Driveway Trees

Roots first, then width

The non-negotiable beside concrete is root behaviour. A driveway is a long slab with garden down one side, and an aggressive root system finds the joins within a decade. Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) is the honest example: unbeatable in November, but its vigorous surface roots lift paving, so it belongs in the lawn, not beside the drive. Choose trees flagged for non-invasive roots instead. Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) makes an 8m coastal shade tree with roots safe near paving and pipes, Little Gem Magnolia holds a tidy 5m by 2.5m column, and the taller crepe myrtles reach 5m to 7m with no root drama. Our non-invasive root trees collection gathers every safe option in one place.

Then check mature width. Half the canopy will hang over the drive, which is welcome shade in summer, but the trunk still needs to sit at least 1m off the edge, and 2m or more for trees finishing above 8m.

Matching driveway trees to climate and style

For formal lines, the narrow evergreens do the work: Pencil Pine at 5m tall and only 1m wide, Spartan Juniper at 5m by 1.2m, and Tolleys Upright, a columnar selection from our olive tree range at 4m by 1.5m. All three are frost hardy and drought tolerant once established, so they perform from Perth and Adelaide through to Canberra. For a flowering avenue, crepe myrtles carry months of summer colour, autumn foliage and smooth mottled bark across subtropical through cool temperate gardens; the White Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez' is the tall one at 6m. In tropical and subtropical gardens the natives lead: tuckeroo where salt and wind are the problem, or Luscious Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina 'Luscious') at 6m to 8m with a dense glossy canopy and well behaved roots.

Spacing an avenue: the numbers

• Large shade trees, 4m to 5m apart. Tuckeroo at 4m centres. Brisbane Box wants 5m, but it reaches 12m and suits a long rural entrance.
• Mid sized flowering trees, 3m apart. The taller crepe myrtles and Luscious Water Gum close into a continuous canopy.
• Formal columns, 1m to 3m apart. Pencil Pine and Spartan Juniper read as a solid rib at 1m centres, or as spaced sentries at 2m to 3m.

Establishing trees beside concrete

Concrete radiates heat and sheds water away from the root zone, so a young tree beside a drive dries out faster than the same tree in open lawn. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, mulch 75mm deep to the drip line, and keep the mulch off the trunk. Feed with a controlled release fertiliser in early spring. As the tree grows, remove the lowest branches over two or three seasons until vehicles have about 2.5m of clearance.

Common questions

Which trees will not crack a concrete driveway?

Trees carrying our Non-Invasive Roots flag: tuckeroo, Little Gem Magnolia, crepe myrtles and Luscious Water Gum are all considered safe planted 1m off the slab. No tree is risk free hard against concrete, so give even the safe ones that metre.

Evergreen or deciduous beside a driveway?

Evergreen magnolias, olives and conifers hold their look year round and drop little. Deciduous crepe myrtles give flowers, autumn colour and winter sun through bare branches, but expect a few weeks of leaf drop on the drive each autumn.

Can large driveway trees be delivered?

Yes. Everything here is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and no minimum order. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every tree carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.