Planting Under Trees - Part 1

Most of the shade in my USDA zone 7 garden, and I daresay most in your garden, is cast by mature trees. Planting directly under these trees - around their bases - is the greatest shade gardening challenge, in my opinion. This is because the soil is generally rooty and dry and the shade under some tree canopies is dense. Depending on several variables like how much work you are willing to do; what kind of garden you want to create; whether you can provide supplemental water and where in the world you garden, it is perfectly possible to grow an immense variety of plants around the base of mature trees.

First you need to decide what you want - and that's always the hardest part. Realize that, for the most part, gardens directly under mature deciduous trees will be spring gardens as far as flowers are concerned. Most of the plants that will settle in nicely will be those that bloom in spring before the leaf canopy is mature. This is not to say that you won't have any plants that bloom during the rest of the season, but there will be fewer from which to select. Foliage will be an important factor in your plant selection, since it will be with you all during the season.

Your goal will have a lot to do with the amount of initial preparation and ongoing maintenance necessary, as well as the palette of plants available to you. Wanting a low maintenance groundcover is one thing; wanting a woodland garden of mostly native plants is another and still another is wanting a mixed planting encompassing anything that tolerates or requires shade. This series will look at all these options and some of the plants that you might choose to use.

Your soil texture is another important factor, since it will also dictate what plants will grow well for you.

In addition, the amount of air circulation and light that penetrates under the tree canopy determines what you can grow there. If at all possible, I recommend limbing up trees at least to the point where you can walk under the branches without braining yourself. Even better is to limb up so that the lowest branches are from twelve to twenty feet off the ground. The additional available light increases the plants you can grow and the improvement in air circulation helps reduce disease problems no end.