Although gardening or connecting with plant life at home or in your neighbourhood may not be your first consideration when settling in a new country, the upsides of doing so can’t be denied.
Australians place great value in green spaces. The personal, community and environmental benefits of plant life are profound.
This is why regulations are in place to guide what we can and can’t do in our gardens and streets.
Regardless of whether you rent or own your property, there are so many benefits to growing plants around your home.
Horticulturalist Justin Calverley says working with plants is good for everybody.
There’s so much study and information about biophilia, which is the human connection to the outside world. In built-up cities we tend to move away from that, but we always know we feel a lot better when we’re surrounded by the plants in the natural world.
In Australia, there are tree preservation orders across the country to guide decisions relating to our urban tree canopy.
Marcus Pearl is the Mayor of the City of Port Phillip in Melbourne.
He says, because open space is limited in most inner-city areas, established trees are vital for our wildlife, our social amenities and our health. Therefore, urban residents must obtain approval from the council before removing significant trees, even in private gardens.
Cities have different regulations around what they define as significant trees.
