Planting trees near drain pipes

Tree roots will travel far and wide in search of water, and if your drain pipe has even a slight leak, the roots will find it!

To help prevent the tree roots from getting in to your drain pipes we have made a list of common garden plants and the recommended minimum distance that they should be planted away from your sewer drain to prevent the tree roots from blocking the pipe.

Some smaller garden plants can also cause problems. In particular, the suggested minimum distance from any sewer pipes for Bamboo, Grape Vines and Wisteria is 6 metres.

MATURE HEIGHT RANGE (METRES)	COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME	SUGGESTED MINIMUM DISTANCE FROM ANY SEWER PIPE (METRES)
Small Tree
3 – 5	Apple	Malus	2
4 – 5	Apricot, Peach & Nectarine	Prunus	6
4 – 5	Avocado	Persea	2
3 – 5	Banksia	Banksia species	4
3 – 4	Bell-fruited Mallee	Eucalyptus preissiana	4
3 – 5	Coarse-leaved Mallee	Eucalyptus grossa	4
3 – 5	Crab Apple	Malus	2
5	Crepe Myrtle	Lagerstroemia indica	4
4	Flinders Range Wattle	Acacia iteaphylla	6
4-10	Forman’s Mallee	Eucalyptus formanii	4
3 – 4	Four-winged Mallee	Eucalyptus tetraptera	2
4-6	Fox Tail Palm	Wodyetia bifurcata	6
4	Frangipani	Plumeria	2
3-4	Fuchsia Mallee	Eucalyptus forrestiana	4
3-5	Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange	Citrus	4
4-5	Guava (Pineapple)	Feijoa sellowiana	2
3-4	Guava	Psidium	2
4	Hibiscus	Hibiscus sinensis	2
4-5	Judas Tree	Cercis silaquastris	4
4-5	Kings Park Bottlebrush	Callistemon ‘Kings Park Special’	4
4-6	Kingsmill’s Mallee	Eucalyptus kingsmillii	4
3-4	Kruse’s Mallee	Eucalyptus kruseana	2
4-6	Little Ghost Gum	Eucalyptus victrix	4
4-5	Loquat	Eriobotrya	4
4-6	Mango	Mangifera	6
3-5	Melaleuca	Small shrub forms	6
4	Mottlecah	Eucalyptus macrocarpa	4
4 – 6	Mudgee Wattle	Acacia spectabilis	4
5	Narrow leaved Red Mallee	Eucalyptus foecunda	4
4 – 6	Olive	Olea	6
4 – 5	Ornamental Cherry, Peach Plum	Prunus	6
4 – 5	Pagoda Tree	Sophora japonica	6
5	Pear-fruited Mallee	Eucalyptus pyriformis	4
4 – 6	Pincushion Hakea	Hakea laurina	2
4 – 5	Plum	Prunus	6
4 – 5	Red-flowered Moort	Eucalyptus nutans	4
4 – 10	Ridge-fruited Mallee	Eucalyptus angulosa	4
3 – 4	Rose Mallee	Eucalyptus rhodantha	4
3 – 5	Scarlet Pear Gum	Eucalyptus stoatei	4
3 – 5	Spearwood Mallee	Eucalyptus doratoxylon	4
3 – 4	Tallerack	Eucalyptus x tetragona	2
3 – 5	Tree Daphne, Pom Pom Tree	Dais cotinifolia	2
4 – 6	Triangle Palm	Dypsis decaryi	6
4 – 5	Umbrella Tree	Schefflera actinophylla	20
4	Webster’s Mallee	Eucalyptus websteriana	2
4 – 6	Weeping Gum	Eucalyptus sepulcralis	10
4 – 8	Weeping Pittosporum	Pittosporum phylliraeoides	6
5	Willow Bottlebrush	Callistemon salignus	4
Medium Tree
6 – 8	African Red Alder, Butter-Knife Bush	Cunonia capensis	6
6 – 9	Almond	Prunus	6
5 – 8	Birch, Silver Birch	Betula	4
8 – 10	Black Locust, Pink Wisteria Tree Mop Top	Robinia	20
8 – 10	Black Wattle	Acacia decurrens	10
8	Blue Mallet	Eucalyptus gardneri	6
10	Blueberry Ash	Elaeocarpus reticulatus	4
6 – 8	Box Elder	Acer negundo	6
6	Burdet Gum	Eucalyptus burdettiana	4
6	Bushy Yate, Bald Island Marlock	Eucalyptus conferruminata	4
8	Butterfly Tree	Bauhinia	4
6	Caesia	Eucalyptus caesia	6
10	Cape Chestnut	Calodendron capense	6
8 – 10	Cape Lilac, White Cedar	Melia azedarach	20
5 – 8	Carob Tree	Ceratonia siliqua	6
6 – 8	Castwellan Gold, Leighton’s Green	Cupressocyparis leylandii	6
10	Chinese Pistacio	Pistacio chinensis	6
8 – 10	Chinese Tallow	Triadica sebifera	2
7	Coastal Moort	Eucalyptus utilis	4
8	Cocos Palm	Syagrus romanzoffiana	6
6 – 12	Common Sheoak	Allocasuarina fraseriana	6
8	Coolibah	Eucalyptus microtheca	6
6	Cootamundra Wattle	Acacia baileyana	6
8	Coral Gum	Eucalyptus torquata	4
6	Cottonwood	Hibiscus tiliaceus	4
6 – 8	Drooping Sheoak	Allocasuarina verticillata	20
8	Dwarf Sugar Gum	Eucalyptus cladocalyx ‘Nana’	6
7	Evergreen Magnolia	Magnolia grandiflora	6
5 – 8	Flame Tree, Coral Tree	Erythrina – All	20
6 – 8	Golden Wattle	Acacia pycnantha	4
7	Gossamer Wattle, White Sallow Wattle	Acacia floribunda	4
8	Illyarrie, Red Capped Gum	Eucalyptus erythrocorys	6
6 – 12	Indian Bean	Catalpa bigonioides	6
6 – 8	Irish Strawberry Tree	Arbutus unedo	6
5 – 8	Jelly Palm	Butia capitata	6
5 – 10	Kanooka, Water Gum	Tristaniopsis laurina	6
10	Kurrajongs	Brachychiton	6
8 – 10	Lemon-flowered Gum	Eucalyptus woodwardii	6
6 – 8	Macadamia	Macadamia	6
5 – 10	Melaleuca	Tree & large shrub forms	10
5 – 10	Mulberry	Morus	6
6 – 9	Native Daphne	Pittosporum undulatum	6
8 – 15	Native Frangipani	Hymenosporum flavum	4
10	Norfolk Island Hibiscus	Lagunaria patersonii	10
8 – 10	Oaks	Quercus	20
6 – 9	Ornamental Pears	Pyrus	6
6 – 12	Pecan	Carya	6
5 – 8	Pencil Pine, Golden Pencil Pine	Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’	2
9 – 15	Pepper Corn Tree	Schinus molle	20
5 – 8	Photinia	Photinia serrulata	6
10	Pink-flowered Yellow Gum	Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Rosea’	6
5 – 8	Poinciana	Delonix regia	6
6 – 8	Port Lincoln Gum	Eucalyptus lansdowneana	6
8 – 10	Powton, Princess Tree	Paulownia	20
9 – 12	Queensland Fire Wheel Tree	Stenocarpus sinuatus	4
6	Queensland Silver Wattle	Acacia podalyriifolia	6
9	Red Flowered Gum	Corymbia (Eucalyptus) ficifolia	6
6	Red-flowered Mallee	Eucalyptus erythronema	4
7	River Yate, Long-flowered Marlock	Eucalyptus macrandra	4
6 – 8	Rottnest Pine	Callitris preisii	6
6 – 8	Round-leaved Snow or Spinning Gum	Eucalyptus perriniana	6
6	Silver Princess	Eucalyptus caesia subsp.magna	4
8 – 10	Silver-topped Gimlet	Eucalyptus campaspe	6
7	Southern Cross Silver Mallee	Eucalyptus crucis	4
6 – 8	Steedman’s Gum	Eucalyptus steedmanii	6
8	Strickland Gum	Eucalyptus stricklandii	6
8	Swamp Mallet	Eucalyptus spathulata	4
6 – 8	Sydney Golden Wattle	Acacia longifolia	20
5 – 8	Torwood	Eucalyptus ‘Torwood’	6
6	Tree Strelitzia	Strelitzia nicolai	4
8	Weeping Bottlebrush	Castillemon viminalis	6
6 – 9	Weeping Lilly Pilly	Waterhousia floribunda	6
Small Tree
12 – 18	African Tulip Tree	Spathodea campanulata	10
15	Alexander &	Archontophoenix	6
	Bangalow Palms
10 – 12	Arizona Cypress	Cupressus arizonica	6
12 – 18	Atlas cedar	Cedrus atlantica	6
12 – 18	Bhutan Cypress	Cupressus torulosa	6
10 – 15	Box Tree, Queensland Box, Tristania	Lophostemon confertus	6
10 – 15	Canary Island Date Palm	Phoenix canariensis	20
20	Cedar Wattle	Acacia elata	10
10 – 12	Chinese Elm	Ulmus parvifolia	6
10 – 15	Claret Ash	Fraxinus oxycarpa ‘Raywood’	20
10 – 12	Cotton Palm	Washingtonia filifera	6
10 – 12	Cotton Palm	Washingtonia robusta	6
15 – 25	Cut-leaf Plane Tree	Platanus orientalis	10
25 – 30	Deodar Cedar	Cedrus deodara	20
12 – 18	Evergreen Ash	Fraxinus griffithii	10
10 – 12	Fiddlewood	Citharexylum spinosum	6
15	Gimlet	Eucalyptus salubris	6
15 – 25	Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree	Ginkgo biloba	6
12 – 18	Golden Shower	Cassia fistula	6
15 – 20	Honey Locust, Frisia	Gleditsia	10
25	Illawarra Plum	Podocarpus elatus	10
10 – 12	Jacaranda	Jacaranda mimosifolia	6
10 – 15	Kaffir Plum	Harpephyllum caffrum	20
12	Leopard Tree	Caesalpinia ferrea	6
10 – 12	Lilly Pilly	Acmena smithii	20
20	Liquidambar	Liquidambar styraciflua	20
10 – 15	London Plane	Platanus x acerifolia	10
15 – 20	Marri, Pink Marri	Corymbia (Eucalyptus) calophylla	20
20 – 30	Monterey Cypress	Cupressus macrocarpa	6
10 – 12	Moreton Bay Chestnut	Castonospermum australe	8
15	Narrow-leaved Peppermint	Eucalyptus nicholii	6
12	New Zealand Xmas Tree	Metrosideros tomentosa	6
12	Red-freckled Gum	Eucalyptus lane-poolei	6
20 – 30	River Sheoak	Casuarina cunninghamiana	20
10 – 12	Rose Sheoak	Allocasuarina torulosa	6
10 – 12	Salt River Gum	Eucalyptus sargentii	20
12 – 18	Shingle Oak	Casuarina equisetifolia	20
12 – 18	Silky Oak	Grevillea robusta	20
25	Silver Wattle	Acacia dealbata	10
25 – 30	Smooth-barked Apple Gum	Angophora costata	20
15 – 20	Swamp Oak	Casuarina obesa	10
10 – 15	Swamp or Bald Cypress	Taxodium distichum	20
20 – 30	Tasmanian Blackwood	Acacia melanoxylon	20
15 – 20	Tipu Tree, Pride of Bolivia Tipuana tipu	Tipuana tipu	6
15	Tuckeroo	Cupaniopsis anarcardioides	4
20	Tulip Tree	Liriodendrom tulipifera	6
14	WA Peppermint	Agonis flexuosa	6
10 – 12	Wallangarra White Gum	Eucalyptus scoparia	6

These trees are not suggested for urban gardens

COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME
Alder	Alnus
Bay Tree	Laurus nobilis
Camphor Laurel	Cinnamomum camphora
Coastal Blackbutt, Prickly Bark	Eucalyptus todtiana
Figs	Ficus species
Flooded Gum	Eucalyptus rudis
Japanese Pepper Tree	Schinus terebinthifolius
Lemon-scented Gum	Corymbia (Eucalyptus) citriodora
Mugga Ironbark	Eucalyptus sideroxylon ‘Rosea’
Norfolk Pine	Araucaria heterophylla
Poplars	Populus
River Gum	Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Rose Gum	Eucalyptus grandis
Salmon Gum	Eucalyptus salmonophloia
Southern Blue Gum, Eurabbie	Eucalyptus globulus
Southern Mahogany	Eucalyptus botryoides
Spotted Gum	Corymbia (Eucalyptus) maculata
Sugar Gum	Eucalyptus cladocalyx
Swamp Mahogany	Eucalyptus robusta
Tamarisk	Tamarix aphylla
Tasmanian Blue Gum	Eucalyptus globulus
Tuart	Eucalyptus gomphocephala
Virgilia	Virgilia
Willows	Salix
Wollemi Pine	Wollemia nobilis
Yellow Box	Eucalyptus melliodora