Steps are one of the harshest spots in a garden: masonry stores heat, the soil beside it is poor and limy, and anything planted there has to stay out of the way of feet. This guide covers what to plant between, beside and around outdoor stairs in Australian conditions.
Planting around steps in Australian conditions
Outdoor stairs are a harsh microclimate. Masonry and concrete store and radiate heat, the soil beside them is often builder's fill, and lime leaching from mortar pushes the pH up. Plants that thrive two metres away can struggle right against the treads.
| Position | Conditions | What suits |
|---|---|---|
| Between treads and risers | Hot, dry, compacted, foot traffic | Dwarf mondo, blue star creeper, dichondra |
| Beside steps, sunny | Reflected heat, alkaline from mortar | Agave, westringia, dietes, lomandra, pigface |
| Beside steps, shaded | Cool, often dry from rain shadow | Clivia, liriope, xanadu, bird's nest fern |
| Spilling over the edge | Free draining, exposed | Silver Falls, Tropic Cascade lomandra, seaside daisy |
| Framing the top or bottom | Feature position | Lady palm, cordyline, Japanese box, agave |
The lime problem
Worth knowing because it explains a lot of unexplained yellowing. Mortar, concrete and render leach lime into the surrounding soil for years, raising pH sharply within about a metre. Gardenias, camellias, azaleas and blueberries planted beside a set of masonry steps will yellow persistently no matter how carefully they are fed.
Test the soil at the actual planting position rather than in the middle of the bed. If it is alkaline there, either choose plants that tolerate it - westringia, lomandra, olive, agave, dietes - or grow acid-lovers in pots where you control the mix.
Safety first, aesthetics second
- Nothing that grows over the tread. Plants encroaching onto steps are a genuine trip hazard, especially when wet.
- No spined species beside stairs. Agave and spined yucca belong further back - the terminal spines sit at exactly the wrong height for someone losing balance.
- Avoid anything that drops slippery litter. Fruiting plants, deciduous trees and heavy flower drop all make steps dangerous.
- Keep sight lines clear at the top and bottom.
- Choose plants that stay low rather than ones needing constant cutting to stay safe.
Pots are usually the better answer
Because the soil beside steps is so often poor and alkaline, pots frequently work better than in-ground planting. They give you complete control of the mix, they can be moved as light changes, and a matched pair or a repeated series up a flight reads as deliberate design.
Use large pots - anything under 300 mm will need daily watering through an Australian summer beside heat-radiating masonry. Choose pale colours in full sun, since dark pots against a hot wall can reach temperatures that damage roots.
Regional notes
- Brisbane and the subtropics - xanadu, cordyline and lady palm on the shaded side; watch drainage in wet summers.
- Sydney and coastal NSW - lomandra, dianella and clivia handle both the heat and the rain shadow.
- Melbourne and Canberra - frost pockets form at the base of steps. Choose hardy species there.
- Perth and Adelaide - reflected heat plus alkaline sand is the hardest combination. Agave, dietes, westringia and pigface are the reliable performers.
Related guides
Match the plant to the light on each flight: succulents for sun struck steps and ferns for shaded ones, with climbing plants where there is a wall or rail to cover.
A staircase is really just a balcony turned on its side, so many of the same picks work; see our guide to the top small space plants for a balcony, and for shaded flights our list of the best ground cover plants for shade.
If the wall alongside the stairs is bare, our guide to creating a thriving vertical garden shows how to plant it.
Our guide to choosing the right size pot helps with the containers, and gardening in small spaces covers the wider layout.
Ready to plant?
Pick containers first from pots and planters, then fill them with plants for pots or something that trails from climbers and groundcover. Every plant is backed by our 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
One more thing before the courier turns up: our guide to what to do when your plants arrive covers the first 48 hours, from unboxing to the first watering, so nothing is lost in the handover.
