About a year ago, community and Council came together in Chadstone's Kelly Street for a big day of planting aimed at increasing the beauty of the area, improving its biodiversity and stopping the illegal rubbish dumping that had been occurring.
Now, 12 months down the track, the garden bed is well established and, as the flowers blossom, a bright carpet of colour has brought the neighbourhood alive.
In another successful community/Council partnership, a dedicated team of 24 local volunteers, including members of the Gardens for Wildlife Program and other Monash volunteer groups, joined Council crew members for the initial planting. A Waverley Industries gardening crew has maintained the site since then.
Council staff and community volunteers planted more than 2000 plants in Chadstone's Kelly Street.
Declining and dying Melaleucas were replaced by 41 new Eucalypts and more 2300 native shrubs, grasses, groundcovers and bulbs.
As well as the burst of colour the blossoming plants are bringing to the area, the plantings have also provided additional noise suppression along the Monash Freeway soundwall.
With the environmental challenges we face, including the loss of tree canopy and pressures on existing public open space, this project has delivered an additional 2000m2 of high-quality roadside garden using native plants that are not only tough and suited to the local environment, but are also beautiful.
