Backyard biodiversity – create a wildlife-friendly garden
Would you like to create a garden that features beautiful plants and attracts native wildlife?
Download our Backyard Biodiversity booklet and discover how important your garden is for our local wildlife and how to 'wildscape your garden'. You can also check out our indigenous plants list.
Growing fresh produce – delicious!
Growing fruit and vegetables in your own backyard is incredibly satisfying and has a positive impact on the environment by slashing your food miles (the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting food from producer to plate).
If you're interested in learning more about produce gardening, look out for our Yummy Yards program which will be run as part of the 2010-11 Living for our Future program. Yummy Yards is a free, five-hour program focussing on planning, designing and planting a productive garden. Visit the Living for our Future program web page for further information and to book.
Sustainable Gardening Australia's website also has some excellent resources about produce gardening, and visit the Diggers Club to source seeds and see some fantastic demonstration gardens.
Pests and weeds – how to deal with them
Our weeds brochure helps identify weeds in your garden and recommends alternative plants to use. Hard copies are available from Council offices and your local library.
Your plants are more likely to be impacted by pest insects if they are under stress, or the garden is 'out of balance'. There are better and effective alternatives to standard chemical sprays. Sustainable Gardening Australia has an excellent pocket book on dealing with pests in the garden without resorting to chemical sprays.
Waterwise gardening
With Victoria's long term drought and water restrictions, we are now more conscious of being water efficient in our homes and our gardens. Waterwise gardeners have water tanks, mulch their gardens and use drip irrigation systems to target watering where it's needed. Visit Target 155 for more information on saving water around your home and garden and the latest on water restrictions.
Raingardens at home
A raingarden receives rainwater from hard surfaces such as a downpipe from a roof. Planted with shrubs and grasses on layers of gravel and soil, raingardens helps reduce the amount of rainfall that would otherwise wash pollutants into the stormwater system and into our rivers and creeks. Melbourne Water is encouraging Melbournians to build 10,000 raingardens in our backyards by 2013. For further information visit Melbourne Water's raingardens website.
Composting and worm farms
Composting or running a worm farm is a great way to create nutrient rich organic matter for your garden beds, as well as reducing your waste to landfill. Traditional compost bins need to be turned regularly and layered with dry and wet ingredients to work effectively. If a compost bin is not for you, worm farms are a great alternatives and work well in small courtyards, balconies and businesses.
Visit our Living for our Future program webpage for information on hosting a special community workshop on composting or worm farming. Sustainable Gardening Australia also has excellent resources on worm farming and composting.
Exploring Boroondara's parks and gardens
Our parks and gardens can provide inspiration for your home garden. Find out more about Boroondara's beautiful parks and gardens.