Climate Resilient Gardening

Cooling / Greening

Learn to build a cooler, greener garden by increasing your tree canopy and vegetation. We’ll show you how to use vertical gardens, shade structures, and water features for natural cooling, and help you select climate-resilient plants. We also offer guidance on community planting and storing carbon in your garden to help combat rising temperatures.

Articles

Aussie icons: Eucalypts are woody wonders in almost any climate

Eucalypts are remarkably resilient Australian trees, shaped by fire, drought and poor soils. Discover the hidden biology and ecological roles that make them essential to thriving natural and urban ecosystems.

An Update on the Value of Urban Trees

As climate change takes effect the value of urban trees has soared. But urban trees continue to be undervalued. Trees help to cool our cities, manage stormwater and improve human

Friends and Members Content Only

Soil as a Carbon Store

Soil is more than a growing medium—it’s a vital carbon store. Gardeners can help combat climate change by avoiding digging, keeping the soil covered, and letting microbes process plant residues

The Time is Now for Street Gardening

Street gardening transforms overlooked verges into vibrant community spaces—boosting biodiversity, capturing carbon, and connecting neighbours. As Emma Cutting says, it’s an untapped goldmine of positive change for our cities.

Greening Cities

Urban greening improves health, cools cities, supports wildlife, and boosts property values. Expanding green spaces is vital for resilient, livable communities in a warming climate.

Carbon Emissions from Gardening

While boosting soil carbon is vital, tackling methane and nitrous oxide is equally important—and the methods to reduce them also enhance soil structure and fertility.

Living Mulch: Waterwise, Firewise & Seriously Good Looking

Mulching is key to conserving water and protecting soil, but in bushfire-prone areas, flammable mulches pose risks. Low-flammability native groundcovers offer a safer, living alternative that cools, protects, and beautifies

Economic Value of Trees

Trees in urban spaces provide far more than shade—they lower temperatures, reduce energy use, moderate wind, manage stormwater, boost property values, and improve physical and mental health. Properly planted trees

Green Roofs

Green roofs turn unused rooftops into productive, ecological spaces. They grow food, enhance biodiversity, reduce building temperatures, manage stormwater, and improve solar panel efficiency—making cities greener, cooler, and more resilient.

Locking up Carbon in Soil

While reducing carbon dioxide emissions is vital, gardeners can also store carbon in soil—locking it away long-term while boosting fertility. Adding organic matter, practicing no-dig gardening, using cover crops, mulches,

Cities, Climate Change and Gardening

Cities are getting bigger, more polluted and less green, while climate change is becoming increasingly unavoidable. As more and more people are choosing the city-living lifestyle, what does this mean