A tree canopy over a path makes the difference between a route people use in summer and one they avoid. The right tree depends on the width of the path, the litter you can live with and what the roots will do to the paving. This guide covers the species that suit Australian walkways, and how to space and site them.
Shading a walkway in Australian conditions
Shade over a path is worth more here than in most countries. Shaded ground runs measurably cooler than sun-baked paving, and in an Australian summer that is the difference between a route people use and one they avoid.
| Tree | Height | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Crepe myrtle | 4-8 m | Suburban paths; flowers, autumn colour, non-invasive roots |
| Ornamental pear | 8-12 m | Formal avenues; upright, deciduous |
| Tuckeroo | 6-10 m | Coastal walkways; evergreen, tidy, salt tolerant |
| Blueberry ash | 6-10 m | Narrow paths; upright native, flowers and berries |
| Jacaranda | 8-15 m | Wide avenues with real room |
| Foxtail palm | 6-8 m | Filtered shade, subtropical; clean trunk |
| Golden penda | 6-10 m | Evergreen subtropical, well-behaved roots |
Deciduous or evergreen depends on the path
For a walkway used year-round beside a house, deciduous is usually better - it shades the route through summer and lets winter sun reach the path when you want the warmth. Ornamental pear, crepe myrtle and jacaranda all do this.
Choose evergreen where you also want screening, in subtropical gardens where winter warmth is not a concern, or where autumn leaf drop onto paving would be a nuisance or a slip hazard.
Litter is a safety issue on a path
This is where walkway planting differs from general shade planting. Wet leaves, fruit and flower drop on paving are genuinely slippery.
- Avoid fruiting trees over paths - mulberry, fig and lilly pilly all stain and make paving slick.
- Avoid heavy flower drop directly over the walking surface. Jacaranda petals are beautiful and slippery.
- Palms need siting carefully. Foxtail palm is self-cleaning, which is an advantage, but the fronds are heavy - plan where they will fall.
- Never plant a bunya pine near a path. The cones weigh up to ten kilograms.
Roots and paving
The other constraint. Keep vigorous-rooted species well away from paths and slabs - figs are the worst offender and have lifted driveways and cracked paving across Australia. Crepe myrtle, ornamental pear, tuckeroo, blueberry ash and golden penda all have relatively well-behaved root systems, which is exactly why they are used as street trees.
Allow two to three metres from the edge of paving even for the well-behaved species, and check for services before digging.
Getting shade sooner
Fast-growing trees give useful shade in three to five years but tend to have weaker timber and shorter lives. Slower species take eight to ten years and last generations. On a walkway, buying advanced stock is often worth it - the point of the tree is comfort now, and a pergola with a climber can bridge the gap while the tree establishes.
Practical spacing
For an avenue effect, space trees at roughly half to two-thirds their mature canopy width so the crowns knit together. Ornamental pear at five to six metres, crepe myrtle at four, tuckeroo at five. Planting closer than that produces competition and drawn, one-sided crowns rather than faster coverage.
Related guides
Our pick of the best canopy trees to create shade covers the species that deliver the widest cover soonest, and the full trees range has them by size.
For a longer avenue, our guide to the best trees for lining driveways in Australia works through the same trade-offs at a larger scale, and our avenue planting range gathers the species we plant most often in rows.
The tuckeroo is a good example of a native that suits paths and paved edges, as our tuckeroo tree guide explains, and there are more in our Australian natives.
Underplanting the tree line keeps mulch in place and weeds down, which our guide to the best ground cover plants for shade covers in detail. Where roots and paving meet, our non-invasive root trees are the safe starting point.
The same principle applies on rural blocks, as our guide to the best trees to plant in farm paddocks for shade shows.
Ready to plant?
Shade is the one garden improvement that gets better every year you leave it alone. Browse our fast growing shade trees and plant the canopy before you build the path.
Before a tree goes in near the house, read our guide to planting near pipes: it sets out what Australian water utilities say about root behaviour, what can go directly over a sewer line, and which trees to keep well away.
