A really big evening primrose... I saw some on the way home along the ditches that looked really big..... The ones in my yard stay smaller... Maybe there are different varieties?? Hopefully someone will chime in that knows

It can be tough to get anything to grow thickly under a pine tree, or under any other dense tree. I think the landscaper had a good idea when he suggested moving the plantings away from the tree, but this might not be practical. If you are looking for an evergreen, dense shrub that will grow in shade, you have only a fwe choices. If you live in an area without too many deer Yew is an option. There is a native American Yew but this is hard to find in nurseries. Japanese Yew comes in many varieties, including some low growers and some taller ones. Another choice is holly. There are many hybrid hollys that are sold everywhere and will tolerate shade reasonably well. Anything you plant under a tree will grow slowly if there is dense shade and a lot of root competition from the tree. If the shade is less dense, then some other options are available such as Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and rhododendrons. If you are looking for a deciduous shrub I'd try Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerfolium) which is a pretty shrub that can grow in dry shade.

Best if you make the beds raised up put lots of compost in and Gypsum to break up that clay preparation is the key to everything. How about the succulent type ground covers not sure if they grow in acidic soil though. You can sweeten up acidic soils by adding lime don't know what it will do to your pine trees. Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias, like soil that is acidic but not clay soil. Mesembranthemum they come in so many colours also white, pinks So do the Kalanchoe and flower for many months. What about Chamaescilla mine are in the shade and flower for ages, they multiply fast. My Verbena Coral Pink ground cover loves the shade. Get yourself a packet of Nasturtium seeds they come up year after year.. All the ground covers I have grown from cuttings. Hope this helps a little.. Mary-Anne

Not sure where you might have read it but pine needles do NOT poison the soil!! Pine needles (pine straw) are a very common garden mulch in many areas!! Nor do they make the soil any more acidic than it would normally be - both of these are garden myths. The reason many plants do not thrive under large conifers like pines (or even larger deciduous trees) is usually a combination of dry shade - a tricky gardening situation at best - and root competition. Look for spreading groundcover type plants that will tolerate or thrive in these conditions - fernleaf dicentra, epmediums, bigroot geranium, just to name a couple. Start out with small plants and give them some extra TLC (water and even some ferts) until established.