Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Planting Basics
• Part 2 of 2: Planning your garden
• Tips

Adding a plant is a good way to liven up the area under the trees. However, gardeners should keep in mind that finding plants for shady conditions under a tree can be a challenge. Flowers, shrubs, and ground covers that are placed under trees and eventually compete with larger companions for valuable nutrients and water. However, with careful consideration and ingenuity, planting under plants can be successful.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Planting Basics

1. 1 Choose plants that do well in the shade. The area under large, old trees can be planted with flowering perennials and annuals to brighten up a gray and often bare patch of land. However, the plants must be chosen carefully, as not all perennials and annuals can grow there. You should choose plants that grow well in the shade and have shallow roots.
   • Hosts (Hosta views) are ideal for such areas. Their large leaves can be variegated or various shades of blue and green, and their flowers are usually purple or white. They are generally hardy in American climates 3-9, although this varies somewhat by cultivar and heights ranging from 5 cm to 1.5 meters.
   • Balsam (Balsam species) - flowering annuals that are good for growing under a tree. They are available in a variety of colors and sizes and bloom profusely from spring until the first frost.
   • Other plants that can be grown under trees include cyclamen, bluebells, frothy flower, dead nettle, fragrant woodruff, Canadian wild ginger, ferns, and periwinkles. Plantations in small forests where a high canopy can be a good place for the dicentra splendid and the PJM rhododendrons.
2. 2 Prepare the soil around the tree. It is a good idea to place 5cm of compost, grass cuttings and / or rotted leaves around the tree before adding any additional plants. This is especially true for gardeners who are trying to plant under conifers because the fallen needles underneath tend to make the soil too acidic for other plants to survive.
   • Spread a 5 cm layer of compost, sphagnum, seasoned cow dung, or a 50 percent mixture of good topsoil and peat moss, cow dung, or compost over the area under the tree.
   • Dig 10 centimeters of top soil with a dirt shovel. Be very careful to avoid digging too deep and damaging the tree roots. Level the loosened, altered soil with a dirt rake.
3. 3 Avoid disturbing the roots by adding a thick layer of compost to the soil. The use of a substantial compost layer and possible small versions of new plants will also help prevent root damage.
   • Selecting small plants will reduce the amount of disturbed soil needed to cover their roots.
   • Compost helps because it forms a similar soil layer in which plants can be easily placed so that gardeners don't have to dig into real soil.
4. 4 Give your plants plenty of room. Plant perennials or annuals in the spring after the last expected hard frost. Dig the planting holes with a hand shovel to avoid damaging the tree roots. The hole should just be deep enough for the roots of perennials or annuals.
   • Where the roots of the tree grow on the surface, position the plants 5 centimeters from the root. Be sure to leave room for the plant to accommodate its mature width.
   • For example, if a single hosta variety is expected to grow to 60 cm wide, plant several hosts 60 cm or more apart, so that there is at least 2.5 cm or 5 cm between mature plants. ...
5. 5 Cover the soil with mulch. Spread a 5 cm layer of organic mulch over the soil around the plants, but keep it away from the bark of the tree. There should be at least 5-8 cm of space between the tree and the mulch to protect the tree from rotting and disease.
6. 6 Keep the soil moist. Water the plants often enough to keep the soil from drying out completely. Since they are planted under a tree, they will need to be watered more often than if they were planted in a garden away from the tree. Trees absorb huge amounts of water and easily displace smaller plants.
7. 7 Do not build raised beds under the tree. Avoid building raised beds around the tree. Adding even 15 cm.soil against the root structure and against the bark of the tree usually causes severe damage to the tree, which is not evident for two to five years.
   • The extra soil reduces oxygen levels around the tree's root system, and the roots need oxygen to stay healthy. Roots often grow on a raised bed in search of oxygen, breaking the whole point of building it first.
   • The soil will also cause rotting of the tree bark or the development of fungal and bacterial infections.
8. 8 Do not use power tools when planting under a tree. When planting under a tree, gardeners should not use power tools, as this can damage the roots of the tree and severely damage the tree itself.

Part 2 of 2: Planning your garden

1. 1 Consider the type and color of the plant when planning your garden. For planting under trees, it is recommended that gardeners select several types of plants and use them in large quantities for a related design.
   • Likewise, choosing a color scheme of two or three complementary shades is the best way to get good results. Both of these factors will help the plants planted under the tree look aesthetically pleasing.
   • However, gardeners should keep in mind that even the best specimens will take several years before they merge and no longer look rare.
2. 2 Think about how the plants will grow naturally when deciding where to plant them. It is recommended that gardeners place plants in wavy, drifting lines similar to how they appear in nature.
   • Plants planted under a tree that surround the tree and bare spots near the tree trunk do not always look natural and should be avoided.
3. 3 Consider planting self-propagating plants. Even if they are only around for a short period of time, bulbous plants such as daffodils, tulips, snowdrops and crocuses look great under trees. Where their zone of compatibility is, these plants reproduce on their own, and this helps to fill the bare areas.
4. 4 Try to choose plants with different types of foliage. Most, but not all shade plants tend to come in a variety of green hues, and even the longest-lived flowers won't bloom forever. So it's a good idea to tidy up the contrast of the plants under the tree by adding plants with different types of foliage.
5. 5 Consider creating a seamless design throughout your yard. Gardeners who have created a workable structure should be free to use it on other trees and in the yard so that the entire plot is combined in an attractive way.
   • Also a good way to save money if the plants planted under the tree require frequent splitting.
   • Just take excess materials from one tree and move them to the next until the entire yard is full at no extra cost.

Tips

• However, there are many other species that can be grown under trees and gardeners should look for plants that suit their personal needs.