Transform your verge into a low-maintenance garden that cools the street and supports local wildlife.
Discover how to transform your verge into a garden that is beautiful, safe and sustainable. The verge is the strip of land between your property and the road. It can be landscaped with plants or lawn that help cool the city and bring life to your street.
We have created tools to make verge gardening easy. These include a free Verge Greening Guide, a simple online checklist and a rebate scheme to help cover costs.
Why green your verge
Planting your verge is a simple way to make your street greener and more inviting.
- Beautify your street by adding colour and character to your verge and your home.
- Cool the suburbs as plants reduce heat and improve air quality.
- Support native wildlife to create a safe place for birds, bees and butterflies.
- Manage water naturally with plants and mulch to help reduce runoff and retain rainwater.
- Build community as greener streets encourage walking and connection with neighbours.
What’s in the Verge Greening Guide
The Verge Greening Guide helps you design a garden that is safe and easy to care for. It includes:
- Six garden designs such as native formal shaded and wildlife-friendly options.
- Recommended low-growing plants that suit local conditions.
- Advice on planting, access, maintenance and how to stay safe.
- Special guidance if you live in Colonel Light Gardens.
The guide also shows how to meet the Verge Conditions of Use policy so your garden is both beautiful and compliant.
Verge garden designs to inspire
Explore six beautiful verge garden designs that follow our Verge Greening Guidelines. These designs show how you can transform a simple verge into a low-maintenance, low-growing garden that supports local biodiversity, cools the street and enhances your neighbourhood. Each layout uses hardy plants chosen for their colour, texture and height with most staying under the 500 mm limit to keep sightlines clear. You can copy a design, tweak it to suit your space or mix and match elements like bin pads, pathways and planting layouts. Visit the example gardens in person at Winston Avenue Reserve, between Somerset Avenue and Cumberland Avenue, Cumberland Park and see what’s possible on your verge.
How to apply
Before planting your verge, you need to complete the Verge Development Permit. This helps make sure your garden is safe and meets Council’s guidelines.
Step 1 – Complete the permit
Answer each question to confirm your design meets safety and access rules. These include plant height, spacing and pedestrian access.
Step 2 – Accept your responsibilities
When you submit the permit, you agree to maintain your verge in a safe and tidy condition.
Step 3 – Get your permit
Once the application is complete, your Verge Development Permit will be issued automatically.
Apply for a rebate to green your verge
You may be eligible for a rebate to help landscape the verge outside your home. Through the Verge Greening Incentive Scheme, we offer financial support to residents who want to create greener, healthier and more attractive verges. It’s part of our commitment to cooler suburbs, more biodiverse and more liveable city for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
A verge is the strip of land between your property boundary and the road. While it forms part of the public streetscape, residents are welcome to garden this space – as long as it remains safe and accessible for everyone.
Yes. Before you start, you must complete the Verge Development Permit to ensure your garden meets Council’s safety, access and planting guidelines. Once approved, you will receive a Verge Development Permit automatically.
Low-growing, drought-tolerant plants are recommended. The Verge Greening Guide includes six garden designs and plant suggestions to suit a variety of styles, soil types and sunlight conditions.
Yes. The Verge Greening Incentive Scheme offers a rebate of up to 50% of installation costs, capped at $500 per property. Eligible costs include plants, mulch and soil preparation materials. Applications open soon.
Yes. You need to plant around your street tree. Healthy plantings can benefit street trees by improving soil moisture and reducing heat stress. Just make sure you leave space around the trunk and avoid damaging roots.
Colonel Light Gardens has special heritage considerations. The Verge Greening Guide includes a dedicated section to help residents in this suburb design gardens that meet both heritage and safety requirements.
No. Artificial turf is not permitted on verges in the City of Mitcham. Artificial materials can increase surface heat, prevent rainwater absorption and restrict the health of street trees and surrounding soil. We encourage residents to use natural planting instead. The Verge Greening Guide provides safe, attractive and sustainable options for creating a low-maintenance garden that helps cool and green our streets.
No the Verge Greening Incentive Scheme only applies to verge gardens installed after 14 October 2025. We’re not able to provide funding for verge gardens that were installed before this date.
You can apply if you own or lease a property in the City of Mitcham and there is a Council verge in front of your home. If you're leasing, you’ll need the property owner’s approval before applying.
We’ll reimburse 50% of your installation costs, up to a maximum of $500 per property.
You can claim the cost of:
- Mechanical excavation (done by a licensed contractor)
- Landscaping services (by a licensed contractor)
- Topsoil or loam
- Approved verge plants (as listed in the Verge Greening Guide)
- Mulch or compost
- Irrigation materials (including pipes and trenching)
- Lawn installation
When you apply, you’ll need to provide:
- A Verge Development Permit number or a reference number from your Landscaping on the Verge application (if you’ve been approved outside the permit process)
- Proof of residence in City of Mitcham
- Receipts or invoices showing what you spent
- Photos of the finished verge garden, with your property's street number visible
- Your contact details and bank account information for the rebate payment
You can expect payment within 45 days of submitting your completed application.
Yes if your property is on a corner block and has two street frontages, you can apply for both verges.
If your application doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria, we’ll email you to let you know why. You're welcome to contact Council if you’d like to discuss the outcome.
No. The rebate is for one completed verge garden only. Additional planting or future upgrades aren’t eligible for further funding.
The rebate won’t cover:
- Any work started before your permit or approval is granted
- Removing an existing verge garden
- Artificial turf
- Plants not included in the Verge Greening Guide
- Gardening tools, machinery or equipment
- Private property works (like driveways, fences or irrigation systems)
- Ongoing maintenance (like mowing, weeding or watering)
- New homes built or certified in the past 12 months
- Raised borders, stones, garden edging or pavers are not approved for funding without a valid Works on a Public Road approval.