One of the most unexpected green spaces in Rosebery is the verge along Princess Avenue. Here, native trees and grasses mix with flowers, edible herbs and succulents, and front gardens vary from the abundant to the minimalist and the manicured to the whimsy. But it wasn’t always this way.

David bought his warehouse in the early 1990s when the street was, in his words, ‘a dustbowl’. Having grown up in and with gardens, he started to grow plants both within and beyond his home. Inside the warehouse there’s an abundant indoor garden and a large koi tank. An upstairs balcony is home to frog pond and a fishpond; elsewhere, pots of herbs and plants (mostly from cuttings) create a textured and fragrant oasis. The house is solar-powered, food scraps are composted in worm farms, and the water from the fish tank, full of nutrients, is recycled to water plants.

‘Some people think it’s a jungle.’

But it’s the verge garden in front of the warehouse that has really brought the neighbourhood to life. As an artist who has spent years working on large public projects (www.publicartsquad.com), David brings an understanding of place-making to the verge gardening experience. And his ideas have spread: others on the street have taken inspiration and cuttings from David and Masou’s verge, extending the verge garden far beyond his property line.

‘David started all this!’ neighbours tell us.

Masou, an artist who creates terrazzo objects with recycled and leftover materials like plastic, glass, and marble, believes that sharing cuttings and plants brings goodness and happiness to the neighbourhood. ‘Some people think it’s a jungle,’ he says. But sometimes it also brings lazy gardeners who take established plants, pots included.

Despite these challenges, both the warehouse and the verge garden have changed Princess Avenue for the better. They’re a living example of David’s belief that communities should design the city and use plants to transform public and private space.

‘Plants connect people,’ he says.

‘Council approves of residents caring for their street and greening the city.’

‘Rosemary is lovely planted in public spaces and parks. It’s sculptural, and people can take a sprig for the lamb roast.’