Banyule · Darebin · Melbourne
Everything you need to know about planting a compliant native nature strip garden in Melbourne — permits, costs, plants, and upkeep.
Yes — in most Melbourne councils, including Banyule and Darebin, residents can plant their nature strip, but you need council approval first. Each council has its own nature strip planting guidelines covering plant heights, sight lines, and clearances around footpaths, kerbs and street trees. Nature Street handles the entire approval process for you across Banyule and Darebin, so your garden is compliant from day one. See our Plan & Permit service →
You need Council approval — you apply first, and once your application is approved you can plant, provided you follow Banyule's Nature Strip Planting Guidelines. The current guidelines allow taller plants (up to 70 cm) in the central area of the strip, with lower plants and groundcovers (up to 30 cm) along the edges next to the kerb, footpath and driveways. You'll also need to use approved materials (soil, mulch or compacted granitic sand), avoid weedy or spiky species, leave clear space for bins and pedestrians, and keep well clear of street trees. Our Plan & Permit service prepares an application designed to meet all of these requirements the first time. See our Plan & Permit service →
Darebin asks residents to complete its Online Nature Strip Approval Questionnaire before planting. The questionnaire steps you through Darebin's Nature Strip Guidelines — covering things like keeping utility pits accessible and leaving space for bins on collection day — and in many cases tells you straight away whether you can proceed, without waiting for written approval. Nature Street completes this process on your behalf and designs your garden to satisfy every requirement. See our Plan & Permit service →
Your local council owns the nature strip (also called the verge) — the land between your property boundary and the road. As the adjacent resident, you're generally responsible for maintaining it, but because it's public land, changing it from grass to garden requires council approval. That shared ownership is why the permit step matters.
Yes. Councils cap plant heights to protect sight lines for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. In Banyule, taller plants up to 70 cm are allowed in the central area of the nature strip, while the outside edges — next to the kerb, footpath and driveways — must stay at 30 cm or below. Every Nature Street design is drawn to these height rules, so approval isn't left to chance.
It depends on the size of your strip and how much of the work you outsource. Nature Street offers three options: Plan & Permit is a flat fee of $295 and covers the compliant garden design and council approval; Weeds to Wonder is our full installation service, priced per square metre of nature strip — use our instant calculator for an estimate for your strip (green waste and soil removal are quoted separately); and Better Every Season is a quarterly maintenance subscription at $195 per quarter. Get an instant estimate →
Yes — that's our Plan & Permit service, a flat $295. We assess your strip, design a garden that meets your council's guidelines (Banyule or Darebin), and manage the application through to approval. You receive an approved plan and a matched plant list, then plant it yourself in your own time. It's the ideal option if you enjoy gardening but not paperwork. See our Plan & Permit service →
Yes. Our Weeds to Wonder service includes clearing the existing lawn and weeds, preparing the soil, planting, and mulching — all done to your council's rules. You go from tired grass to a finished native garden without lifting a spade. Green waste and soil removal are quoted separately, so you only pay for what your strip needs. See Weeds to Wonder →
We work across the Banyule and Darebin council areas in Melbourne's north-east, including suburbs like Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Rosanna, Viewbank, Montmorency, Greensborough and Watsonia in Banyule, and Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Reservoir, Fairfield and Alphington in Darebin. Just outside these areas? Get in touch — we're expanding. Start your project →
Hardy, low-growing indigenous and native species: compact Correa varieties, strappy Lomandra, groundcovers like Myoporum parvifolium and native violets, and flowering plants like Brachyscome daisies and Chrysocephalum (common everlasting). The best choices are suited to your local soil and rainfall, sit within council height limits, and avoid spiky or prickly foliage, which councils don't allow near footpaths. Every Nature Street design uses species matched to your specific strip. Browse our curated garden styles →
Once established, yes — significantly lower maintenance than lawn. No weekly mowing, minimal watering after the first summer, and mulch keeps most weeds down. The establishment period (the first six to twelve months) is when plants need attention: regular watering while roots develop, and prompt weeding. Our Better Every Season subscription covers that critical period and beyond with quarterly professional visits at $195 per quarter. See Better Every Season →
You do — the resident is responsible for maintaining the nature strip, planted or not. Council maintains only the street trees. If you'd rather not do it yourself, our Better Every Season subscription handles quarterly weeding, pruning, mulch top-ups and replacing any plants that fail, for $195 per quarter. See Better Every Season →
Use our free instant calculator to get a ballpark estimate for your nature strip, or get in touch and we'll talk you through it.
