Melbourne water storages fell to 75.1% by June 2025
A 2024 peer-reviewed study found the highest net benefits for garden retrofits came from a 60 to 40 ratio of native vegetation to watered lawn. Researchers used Perth park data that was applicable to Melbourne conditions.
The study appeared in the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. It accounted for establishment costs and long-term maintenance savings.
Meanwhile, Melbourne’s water storages fell from 86% to 75.1% in the 12 months to June 2025. That was the steepest annual decline since the Millennium Drought.
Across Australian residential properties in 2025 and 2026, native and drought-tolerant planting was the dominant landscaping shift. Water pressure, rising maintenance costs and a growing preference for gardens suited to the local climate drove that change.
In Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs, Must Have Maintenance, which sells native garden planning and maintenance services, reports conversion to native and drought-tolerant gardens is the most significant landscaping trend. The Melbourne garden and lawn maintenance company completes more than 15,000 jobs per year.
Must Have Maintenance says the most common outcome of an incorrectly executed conversion is a garden that requires more intervention than the lawn it replaced.
DIY errors can raise upkeep
One common mistake is removing existing turf without addressing the root system. That leaves a bed competing with new plantings for soil and moisture for up to two seasons.
Another error comes when people select species without checking a block’s aspect, soil drainage and microclimate. Those plants can underperform or fail within 12 months, which creates replanting costs that erase any saving.
Irrigation also needs to change after a conversion. Native gardens typically need deep, infrequent watering rather than frequent shallow application.
However, irrigation systems configured for a lawn watering schedule do not suit native gardens. A converted garden with the wrong irrigation schedule can be more water-intensive than the lawn it replaced.
Founder Lukas James said: “The plants that work in a native garden in Brighton are not the same ones that work in Ringwood. Aspect, drainage, soil type, wind exposure: these all determine what will establish and what won’t.”
James said DIY conversions often fail because people apply the right idea in the wrong way for a specific block. He emphasised that proper soil assessment and species selection before planting begins is essential.
Must Have Maintenance provides garden maintenance and native garden planning across Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs. Its services include site assessment, species selection, irrigation reconfiguration and turf removal.
The company also holds approvals as an NDIS Home Help Services Provider and a WorkSafe and TAC Services Provider. It operates seven days a week.
