Climate resilient planting being pioneered in Murray Bridge

The woody meadows project is a 5-year trial designed to test how climate-resilient local native plants perform in hot, dry urban conditions.

Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board member Tammy O’Malley said the trial highlights how native plants can be used in regional towns and cities to provide cooler, greener and more biodiverse spaces.

“As our towns become hotter and drier, it’s important we look at climate-resilient planting options that are water efficient, low-maintenance, and support biodiversity,” Tammy said.

“Woody meadows planting not only add colour and character to streetscapes, but they also provide food and shelter for insects, birds, and small mammals” she added.

Woody meadows are layered native shrub plantings that can be established beneath existing or new street trees. They are maintained by hard pruning or coppicing, which encourages flowering and creates dense canopies to suppress weeds.

The Rural City of Murray Bridge General Manager Infrastructure and Environment, Thuyen Vi-Alternetti, said the project has benefits for both the community and the environment.

“We hope this project sparks community interest in dry tolerant native garden plants, while also showing how councils can incorporate these hardy native plants into urban plantings which are both beautiful and resilient,” Thuyen said.

Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board Senior Project Officer Eilidh Wilson said the landscape board is excited to be partnering with council and sharing learnings with other councils.

“It’s been fantastic to have the commitment of our partners to deliver this regional greening project over the next 5 years. This dense planting style should be a win-win for council, the community and the environment,“ Eilidh said.

“Both council and the landscape board will be able to learn from the outcomes of the trial and share them more widely. We’re also looking forward to hearing what the community and our regional council partners think of the planting, and to inviting them back once the plants have started to mature.”

Community members are encouraged to visit the site on Swanport Road at Murray Bridge to see the planting in action, or go to the Woody meadows trial site for more information.

The woody meadows project is a partnership between the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, the Rural City of Murray Bridge, the University of Melbourne, and Treenet.