Councils are slashing the cost of native plants in a bid to curb water as Perth’s climate continues to dry.
The Western Suburbs Regional Organisation of Councils (WESROC) says it has partnered up with local nurseries to sell natives for $1.75 through a scheme that runs from May 1 and allows residents to buy up to 80 discounted plants.
WESROC includes the affluent western suburb towns of Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Peppermint Grove and Subiaco.
Perth nusery and education centre Apace WA coordinator Joann Heta said more than 12,000 plants had been sold this year, with the most popular being the kangaroo paw.
The plants were sold out in less than a month.
The WA Water Corporation website warns that Perth households use almost half of their water on gardens, so planting water-wise gardens is a smart move.
“If everyone across Perth-Peel switched off their sprinklers for the rest of May, an additional two billion litres of water could be saved,” the Water Corporation says.
Rainfall across perth has decreased 3mm per year on average, with the number of months receiving rain halved.
Across the city soil sand vegtation are dry, lost in evaporation instead of running into rivers, according to Univeristy of Western Australia agriculture professor Don McFarlane on The Conversation.
Experts say native plants encourage natural biodiversity in urban areas and can survive and flourish on rainfall alone.
The best time to plant natives is during the Noonga season of Djeran, which extends across April and May, as they need the damp conditions of Autumn to get established.