Verge gardens in Eurobodalla

Before you start, make sure your street verge is eligible:

• Verge gardens are only allowed on urban Council roads.
• Use our verge garden guidelines to check if your space meets the requirements:
  • Verge garden guidelines (3.3 MB)

Verge gardens are on public land, so it’s important to:

• discuss your plans with nearby neighbours
• listen to any concerns and adjust your design if needed
• understand that passers-by may harvest your edible plants.

Before you plant:

• Register your garden by completing our online form and self-assessment checklist.
• Once registered, you’ll receive a Council sign.
• Before work begins, you must install this sign on your verge so it's visible.

By registering, you agree to maintain your verge garden, so it remains tidy, safe, and aligned with Council guidelines.

Before any digging:

• The verge often contains essential services, such as:
  • water, sewerage, stormwater
  • electricity, gas, phone, and internet cables
  • fire hydrants, lighting, and power poles.
• Submit a free enquiry with Before you Dig Australia (BYDA) to locate underground infrastructure. BYDA reports don’t include Council infrastructure (like water and sewer lines). If you follow our planting guidelines, your garden shouldn’t interfere with these services.
• If you accidentally damage a service, you must:
  • report it immediately to the relevant utility provider
  • cover repair costs if they find you responsible.

Your verge garden must follow safety and access requirements:

Pedestrian and vehicle access

• Leave a 1.2m-wide strip for pedestrians if there’s no footpath.
• Allow 1m clearance around your letterbox for postal access.
• Keep a 1.2m buffer around power poles, fire hydrants, and service pits.

Visibility and safety

• Ensure clear sight lines for drivers entering or exiting driveways.
• Avoid blocking views at intersections.

Height restrictions

• Shrubs: Max height 2m.
• Grasses, sedges, low plants: Max height 0.5m.

What not to include

• No raised planter boxes, sculptures, benches, rocks, or any hard structures.
• No items that could become trip hazards or obstruct access.
• Synthetic weed matting, artificial turf, and turf with plastic netting, because they:
  • are mostly made of non-biodegradable material
  • prevent rainfall from being absorbed and cause runoff
  • could cause microplastic pollution and negative impacts on soil health.

Read the verge garden guidelines to make sure your garden is safe, accessible, and approved:

• Verge garden guidelines (3.3 MB)

Creating a verge garden should be fun, but also safe:

• Wear protective gear: enclosed shoes, gloves, sun protection.
• Never work from the road.
• Keep pedestrians safe: cordon off your work area during construction.
• Make sure people can still use the verge while you’re working.

Now it's time to get creative - within the rules:

• You can only plant directly in front of your property.
• Don’t extend into:
  • a neighbour’s verge (without permission)
  • public areas like traffic islands or median strips.
• If you live in a bushfire-prone area, consider:
  • using  fire-resistant plants (eg, those with thick, glossy leaves)
  • leaving gaps between plant clusters.
• Use only:
  • bush-friendly plants (non-invasive, drought-tolerant, low maintenance)
  • edible plants (check soil quality first with an at-home test).
• Check out our bush-friendly garden guide to help you select the right plants.
• Visit the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens for ideas or to buy native plants.

If you move into a property with an existing verge garden:

• You’ll need to register it under your name.
• You are responsible for maintaining it to Council standards.

No, existing trees in the verge area are protected and you must not remove them.

No, but before you start work on your verge garden, you must read the guidelines, register your verge garden, and complete the self-assessment checklist.

Yes, you should discuss your verge garden plans with your neighbours. This will help you to understand any concerns they may have so you can adjust your plans before you start work on your garden. Together you might develop a bigger and better plan.

It’s important to remember that the verge is a public space. If you plan on growing edible plants, passers-by may harvest from your garden.

Yes, pedestrians need to use the verge without being obstructed by gardens or forced to walk on the road.

If there's no formal footpath, leave a strip of grass at least 1.2m wide for pedestrian access, and to allow vehicle passengers to open their door.

Do not use synthetic weed matting, because it's mostly made of non-biodegradable material.

You should allow enough space for the postie to access your letterbox – usually a 1m clearance around the letterbox.

It's also important to leave 1.2m access around power poles, fire hydrants, and service pits located within your verge.

No, but you must submit a free enquiry with Before you Dig Australia (BYDA) before you start any excavation work on the verge. BYDA is a free service that locates underground infrastructure.

The BYDA report doesn't include Council infrastructure (water and sewer), but if you follow the guidelines on plant selection/size, their root structure shouldn't affect these services.

If you cause damage to a public utility service during verge gardening activities, you must report this immediately to the relevant service authority. You may be liable for the cost of repairs to the service.

Yes, height restrictions for plants within your verge are:

• shrubs: 2m
• grasses, sedges, and low shrubs: 0.5m.

No, you can't install sculptures, seating, rocks or other items with hard surfaces, as these could cause injury to passers-by.

Garden edging should not:

• have a lip of more than 5cm to contain and prevent mulch from entering the stormwater drain
• be wider than 5cm.

You're not allowed to use:

• non-organic materials such as loose gravel, crushed brick or other stone aggregate
• hard landscaping materials or irrigation systems
• garden structures such as wood planter boxes
• synthetic weed matting, artificial turf, and turf with plastic netting.

If you use these materials, Council may ask you to remove them.

Not all street verges will meet the requirements of a verge garden. Verge gardens are only allowed on verges next to urban Council roads.