Perth Voice Interactive

WHY plant quaint English pansies everywhere when we have beautiful kangaroo paws on hand, Perth lord mayoral candidate Reece Harley asks.

He wants to extend the native flavour of King’s Park down into the city by putting native plants in the garden beds and parks.

Cr Harley says tourists flock here to experience Australia and instead we serve up foreign species: “Our public places should be teeming with banksias, kangaroo paws and grass-trees rather than petunias and pansies. Our streets should be lined with shady evergreen natives, keeping us cool and inviting native birds and insects back into the heart of our city.

“This is about branding Perth to the world as the gateway to all of WA’s natural beauty.”

He says he’s not calling for the axe to be taken to existing trees but any new projects should go native. Local plants don’t require as much water or fertiliser, and make for better habitats for native wildlife.

And while many still believe native plants to be scratchy and grey he says they’ll soon learn there’s plenty of colour, variety and scent on offer.

The native strategy’s been used by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority in rejuvenating the artificial pond in the Perth cultural centre, which is now filled with aquatic plants and plenty of happy frogs hiding among them. Como the Treasury hotel’s also filled its planter boxes with natives, and named its rooftop restaurant “Wildflower,” having brought Nyoongar elder Richard Walley in to consult on their designs.

Cr Harley says swapping the planting cycle over to the six seasons observed by Nyoongar people would be another way to stamp a unique local flavour on the city.

He says the King’s Park board does good work and the council could tap into its knowledge for advice on what plants would work in the city’s parks and streets.

by DAVID BELL