.

9.       Avoid large objects and barriers like raised garden beds, sleepers, water features, rocks, logs, lights, raised edges or fences and don’t add an irrigation system. If there is a need to dig up the nature strip your hard work will be removed or damaged.

10.   Choose low growing plants with a maximum height of 50cm. Some native grasses will grow bigger than this for a short period but they may easily be pruned annually after seeding. 

11.   Choose mulches that will not wash easily into the stormwater system. You don't want to cause a flood by blocking a drain!

12.   No artificial turf, this is made of plastic that breaks down and may enter the ecosystem. It also provides no wildlife benefits and kills the soil microbes underneath.

13.   Don’t add metal stakes or items that may cause injuries.

14.   Leave street trees alone and don’t try and modify them by removing branches, as the summers become hotter we will need all the shade we can get and street trees are a valuable asset. Contact Council if you need assistance with street tree maintenance.

Now for the fun stuff - choosing what to plant and a trip to the nursery