Medium trees are the workhorses of a suburban garden. Big enough to shade a house or a driveway, small enough that they will not undermine paving or overwhelm a standard block.

This size class covers most ornamental pears, maples, crepe myrtle standards, magnolias and the compact eucalypts. It is also where most council street tree specifications sit.

Allow a minimum of four to five metres between a medium tree and any building, and check the mature width rather than the height when planning spacing. Width is what causes problems, not height.