Verge Gardens

Before commencing any verge landscaping works, please ensure that you have:

• read and understood the Verge Policy & Guidelines
• completed and submitted the Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application Form, along with all required supporting documentation.

Applicants must not commence verge landscaping works until formal authorisation has been granted by the Council. All works must be carried out in accordance with any conditions specified in the approval. Once planting is complete, it is the ongoing responsibility of the individual or group to maintain the verge garden in a safe and tidy condition. This includes regular watering, mowing, weeding, pest and disease management, pruning, and the replacement of plants or materials as needed. Maintenance also involves ensuring the area remains free of trip hazards for pedestrians.

How to apply

To apply to landscape the verge adjacent to your property, please complete and submit the online Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application Form below.

 Apply online now

Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Form

Alternatively, you can download and complete the Authorisation to Landscape a Verge – Application Form & Conditions (PDF)

Please note: If you want to landscape multiple verges or an area not directly adjacent to your property (e.g., a verge at the end of a dead-end road), please download and complete the Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Notification & Consent Form and upload or attach this form to the Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application Form.

Verge Landscaping and Maintenance Policy & Guidelines

The Verge Landscaping and Maintenance Policy & Guidelines should be reviewed alongside the Council’s Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application Form.

Download: Verge Landscaping and Maintenance Policy & Guidelines

After planting, it is the ongoing responsibility of the individual or group to maintain the verge garden in a safe and tidy condition. This includes regular tasks such as watering, mowing, weeding, pest and disease control, pruning, and replacing materials or plants as necessary. Additionally, it is important to ensure that no trip hazards exist for pedestrians.

Insurance

For individuals landscaping a verge directly in front of their property, the Council does not require public liability insurance. However, you may want to consider extending your domestic insurance coverage to include the verge garden.

For individuals or groups landscaping multiple verges or a verge that is not directly adjacent to their property, the Council will require evidence of public liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $20,000,000.00 per claim.

Individuals and groups that are organised under an incorporated body (e.g., a residents association) must be covered by the insurance policy of the incorporated body.

Please note: If a third party is injured or suffers loss or damage in connection with your verge garden, you will not be covered by the Council’s insurance.

Small community groups with limited funds for insurance may want to consider the following options:

• the group could become an incorporated association under the Associations Incorporation Act 1985 (SA) and manage its own insurance.
• the group could explore more affordable insurance options from Local Community Insurance Services, Garden Clubs Australia or the Department for Environment and Water (via SAicorp, a division of the South Australian Government Financing Authority).
• The group may be auspiced by another association or agency (e.g. a local Residents’ Association) and arrange to be covered by their insurance.
• several groups or associations with similar objectives could obtain insurance together, as an umbrella policy is likely to be more affordable.

A verge (or nature strip) is the area of land located at the front of your property, situated between the footpath and the roadside kerb.

Verges play a crucial role in accommodating essential public services such as water, electricity, sewer, telecommunications, and gas, and they also provide space for street trees. The size of verges can vary depending on the street, and they are typically covered with a compacted rubble material.

The Council owns the land between the front property boundary and the road, including the verges. The Council is responsible for footpath installation and maintenance, managing street trees and ensuring that verges are maintained in a safe and tidy condition.

Individuals or groups wanting to landscape a verge must:

• read and understand the Verge Landscaping and Maintenance Policy & Guidelines
• complete the Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application Form
• receive the Council’s approval prior to starting any work.

The Council does not offer design and horticultural advice. However, the following resources are recommended for guidance:

• Botanic Gardens of South Australia Plant Selector
• Green Adelaide – planting guide.

Design

Verge landscape design must consider any existing trees, ensuring that there is at least 1.5 square metres of permeable and/or unplanted area around the tree, or sufficient space to accommodate its structural root zone.

Lawn or Council approved materials (e.g. paving, compacted quartzite or organic mulch) may be used in a verge for placing kerbside bins on collection days. However, a landscaped verge should not result in a net increase of impermeable material or exceed 20% of a verge area.

Plant selection

The Council encourages the use of plants that are:

• non-invasive
• drought tolerant
• long-lived
• low maintenance

• hardy and able to withstand occasional pedestrian traffic.

Consider using local native species that are well adapted to the climate and provide valuable food and habitat to birds and other wildlife.

For information about local native species and their maintenance requirements, download: Common Local Native Species of the Adelaide Plains Brochure. 

Your local nursery can also assist with species selection.

Yes. If you are interested in landscaping multiple verges or a location that isn’t directly adjacent your property (e.g., a verge at a dead end road), you may submit an application for the Council’s consideration.

In addition to the application, you must complete a Notification and Consent Form to confirm that you have obtained consent from the adjoining property owners for the proposed verge landscaping.

To proceed, please download and complete the Notification and Consent Form and upload or attach it to your online Authorisation to Landscape a Verge Application.

For Tenants

If you are renting and wish to landscape the verge in front of your property, you are also required to complete a Notification and Consent Form confirming that you have received approval from your landlord.

If the Authorisation Holder is unable or unwilling to maintain the landscaped verge, the Council may consider a request from another individual or group (e.g., a neighbour or a Residents' Association) to take over responsibility for its maintenance. In such cases, a new Authorisation must be entered into with the individual or group assuming responsibility.

For more information, contact the Council’s Works Coordinator, Parks & Gardens on 8360 9008.

No, residents are not allowed to plant street trees. Street trees are the responsibility of the Council.

If there is no tree in your verge and you would like to request one to be planted, please contact the Council’s Works Coordinator, Tree Services on 8360 9002.

If a street tree can be planted, it will be planted in accordance with the Council’s Tree Strategy 2022 – 2027.

The Council regularly sprays weeds on footpaths and compacted rubble verges.

If you do not want to have your footpath or verge sprayed, you can ask for your address to be added to the Council's No Weed Spray Register by contacting the Council’s Works Coordinator, Park & Gardens on 08 8360 9008.

Please note:

• Verges that have been landscaped by residents will not be sprayed by the Council.
• Once landscaped, it becomes the resident’s responsibility to maintain the verge.

No, artificial lawn or turf is not permitted—this applies to both new applications and retrospective approvals for previously unauthorised works. If the Council identifies an unauthorised verge with artificial lawn, a written request will be issued requiring the removal of the artificial lawn.

Please note that artificial lawn is not permitted in verges for the following reasons:

• It negatively impacts soil health by preventing natural processes
• It retains heat and can potentially cause burns to both animals and humans on very hot days
• It contributes to the urban heat island effect by absorbing sunlight and releasing built-up heat later
• It reduces water infiltration, limiting water available to street trees and increasing stormwater runoff
• It is usually made from non-recyclable materials, contributing to long-term environmental waste

No, the Council does not allow vegetables, herbs or fruit trees to be planted or maintained in verge gardens for food cultivation.  

If residents are interested in food cultivation in public spaces, contact: Linde Community Garden.

The Council uses leaf blowers to move leaf litter away from property boundaries, footpaths, verges and from underneath parked vehicles to the road, where it can be collected by a street sweeper.

Please note that once a verge is landscaped:

• the Council will avoid using leaf blowers on the verge to prevent damage to vegetation and to avoid the loss or contamination of mulch
• it is the responsibility of Authorisation Holder to ensure leaf litter and other organic material in the verge is not swept, blown, hosed or left on footpath, gutter or street. Please rake or sweep garden waste and use it as mulch, compost it or place it in your green organics bin.

No, built structures (e.g., supporting frames, raised garden beds, retaining walls) and garden ornaments (e.g., bird baths, planter boxes, pots) are not allowed to be placed on the verge.

Landscaping materials must be flush with the adjacent footpath and kerb and not mounded higher.

The allocation of financial assistance in undertaking verge landscaping works will be entirely at the Council’s discretion and is subject to the availability of any allocated Council Budget for this purpose. Individuals or groups who make use of this incentive program to landscape a verge are required to gain approval from the Council prior to works commencing.

• Once your application has been approved, you will be notified and can then proceed with the verge landscaping works. Approved verge landscaping works receiving financial assistance must be completed by 31 May 2026.
• Upon completion, the applicant must submit a simple Verge Landscaping Completion Report found on the Council’s website. If the verge landscaping has been satisfactorily completed, payments will be made via EFT within 14 days.

If the verge landscaping has not been satisfactorily completed as per the approved documentation, payment will not be provided and you will be contacted by telephone or email.