Not long ago, we set out to activate our front verge.
We were sick of driving past other houses on the street and seeing a simple, yet striking, strip of trees or plants - sometimes both - out the front.
Hey, even a nice patch of lawn looked better than what we had.
As we'll learn, though, looks aren't everything with grass.
Anyway, we had a tree. But not much else, besides gravel and dirt.
So we set about rectifying that, planting an array of cottage plants and flowers.
Fast forward 12 months and we're back to the tried-and-tested gravel and dirt.
Were they the right plants? Did we water them enough? Is the tree blocking the sun?
We were asking ourselves a lot of questions.
Sound familiar?
Thankfully for us - and you - we found someone with the right answers.
Local South Australian landscape designer and plant styling extraordinaire Emma Sadie Thomson knows a lot of things - and she's given Place Journal her top tips and best front verge garden ideas.
EMMA'S TIPS
Choose water wise plants/natives.
It saves water and your time. Although, don't forget, they will still need watering while establishing. The best time to plant is autumn or winter if you can.
Flowering plants: Billy buttons, Kangaroo paw, Grevilleas, Correas.
Ground covers: Pig Face, Myoporum parvifolium, Eremophila glabra prostrate
Don't splurge before you verge
Get in touch with your council as you may need to apply to redo your verge. But there might also be incentives for you to activate your verge as well. They might even remove your weeds - so pick up the phone.
Let's avoid lawn
Look at - and imagine - how much nicer it is having a little oasis filled with flowers, birds and bees, instead of lawn. It's not as appealing and, of course, uses a lot of water and has to be maintained frequently. In the current environmental climate, we can do better than planting lawn to suck all of water during a hot Aussie summer.
Looking to add greenery to another space? Get in touch with Emma here.
Words: Jordan Pinto
Photography: Supplied by Emma Sadie Thomson