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hello. I'm relatively new to gardening. I'm planning to plant some flowers around my pine tree (have no idea what kind, but it is sooooo tall). Anywhoo, I found some impatiens for the flower bed, but I would like to add more showy flowers. Any ideas?
Thanks!
i like azaleas under pine trees. Just be careful because conifers tend to drop lots of needles when it gets windy & it could be a pain to clean-up with delicate flowers underneath. Also check and see how much sunlight the trunk area gets. Many showy flowers that depend on lots of strong sun & heat (like roses) will look anemic & stunted.
Within five minutes of digging you will find that the area underneath your pine tree is a mass of pine tree roots. To till them up disturbs the tree and provides no good soil for your flowers. This is just a bad place for flowers. Period. (no matter how pretty you think it looks)
The circumference around a tree trunk may look like bare ground begging for decoration---but_it_is_not. The tree roots underlying the canopy of a tree are usually at the surface and quite thick. The tree needs and uses this area for its own well-being. Digging it up to plant a few annual flowers is tremendous mistake for the tree and a waste of labor for the tree owner. If you must, bark the bare area under the tree and then leave it alone.
Flowers you may have by the zillion. Make them a lovely flowerbed and plant them there, somewhere free and nutritious, and not around the drip line of a tree.
You can always plant a raised bed and add annuals. That would leave the roots undisturbed and be less work in the long run compared to ammending the soil.
It is really shady the whole day? Our loblolly pines have such a high canopy, much of the area would be considered part-to-full sun.
Second the recommendations for ferns and hostas depending on the sun. Azaleas under a tree area are about the prettiest things ever. I keep them cleaned off with a light shake or gentle brush with a soft broom.
Within five minutes of digging you will find that the area underneath your pine tree is a mass of pine tree roots. To till them up disturbs the tree and provides no good soil for your flowers. This is just a bad place for flowers. Period. (no matter how pretty you think it looks)
The circumference around a tree trunk may look like bare ground begging for decoration---but_it_is_not. The tree roots underlying the canopy of a tree are usually at the surface and quite thick. The tree needs and uses this area for its own well-being. Digging it up to plant a few annual flowers is tremendous mistake for the tree and a waste of labor for the tree owner. If you must, bark the bare area under the tree and then leave it alone.
Flowers you may have by the zillion. Make them a lovely flowerbed and plant them there, somewhere free and nutritious, and not around the drip line of a tree.
What Azoria said. We just spent this weekend digging out a thick bed of ornamental grasses built by the former owners around the trunk of an old pecan tree that completely buried that root area. It's really not good for the tree.
thanks for the advice guys. I wish I had read sooner. I created a raised bed around the tree. I will, however, let my other pines and oaks be... you have my word. They're so beautiful; I would hate to do anything to hurt them!
msm_teacher, they are soooo tall I would say partial shade at best. Thanks all!
thanks for the advice guys. I wish I had read sooner. I created a raised bed around the tree. I will, however, let my other pines and oaks be... you have my word. They're so beautiful; I would hate to do anything to hurt them!
msm_teacher, they are soooo tall I would say partial shade at best. Thanks all!
How deep did you build the raised bed? If it is just deep enough for the annuals and you used quality soil, it may not make a different. We have done that before under loblollies with no problems after 16 years.
Yes, I've read that it's ok to put a few inches of soil for a raised bed under a tree. Just do some research on how deep you can go before smothering the roots.
If it is just a few inches you should be good. You should have put some good soil that is just enough for the flowers. Good luck and keep us updated!
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We just spent this weekend digging out a thick bed of ornamental grasses built by the former owners around the trunk of an old pecan tree that completely buried that root area. It's really not good for the tree.
