City

Street Trees, Nature Strips

Monash is home to over 100,000 street trees.

Many of the city's oldest trees are located in the southwest plains (Hughesdale, Oakleigh, Clayton, Huntingdale) where residential settlement began in the mid 19th century.

The city's central hills (comprising the suburbs of Burwood, Ashwood, Chadstone, Mount Waverley, Syndal and Glen Waverley), subdivided and developed between 1945 and 1965 is home to the major portion of the city's street trees, some of which are now in decline and the subject of on-going replacement programs.

Many of the city's youngest street trees are growing on the eastern slopes to Dandenong Creek (east of Springvale Road), where the suburbs of Wheelers Hill and Mulgrave were developed with underground services.

Council's Street Tree Program

Council's street trees are the legacy of over 100 years of residential settlement and reflect the changing tastes and fashions of successive generations.

The street planting program aims to maintain and provide for a sustainable street tree canopy which contributes to the health and liveability of the city. New tree plantings are chosen to match the scale of the street and to deliver a consistent streetscape character (generally not more than two tree species per street).

Other factors considered when selecting street trees include:

surrounding development period and streetscape character
growth habit and scale
growth rate and vigour
tolerance of urban environment (drought, pollution)
available planting area (width of the nature strip)
presence of services (overhead and underground)
soil type

The most common street trees growing within Monash include Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) , West Australian Flowering Gum (Eucalyptus ficifolia), Brittle Gum (Eucalyptus mannifera 'Little Spotty'), Brush Box (Lohostemon conferta), Betchel Crab (Malus ioensis 'Plena'), Snow in Summer (Melaleuca linariifolia), White Cedar (Melia azedarach), Cut-leaf Plane (Platanus orientalis 'Digitata'), Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'), English Oak (Quercus robur), Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia).

Frequently Asked Questions