12. Species of planting
Wildflowers
The following species are acceptable for sustainable drainage systems:
- Betony
- Devils Scabious
- Musk Mallow
- Oxeye Daisy
- Purple Loosestrife
- Red Campion
- Salad Burnet
- Selfheal
- White Campion
- Common Knapweed
- Common Sorrel
- Creeping Buttercup
- Ladys Bedstraw
- Meadow buttercup
- Meadowsweet
- Ragged Robin
- Wild Carrot
- Wild Red Clover
- Yarrow
Grasses
The following species are acceptable for sustainable drainage systems:
- Creeping Bent
- Meadow Foxtail
- Sweet Vernal Grass
- Crested Dogstail
- Slender Creeping Red Fescue
- Smoothstalked Meadowgrass
- Quaking Grass
- Slender Creeping Red Fescue
Mixture of trees
To ensure future-robust tree populations, no more than 30% of the trees along a road and footpath should be one species or variety. Where there is sufficient space, larger trees provide more environmental benefits than small trees.
Small trees
Suitable for narrow verges and five metres from streetlights:
- Native to UK, high value to wildlife:
- Betula pendula Fastigiata
- Crataegus laevigata Paul's Scarlet
- Crataegus monogyna Common Hawthorn
- Fagus sylvatica Dawyck Fastigiate Beech
- Prunus padus Bird cherry
- Quercus robur Fastigiata (Koster)
- Fastigiate, very narrow crown:
- Acer campestre William Caldwell
- Acer lobelli Lobel's maple
- Betula pendula Fastigiata
- Cupressus sempivirens Italian Cypress
- Fagus sylvatica Dawyck Fastigiate Beech
- Ilex aquifolium Holly
- Malus sylvestris Crab Apple
- Prunus Amanogawa
- Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer, Chanticleer Pear (over-used, alternative preferred)
- Quercus palustris Green Pillar
- Quercus robur Fastigiata (Koster)
- Ulmus carpinifolia Wredei Aurea, small elm
- Narrow trunk, suitable for base of swales and narrow SuDS features:
- Nyssa sylvatica - Black Gum tree
- Other small trees:
- Acer campestre Arends
- Acer campestre Elegant
- Acer campestre Elsrijk
- Amelanchier arborea Serviceberry
- Amelanchier lamarckii Serviceberry
- Arbutus unedo Strawberry tree
- Betula ermanii
- Crataegus lavalleei Hybrid Cockspur Thorn
- Crataegus x prunifolia Broad-leaved Cockspur Thorn (thorny)
- Malus huphensis Hupeh Crab Apple
- Malus Rudolph
- Prunus cerasifera Myrobolan Plum
- Prunus x Hillieri Spire
- Prunus Kanzan
- Prunus sargentii
- Prunus x subhirtella Autumn Cherry
- Prunus Umineko
- Sorbus aucuparia Asplenifolia
- Sorbus aucuparia Cardinal Royal
- Sorbus aucuparia Edulis
- Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling
- Sorbus huphensis
- Tamarix tentrandra Tamarisk (tolerant of salt winds and soils)
- Tilia mongolica Mongolian Lime
Large trees
Suitable for open spaces and greater than 10 metres from streetlights:
- Native to UK, high value to wildlife:
- Acer campestre Field maple
- Alnus glutinosa, Common Alder
- Betula pendula Silver birch
- Betula pubescens Downy birch
- Carpinus betulus Hornbeam
- Fagus sylvatica Common Beech
- Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine
- Populus tremula Aspen
- Populus tremula Erecta
- Prunus avium Wild cherry (unsuitable for paved areas, large surface roots)
- Quercus petrea Sessile oak
- Quercus robur English oak
- Salix caprea Goat willow or sallow
- Sorbus aria Whitebeam
- Sorbus aucuparia Rowan
- Tilia cordata Small-Leaved Lime (can drip sap)
- Tilia x europaea Common Lime (typical of Victorian streets, often pollarded, can drip sap)
- Taxus baccata Yew (common in churchyards, dark, poisonous berries)
- Tilia platyphyllos Large-Leaved Lime
- Fastigiate, very narrow crown:
- Populus nigra Italica Lombardy Poplar (vigorous)
- Populus tremula Erecta
- Narrow trunk, suitable for base of swales and narrow SuDS features:
- Alnus glutinosa, Common Alder
- Betula nigra River birch
- Tolerant of waterlogged soils, suitable for swales:
- Alnus cordata Italian alder (vigorous surface roots, best for unpaved)
- Alnus glutinosa, Common Alder (tolerant of flooding, suitable for swales)
- Alnus incana Grey alder (tolerant of poor soils)
- Betula nigra River birch (good for wet site such as swales)
- Populus tremula Aspen (vigorous, good for wets sites)
- Populus tremula Erecta
- Salix caprea Goat willow or sallow
- Taxodium distichum Swamp Cypress
- Other large trees:
- Acer negundo Box elder
- Acer platanoides Norway maple
- Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore
- Aesculus x carnea Red Horse Chestnut
- Ailanthus altissima Tree of heaven
- Betula albosinensis Fascination Chinese Birch
- Betula papyrifera Paper birch
- Betula utilis Himalayan birch
- Carpinus betulus Fastigiata
- Castanea sativa Sweet Chestnut
- Catalpa bignonioides Indian Bean Tree
- Cedrus atlantica Atlas Cedar
- Cedrus deodara Deodar Cedar
- Cedrus libani Cedar of Lebanon
- Celtis australis Nettle Tree
- Corylus colurna Turkish Hazel
- Ginkgo biloba Maidenhair Tree
- Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust
- Juglans nigra Black Walnut
- Juglans regia Common Walnut
- Larix decidua Common Larch
- Liquidambar styraciflua Sweet Gum
- Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip Tree
- Metasequoia glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood
- Ostrya carpinifolia Hop Hornbeam
- Pinus nigra Austriaca Austrian Pine (large pine tree useful for coastal locations)
- Platanus x hispanica London Plane (very large, tolerant of air pollution)
- Platanus orientalis Oriental Plane (large, decorative)
- Quercus ilex Holm oak, evergreen
- Quercus rubra Red oak
- Robinia pseudoacacia False acacia
- Robinia pseudoacacia Frisia, yellow form
- Salix alba Tristis (x sepulcralis Chrysocoma) Golden Willow, weeping
- Sequioadendron giganteum Wellingtonia or Giant redwood (very vigorous)
- Sequioa sempivirens Coastal redwood (very vigorous)
- Sorbus intermedia Swedish Whitebeam
- Sorbus thuringiaca Bastard Service Tree
- Thuja plicata Western Red Cedar
- Tilia cordata Greenspire uniform, columnar form
- Tilia cordata Rancho, compact form
- Tilia x euchlora Caucasian Lime (does not attract aphids so does not drip sap_
- Tilia tomentosa Silver Lime
- Ulmus lutece Elm (resistant to Dutch Elm Disease)
- Ulmus Clusius Elm (resistant to Dutch Elm Disease)
- Ulmus Lobel Elm (resistant to Dutch Elm Disease)
- Zelkova serrata
- Zelkova serrata Green Vase, columnar form
Trees not suited to urban areas
- Native to UK, high value to wildlife:
- Populus alba White Poplar (fast-growing tree with invasive roots)
- Sorbus torminalis Wild Service Tree (native tree prefers shaded location)
- Tolerant of waterlogged soils, suitable for swales:
- Populus alba White Poplar (fast-growing tree with invasive roots)
- Populus nigra Black Poplar (fast growing and large, needs space)
- Other unsuitable trees for urban areas:
- Acer cappadocicum (tends to produce suckers)
- Acer rubrum Canadian maple (prefers acid soils)
- Acer saccharinum Silver maple (fast-growing and brittle, needs lots of room)
- Aesculus hippocastanum Horse chestnut (affected by several pests and diseases)
- Laburnum anagyroides Laburnum (decorative flowering tree, poisonous)