Astra is the Coordinator Local Connections within the Community Programs department at Waverley Council, a role that includes managing gardening initiatives in public spaces across the LGA. There is a community garden hub in Bondi Junction, 15 shared gardens in parks and reserves as well as numerous verge gardens.

It’s been encouraging to receive so many requests by residents wanting to green the neighbourhood and create opportunities for connection through public gardening initiatives.

This growing interest from residents aligns with Council’s objectives to increase biodiversity, create wildlife corridors, stop water runoff and cool the neighbourhood. Re-wilding with native plants suitable for the Eastern Suburbs creates habitats for a range of birds, insects and other animals, reminding residents of the shared ecosystem.

Gardening projects can also combat illegal dumping by enhancing the local aesthetic and transforming tired lawns into flourishing verges. Residents are increasingly looking into sustainable practices, particularly those living in high-rise apartments, however composting in public spaces remains controversial.

Increasing education about how to compost effectively and different ways in which food can be recycled, including worm farms, seed saving and pickling, increases the value people attribute to this resource and food security more generally.

Astra believes that gardening in public spaces has to connect residents with varied interests, backgrounds and experiences with one another. “Gardening creates the catalyst for conversation”, she says describing how neighbours living a few doors away from one another often connect for the first time by joining a local community garden.

Recently, Astra established a public gardening network for Waverley residents. Members meet each month to share ideas, challenges and aspirations, as well as to receive regular updates about the Council’s latest gardening initiatives.

Indeed, the last few months have seen gardeners swap lettuce, basil and yacon seedlings, offer each other their oversupply of parsley, mint or banana harvests and continue expanding their group by encouraging other locals.

On the Mapping Edges walk in Green Square, Astra was inspired by the range of verges outside established homes, from native plant gardens, to large scale ornamental plant displays, to Art-Brut style object arrangements. She hopes that this eclectic mix of garden initiatives will also develop in the newer parts of this urban renewal site, reflecting the diversity of occupants, their cultural knowledge and visioning for a sustainable future neighbourhood.

Sometimes people just want to plant a few tomatoes in their local community garden patch. If you formalise the process to do this too much, residents feel it’s a disincentive to get involved. Creating user-friendly guidelines, keeps gardeners safe and encourages self-initiative.