Cemeteries are more than places of reflection: they are also public green spaces available to the community in perpetuity. One of the many considerations for those tasked with caring for our cemeteries is how to balance the horticultural requirements to ensure cemeteries remain sustainable into the future. The environment in which many plants were first introduced at cemeteries has changed, and horticultural practices have had to change too.
One of the ways SMCT is exploring these needs is through Project Cultivate. This ground-breaking initiative involves planting locally native plants and grasses to revitalise previously unplanted areas of the grounds while complementing surrounding monuments, pathways, and facilities. The plants selected would have been present at this site well before it became a cemetery.
Previously, the cemetery featured a lot of exposed heavy soil, where invasive weed species would grow. This resulted in heavy herbicide use to remove weeds, which is damaging for the environment. The Project Cultivate planted areas have already seen a reduction in herbicide use of 30%, with that number set to increase as planting continues.
Another goal of Project Cultivate is to manage and mitigate the ‘heat island’ effect created at Melbourne General Cemetery by the high volumes of hard surfaces, and limited opportunities for new tree plantings. The heat island effect also makes hot weather events feel more severe and worsens the heat impacts of climate change within the cemetery, including the condition of monuments. Through increasing the number of understorey plantings, temperature reductions of up to 3°C have already been noted in planted areas. There has also been a notable increase in biodiversity, a decrease in run-off, obvious soil improvement, and a beautiful environment has been created for all to enjoy.
A variety of locally native plants are applied for Project Cultivate. In the first stage of the project, more than 127,000 plants were introduced to the site, including Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra). It is very likely that before this site was used as a cemetery, the area would have been dominated by grasses, and wildflowers, including Kangaroo Grass. This perennial grass has been heavily planted throughout Project Cultivate areas, bringing with it its beautiful transitions from green to rusty orange during summer. This grass provides a protective habitat for beneficial insects, butterflies, frogs and small birds. It is also the preferred food source for kangaroos, which is where it gets its name from.
This section of planting is recent, and as you continue along Sixth Avenue you can see how the plants grow and blossom over time.
Another of the beautiful plants included in Project Cultivate are Golden Billy Buttons (Pycnosorus chrysanthes). These plants are instantly recognisable due to their bright yellow flowers, which bloom in spring and summer. Bees, butterflies, and moths love the nectar of the globe-like flowers. Billy buttons thrive in heavy and moist soils, such as the clay soils of MGC, and love a position in the full sun.
Like the Kangaroo grasses and many of our plants, Billy buttons are perennial meaning they regrow every spring, unlike annual plants which live for only one season. This means these plants don’t need constant care and replanting. These plantings will also act to fill bare spaces at the cemetery, leaving less room for undesirable and weed-like species to take hold.
Continue along from Sixth Avenue to Fourteenth Avenue. There will be a row of small trees among the monuments on your right. When you get closer, take the pathway in towards the trees. Turn left to walk alongside the trees for the next stop.
