Verge gardens
Get information on starting a verge garden. Find out what plants are recommended for use. Learn about maintenance and your responsibilities.
What is a verge garden?
A verge garden is a garden or landscaped public area that sits between a property boundary and the kerb.
Verge gardens:
- beautify and cool our local streets
- show pride in our neighbourhood
- contribute to a clean, green Brisbane.
The street verge provides access from the street to private/public properties. It accommodates public services such as:
- postal services
- lighting
- power
- water
- sewerage
- gas
- telephone and optic fibre cables.
Starting a verge garden
Before breaking ground on a new verge garden, you must ensure your plans comply with Council’s requirements.
Your verge garden must keep the footpath or pedestrian pathway accessible for everyone without negatively impacting the environment and surrounding infrastructure.
Use our Verge Garden Guidelines to help plan your project and complete the checklist included.
The guidelines apply to verge gardens for properties located in residential zones in Brisbane City Plan 2014.
Recommended plants for verge gardens
Consider using water-wise and local native plants for your verge garden. These plants thrive in Brisbane's climate. Once established, they require less water, making your garden more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Choose plants that do not obstruct the view for cars when entering or exiting a driveway. The best plants to use for verge gardens are low-growing or groundcover species with a maximum height of 700 millimetres.
Trees and tall shrubs must not be planted in a verge garden.
Download our Recommended Planting List to find groundcovers and low shrubs suitable for verge gardens.
Maintenance and responsibilities
As a resident, you’re responsible for the gardens in front of your property.
The verge garden adjacent to your property is still a public space. You must allow for a 1.2 metre-wide access strip for a pedestrian path, whether there is a concreete footpath or not.
If you have not provided adequate access, you'll be asked to make changes to your garden.
Utility services (e.g. electricity, water or telecommunications) may need to upgrade or service their infrastructure. These utility services:
- will provide advanced notice if the verge garden is to be disturbed
- are not required to reinstate verge gardens after work.
Council is not responsible for reinstating any landscaping, damage to verge gardens or contents caused by animals, persons or weather events.
Festive street decorations
During the summer festive period, you can decorate footpaths and street trees under our Festive Footpaths program.
You don’t need a permit to put up festive decorations, but they must comply with Council’s requirements.
Your decorations must:
-
be well-maintained and safe
-
not interfere with footpath accessibility
-
not damage street trees or any vegetation
-
not impact surrounding infrastructure.
The next festive period is from 17 October 2025 to 12 January 2026. All decorations must be put up and removed within these dates.
Use our Festive Footpaths Decorating Conditions Checklist to ensure your decorations are compliant.
Recommended decorations
Festive decorating tips
When putting up decorations:
- attach them using flexible materials, including loose string and tape
- try to use natural materials or sustainable products
- make sure you can easily reach them from the ground.
You should avoid:
- attaching decorations or block access to infrastructure such as fire hydrants or road signage
- interfering with access for utilities services
- painting or drawing on footpaths
- using cable ties, staples, screws or other materials that can damage trees
- balloons and other decorations that can disturb or harm wildlife and pollute the environment
- putting decorations up so high that a ladder or tree climbing is needed.
Helpful links
Frequently asked questions
All verges are part of the road reserve and are owned and managed by Council.
No, you can’t plant trees on the verge or nature strip. Contact us to submit a street tree planting request if you would like a tree outside your property.
There are many types of flowers and shrubs that suit a verge garden.
The best plants to use are low-growing or groundcover species. You must avoid taller shrubs that could impede verge users or obstruct the visibility of motorists.
Check out our recommended planting list to help you choose the right plants for your verge garden.
You can contact Council if you receive a compliance notice about your verge garden.
We will guide you through the alterations outlined in the notice for your garden to comply. Call Council to discuss in detail.