Jac Semmler: Biodiverse verge in Heartland

“Nothing was going to stop me turning my nature strip into a garden!”

Images in this article: Jac Semmler

Jac Semmler is a horticulturalist, proud plantswoman and incredible gardener. She is tending her own private plant practice Super Bloom as well as being the Head of Plants and Strategy at The Plant Society. Over the last years she has been creating her own AMAZING garden Heartland in Frankston suburbia, which has taken over every centimetre possible around her house. As a part of this creating, she has turned her nature strip from lawn to a beautiful, diverse and resilient street garden. Jac chatted to me about challenges, assumptions, community reactions, and plant choices in her street garden which she has created within one of the most restrictive councils I have come across.

Tell us about the basics of your nature strip site and its context?

It’s long and narrow (about 15m x 1.5m), has intense heat particularly in summer and only locals walk around here. There aren’t many street gardens around!

What did your local council require (Frankston City Council*)?

There were many restrictions but nothing was going to stop me turning my nature strip into a garden.

I had to pay $100 for a permit and send in a design for approval.

There was a small and restrictive list of 19 indigenous plants to choose from and it toke 3 months for the permit to be approved.

Some good things about the council were that they have their own nursery that they recommended (Frankston Indigenous Nursery) and the nursery has a clear planting guide for the area (Frankston City Council Indigenous Plant Guide) with a great diversity of Australian grasses and perennials which are suitable.

How did you prepare your nature strip?

I scalped the site- I took 100mm of soil off the top to get rid of the lawn and seed bank. 

I made sure the soil level ended up lower than the kerb and path so that when I put the pea gravel mulch on it was level with kerb and footpath. There is a tree in the strip- a eucalyptus- and I pulled the grass up by hand around it so I wouldn’t stress it. It is thriving now! The pea gravel also allows all the rain to absorb into the ground and drain from the path in the garden as it is a rain fed verge with no additional watering after plants are established after the first summer. 

What challenges have you faced in the past year or so?

The delay in council approval meant that rather than autumn planting, the first planting happened in late winter. This wasn’t ideal- I wanted the plants to settle in over winter ready for the hot summer. Therefore, over summer, I had to do more watering than I would have liked and I also lost a few plants but overall the garden got through.

Also some patches of the garden have been trampled where corners have been cut by foot traffic but this has been minimal. The neighbours are so supportive of the garden. 

What plants are in the street garden at the moment?

The street garden has been designed to be very low input - the plants I have chosen need to be rain fed and require low nutrition (no fertilising or a mulch which will decompose. I have mostly indigenous plants in but there are also other Australian plants and climate compatible exotic plant, yes, I snuck in some other plants that weren’t indigenous. I am agnostic with my planting selection combining plants that are annuals, perennials and bulbs suitable for the conditions that will grow as a community. The experimental nature with combinations like californian poppies and Australian bluebells (Wahlenbergia stricta) is just so much fun! Also, I have found that some exotics have done better than some of the recommended indigenous plants - it is a really tough spot surrounded by hot road and concrete.

What do think of your street garden now?

I bloody love it! It immediately connects me to my neighbours and community. It also demonstrates what is possible on a nature strip. 

What assumptions did you have that turned out to be different from what you expected?

I didn’t know whether people walking past would like my style of garden which is a combination of textures, flowers, growth changes and seasonality (for instance I love leaving seed pods). But people really love it and observe all the seasonal changes. 

You have mulched with something a tad different…

I have mulched with a pea gravel (less than 7 mm gauge). A thick layer of this is perfect for weed suppression and it also allows rain to absorb really well. To reduce the gravel on the footpath causing issues for foot traffic, I made sure the gravel was at, or slightly below, path level. 

What do you think people love about your street garden?

I think people dig the wild plant choices and the seasonality in seed heads and flowers.. They may not do it themselves in their garden but they seem to really appreciate it here. The community love has helped me to continue to invest time and care into the garden. 

What are you up to now in your street garden?

Well the street garden is in transition being autumn and I am contemplating what flowers I should plant for next spring and summer which is great fun. I am introducing more dry summer tolerant bulbs Trintonia, Freesia and Drumstick Alliums to bring more successional beauty. With the street garden being so visible, I feel an extra wonder in bring beauty and nature to my neighbours. 

*see Frankston’s NSGs here and note that the application fee has increased from $100 to $160!