Choose your trees and shrubs carefully

Trees and shrubs are an important part of our environment. They provide shade, clean air, wind protection, wildlife habitat and they
look great. However, if they’re not carefully chosen, they may cause problems underground.
Trees and shrubs rely on their roots to find moisture and nutrients, and sewer pipes can be an attractive moisture source. A small
hairline fracture in a pipe is all a root needs to get in. Once inside the pipe, the root can grow quickly causing a reduction in flow and
potentially a complete blockage. Often complete sections of pipe need to be replaced and this can be expensive. Homes built in the
last 15 years are likely to have PVC wastewater pipes, which are less prone to leakage and therefore tree root damage.

Locating underground services

You can find the location of your sewer pipes by calling Water Corporation on 13 13 95. Be aware, some tree roots may
extend beyond your property boundaries. Don’t forget to Dial Before You Dig if you’re planting a mature or large tree.

Why not be waterwise as well?

W This symbol indicates if a tree or shrub is waterwise. Waterwise trees and shrubs, once established, shouldn’t need watering more

than once a week. Many will flourish over our hot and dry summers with even less water than that. More information on waterwise
plants can be viewed at watercorporation.com.au.

These lists are for your information only

It’s up to you to make your own decision over which tree or shrub you plant on your property. Water Corporation is not liable for
any inconvenience, damage or loss which is caused by, or results from, the planting of any trees or shrubs on your property or any
adjoining property.

Metres Metres
Mature Mature
from from
height Common name Botanical name height Common name Botanical name
sewer sewer
(metres) (metres)
pipe pipe

Small trees 4-6 W Pincushion Hakea Hakea laurina 2

3-5 Apple Malus 2 4-5 Plum Prunus 6

4-5 Apricot, Peach & Nectarine Prunus 6 4-5 W Red-flowered Moort Eucalyptus nutans 4

4-5 Avocado Persea 2 4-10 W Ridge-fruited Mallee Eucalyptus angulosa 4

3-5 W Banksia Banksia species 4 3-4 W Rose Mallee Eucalyptus rhodantha 4

3-4 W Bell-fruited Mallee Eucalyptus preissiana 4 3-5 W Scarlet Pear Gum Eucalyptus stoatei 4

3-5 W Coarse-leaved Mallee Eucalyptus grossa 4 3-5 W Spearwood Mallee Eucalyptus doratoxylon 4

3-5 Crab Apple Malus 2 3-4 W Tallerack Eucalyptus x tetragona 2

5 W Crepe Myrtle Lagerstroemia indica 4 3-5 W Tree Daphne,Pom Pom Tree Dais cotinifolia 2

4 W Flinders Range Wattle Acacia iteaphylla 6 4-6 Triangle Palm Dypsis decaryi 6

4-10 W Forman’s Mallee Eucalyptus formanii 4 4-5 Umbrella Tree Schefflera actinophylla 20

3-4 W Four-winged Mallee Eucalyptus tetraptera 2 4 W Webster’s Mallee Eucalyptus websteriana 2

4-6 W Fox Tail Palm Wodyetia bifurcata 6 4-6 W Weeping Gum Eucalyptus sepulcralis 10

4 W Frangipani Plumeria 2 4-8 W Weeping Pittosporum Pittosporum phylliraeoides 6

3-4 W Fuchsia Mallee Eucalyptus forrestiana 4 5 W Willow Bottlebrush Callistemon salignus 4

3-5 Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin, Citrus 4 Medium trees

Orange
6-8 W
African Red Alder, Butter- Cunonia capensis 6
4-5 Guava (Pineapple) Feijoa sellowiana 2 Knife Bush

4-5 Guava Psidium 2 6-9 Almond Prunus 6

4 Hibiscus Hibiscus sinensis 2 5-8 Birch, Silver Birch Betula 4

4-5 W Judas Tree Cercis silaquastris 4 8-10 Black Locust, Pink Wisteria Robinia 20
W
Tree Mop Top
4-5 W Kings Park Bottlebrush Callistemon 4
8-10 W Black Wattle Acacia decurrens 10
4-6 W Kingsmill’s Mallee Eucalyptus kingsmillii 4
8 W Blue Mallet Eucalyptus gardneri 6
3-4 W Kruse’s Mallee Eucalyptus kruseana 2
10 W Blueberry Ash Elaeocarpus reticulatus 4
4-6 W Little Ghost Gum Eucalyptus victrix 4
6-8 Box Elder Acer negundo 6
4-5 W Loquat Eriobotrya 4
6 W Burdet Gum Eucalyptus burdettiana 4
4-6 Mango Mangifera 6
6 Bushy Yate, Bald Island Eucalyptus conferruminata 4
W
3-5 W Melaleuca Small shrub forms 6 Marlock
4 W Mottlecah Eucalyptus macrocarpa 4 8 Butterfly Tree Bauhinia 4

4-6 W Mudgee Wattle Acacia spectabilis 4 6 W Caesia Eucalyptus caesia 6

5 W Narrow leaved Red Mallee Eucalyptus foecunda 4 10 W Cape Chestnut Calodendron capense 6

4-6 W Olive Olea 6 8-10 W Cape Lilac, White Cedar Melia azedarach 20

4-5 Ornamental Cherry, Peach Prunus 6 5-8 W Carob Tree Ceratonia siliqua 6
Plum
6-8 Castwellan Gold, Leighton’s Cupressocyparis leylandii 6
4-5 Pagoda Tree Sophora japonica 6 Green
5 W Pear-fruited Mallee Eucalyptus pyriformis 4
 Metres Meters
Mature Mature
from from
height Common name Botanical name height Common name Botanical name
sewer sewer
(metres) (metres)
pipe pipe

10 W Chinese Pistacio Pistacio chinensis 6 6 W Tree Strelitzia Strelitzia nicolai 4

8-10 W Chinese Tallow Triadica sebifera 2 8 W Weeping Bottlebrush Castillemon viminalis 6

7 W Coastal Moort Eucalyptus utilis 4 6-9 Weeping Lilly Pilly Waterhousia floribunda 6

8 Cocos Palm Syagrus romanzoffiana 6 Large trees

6-12 W Common Sheoak Allocasuarina fraseriana 6 12-18 W African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata 10

8 W Coolibah Eucalyptus microtheca 6 15 W Alexander & Bangalow Palms Archontophoenix 6

6 W Cootamundra Wattle Acacia baileyana 6 10-12 Arizona Cypress Cupressus arizonica 6

8 W Coral Gum Eucalyptus torquata 4 12-18 Atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica 6

6 W Cottonwood Hibiscus tiliaceus 4 12-18 Bhutan Cypress Cupressus torulosa 6

6-8 W Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata 20 10-15 Box Tree, Queensland Box, Lophostemon confertus 6
Tristania
8 W Dwarf Sugar Gum Eucalyptus cladocalyx 6
‘Nana’ 10-15 W Canary Island Date Palm Phoenix canariensis 20

7 W Evergreen Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora 6 20 W Cedar Wattle Acacia elata 10

5-8 Flame Tree, Coral Tree Erythrina - All 20 10-12 Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia 6

6-8 W Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha 4 10-15 W Claret Ash Fraxinus oxycarpa 20
‘Raywood’
7 Gossamer Wattle, White Acacia floribunda 4
W
Sallow Wattle 10-12 W Cotton Palm Washingtonia filifera 6

8 W Illyarrie, Red Capped Gum Eucalyptus erythrocorys 6 10-12 W Cotton Palm Washingtonia robusta 6

6-12 W Indian Bean Catalpa bigonioides 6 15-25 Cut-leaf Plane Tree Platanus orientalis 10

6-8 W Irish Strawberry Tree Arbutus unedo 6 25-30 Deodar Cedar Cedrus deodara 20

5-8 Jelly Palm Butia capitata 6 12-18 W Evergreen Ash Fraxinus griffithii 10

5-10 Kanooka, Water Gum Tristaniopsis laurina 6 10-12 W Fiddlewood Citharexylum spinosum 6

10 W Kurrajongs Brachychiton 6 15 W Gimlet Eucalyptus salubris 6

8-10 W Lemon-flowered Gum Eucalyptus woodwardii 6 15-25 Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo biloba 6

6-8 W Macadamia Macadamia 6 12-18 Golden Shower Cassia fistula 6

5-10 W Melaleuca Tree & large shrub forms 10 15-20 W Honey Locust, Frisia Gleditsia 10

5-10 W Mulberry Morus 6 25 W Illawarra Plum Podocarpus elatus 10

6-9 W Native Daphne Pittosporum undulatum 6 10-12 W Jacaranda Jacaranda mimosifolia 6

8-15 W Native Frangipani Hymenosporum flavum 4 10-15 W Kaffir Plum Harpephyllum caffrum 20

10 W Norfolk Island Hibiscus Lagunaria patersonii 10 12 Leopard Tree Caesalpinia ferrea 6

8-10 Oaks Quercus 20 10-12 W Lilly Pilly Acmena smithii 20

6-9 W Ornamental Pears Pyrus 6 20 W Liquidambar Liquidambar styraciflua 20

6-12 W Pecan Carya 6 10-15 W London Plane Platanus x acerifolia 10

5-8 Pencil Pine, Golden Pencil Cupressus sempervirens 2 15-20 W Marri, Pink Marri Corymbia (Eucalyptus) 20
W
Pine ‘Stricta’ calophylla

9-15 W Pepper Corn Tree Schinus molle 20 20-30 Monterey Cypress Cupressus macrocarpa 6

5-8 W Photinia Photinia serrulata 6 10-12 W Moreton Bay Chestnut Castonospermum australe 8

10 W Pink-flowered Yellow Gum Eucalyptus leucoxylon 6 15 W Narrow-leaved Peppermint Eucalyptus nicholii 6

‘Rosea’
12 W New Zealand Xmas Tree Metrosideros tomentosa 6
5-8 Poinciana Delonix regia 6
12 W Red-freckled Gum Eucalyptus lane-poolei 6
6-8 W Port Lincoln Gum Eucalyptus lansdowneana 6
20-30 W River Sheoak Casuarina cunninghamiana 20
8-10 W Powton, Princess Tree Paulownia 20
10-12 W Rose Sheoak Allocasuarina torulosa 6
9-12 W Queensland Fire Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus 4
10-12 W Salt River Gum Eucalyptus sargentii 20
6 W Queensland Silver Wattle Acacia podalyriifolia 6
12-18 W Shingle Oak Casuarina equisetifolia 20
9 W Red Flowered Gum Corymbia (Eucalyptus) 6
12-18 W Silky Oak Grevillea robusta 20
ficifolia

7 W Red-flowered Mallee Eucalyptus erythronema 4 25 W Silver Wattle Acacia dealbata 10

6-8 River Yate, Long-flowered Eucalyptus macrandra 4 25-30 Smooth-barked Apple Gum Angophora costata 20
W
Marlock 15-20 W Swamp Oak Casuarina obesa 10
6-8 W Rottnest Pine Callitris preisii 6
10-15 Swamp or Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum 20
6-8 W Round-leaved Snow or Eucalyptus perriniana 6
20-30 W Tasmanian Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon 20
Spinning Gum
15-20 W Tipu Tree, Pride of Bolivia Tipuana tipu 6
6 W Silver Princess Eucalyptus caesia subsp. 4
magna 15 W Tuckeroo Cupaniopsis anarcardioides 4
8-10 W Silver-topped Gimlet Eucalyptus campaspe 6 20 Tulip Tree Liriodendrom tulipifera 6
7 W Southern Cross Silver Mallee Eucalyptus crucis 4 14 W WA Peppermint Agonis flexuosa 6
6-8 W Steedman’s Gum Eucalyptus steedmanii 6 10-12 W Wallangarra White Gum Eucalyptus scoparia 6
8 W Strickland Gum Eucalyptus stricklandii 6

8 W Swamp Mallet Eucalyptus spathulata 4

6-8 W Sydney Golden Wattle Acacia longifolia 20

5-8 W Torwood Eucalyptus ‘Torwood’ 6