Coastal garden design workshop

Ms Linda Durham1

1Natural Resources Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges, Eastwood, Australia

Abstract

In 2014 the coastal gardens planting guide project was initiated by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board to address priorirtes in its coastal action plans. The guide educates the public about weeds (or ‘garden escapes’) and provides practical advise for using local coastal plants to create a stylish garden. A feature of the guide is the landscape plans designed specifically for local coastal plants with sustainably sourced landscapeing materials. Part of the guide’s promotion included 15 public workshops and a presentation on: the benefits of native coastal plants, plant identification, what plants to avoid, how to navigate the guide, landscapes design ideas and much more. Over 500 people attended the workshop series and 25,000 copies of the guide were distributed across Adelaide and Mount Lofty region. Today the guide still remains a very popular resource for residents and exisiting workshops are still being delivered upon request. Building on from this successfull project  Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board in collabration with a sustainable landscape architect have now designed and trialled a new workshop, Coastal Garden Design workshop. This presentation will provide you with an extensive overview of this new initiative which aims to drive behavioural change and transform coastal gardens in sensitive areas into low cost and low maintenance coastal native gardens.

Biography

I am a experienced NRM practitioner who is passionate about working with people to achieve conservation outcomes across land & sea scapes.  I have a strong background in community engagement, planning, plant and animal control and coastal management. I enjoy working in Natural resource management amongst all the challenges and issues.