Turf WAr

The attack on native gardens as described in recent West Australian (“Verge rules crackdown upsets residents”, Nov 11, 2017, Issue, Page 23) upset me all the way here in Uptown, New Orleans, USA. The very Ex-Minister of Environment, currently Mayor of City of Joondalup Albert Jacob supports issuing notices for residents to remove “offending native plants” and “landscaping features”. It resonates with me very much as I still have vivid memories of participating and co-organizing native garden workshop in 2015 as an active member of Murdoch Branch of Wildflower Society of WA. How on Earth it is possible that residents’ passion for native vegetation is so brutally punished by ex-Minister of Environment? 

Let’s try to accept the fact that Ex-Minister for Environment does not care for the terrestrial environment (many Australians do not care for natives either) but genuinely is worried about pedestrians’ well-being. Pedestrians indeed may stumble over a rock, or worse, get entangled in Kennedia prostrate so let me have a closer look at the front lawn culture across the globe. 

These lawns mark the Uptown landscape in New Orleans in the same pattern they characterize new sterile and homogenous suburbs of growing Perth. Throughout my life in Perth and here in New Orleans, I realized that front house lawns rarely serve as a space for a leisurely walk or picnic that indeed can truly increase residents’ well-being. 

Swing in front yard, Uptown, New Orleans, USA

From what I see, my understanding is that front lawns serve as a playground for lawn-mowers. And when a regular noise of two-stroke lawn-mower penetrates my brain through to the skull I hardly feel well. Once the lawn-mower stops I realize how huge of a blessing silence is but soon after the engine stops I also start thinking of CO2 and diesel emitted by its noisy works. As the cloud of diesel fumes is still hovering over my head, I also realize that lawn-mowers exacerbate climate change by increasing CO2 levels and increase cancer risk for suburban residents as diesel fumes have been long recognized as cancerogenic. 

Recently, I also fight a headache caused by pesticides that are sprayed quietly in the very early mornings. Jogging that is supposedly good for my well-being brings me home with a headache every time I can smell that mild but irritating chemical in the air used to kill off lawn pests. On top of noise made by lawn-mowers and the chemical stench of pesticides lawns also associate significantly well with higher water bill and higher fertilizer concentration in urban rivers. 

If Albert Jacob truly cared for residents' health, he has to take into account potentials risk of having lawns too. I do believe that Trevor Allan who spent ~ $14,000 on his new native garden will advocate for change in council rule and vote for the candidate that genuinely believes in the value of natural landscape vision.

PS1:

Copy of the mentioned article in West Australian:

"...Residents in the City of Joondalup are facing a crackdown on verge gardens, angering some who say they have spent thousands beautifying the council-owned land.

For months rangers have been inspecting verges across the local government area and requesting modifications or in some cases issuing notices for residents to remove offending plants or landscaping features.

Trevor Allan said he spent about $14,000 three years ago landscaping the verge of the Greenwood home he sold to daughter Megan. They had the grass pulled up and replaced with waterwise native plants.

Ms Allan this week received a notice from the council telling her she had to remove multiple big rocks that formed part of the verge garden or she would be committing an offence.

“You’re made to feel you’re a criminal when you’ve spent a lot of money beautifying the council land,” she said.

Ms Allan argued that the rocks were clearly visible to motorists or pedestrians and far enough back from the kerb to allow cars to continue to park on the verge.

Joondalup mayor Albert Jacob said the rocks had been identified as a potential trip hazard for pedestrians.

“The city enforces its local law on verge treatments to ensure they are safe and accessible, they do not interfere or compromise existing infrastructure such as drainage, power and communication lines and they do not detract from the amenity or safety of the neighbourhood,” he said.

“The city has asked Ms Allan to remove the rocks and boulders on her verge as they are deemed to be an obstruction that could potentially pose a tripping hazard for pedestrians.

“Ms Allan was first advised that the rocks and boulders needed to be removed on August 31 and has been given considerable time to take the appropriate action.”

Mr Jacob said since the city started looking at the treatment of residential verges only eight compliance notices had been served. Most residents advised that their verges needed to be changed had worked with the city to resolve it, he said.

Many Perth metropolitan councils promote or allow waterwise verge gardens but the rules about what residents can do vary.

Some councils — including the cities of Fremantle, South Perth, Vincent and Subiaco — offer incentives for people to replace lawns, ranging from discounted native plants to free mulch. Others allow vegetable gardens. Many have restrictions on plant size..."

PS2:

Copy of a lovely email from local publicity officer (Wildflower Society in WA) who agreed to publish that story in the local newsletter:

Dear Pawel

Lovely to hear from you. 

Yes we can use the article and it will be very suitable for the February Newsletter. Greg and I both saw the paper article and wondered why pedestrians would walk on a landscaped verge and not the footpath - then we realised there was most likely no footpath! I walk my grandchildren a lot and we like the landscaped verges with rocks that they can climb on. Greg and I have a garden on our verge, a mixture of Carnabey’s Cocky food plants (including a Marri grown from a local tree’s seed), bulbs ‘rescued’ from the bushland, Sunflowers (once for the 28s to eat but they have been replaced by the weedy Lorikeets) and vegetables. We also have a water bowl for dogs and another for Magpies. Most walkers (we have footpaths on both sides of the road) stop and talk when I am out there. The vegetables are not very successful and we have an abundance of plants snails and other pests do not eat (Rocket and Leeks at present). I invite people to take Rocket but few do and as yet we have had no indiscriminate picking. We started the garden some 30 years ago with weedy bulbs Greg had found in the bush. At the time the Council did not want to know about verges. They now have a policy that requires that you submit a plan for approval and encourage native plants (subsidy to Apace for cheaper plants). Each year they run a verge competition and native gardens generally win.

Best wishes to you and Christina.

B.