Inverell Shire Council has unveiled an initiative to help revive home gardens and assist residents to replace plants lost during the drought, with a native plant voucher being sent to ratepayers across the shire.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mayor Paul Harmon says he is delighted to launch the program to boost the amount of native plants in home gardens.
"Native plants are a good choice in gardens as they use less water than many nonnatives and establish quickly. They are also great at attracting native animals and insects into our gardens by providing shelter and food. Each voucher entitles each ratepayer to two native plants in 125 millimetre pots," he said.
"There's a wide variety of plants available including bottlebrush and grevillea through to tea tree, emu bush and eucalypts. There's a range of flowering plants and everything from shrubs to trees and best of all, they're hardy plants that can survive in our climate."
Vouchers will be sent to ratepayers during August and September, with those residents who are registered to receive rates notice via email being the first to receive their vouchers.
"Due to the regulations on COVID-19 and social distancing, we are sending vouchers in a staggered manner. Residents in the Ashford and Bonshaw area will be receiving theirs this week," Mr Harmon said.
"Council acknowledges the support of the Australian Government's Drought Communities Programme in helping to fund this initiative. Ratepayers will need the voucher to collect plants and the voucher will let them know how and where they can claim their plants."
This initiative is available until the end of November 2020.
