you can not bury the tree 6 inches deeper ....

ken

The tree is already about 6" higher than the surrounding grade with mulch mounded up to it. So I would actually only be bringing a larger area surrounding the tree up to that same height. I hope that made sense. Would that be a problem?? Are there any plant types to avoid or other potential problems??

Thanks,

Some guidelines that I personally would suggest are ;

0- do not plant directly in the root ball of the tree. Give a good 4-6 feet of space. Some ground covers can be planted a little closer but not in the rootball.
0- better to plant shrubs or perrenials than annuals. constantly planting, digging and replanting is not a good idea.
0- don't pile on additional soil or change the grading. that can suffocate a tree
0- plant things that will not aggressively compete for water and nutrients and that are adaptable to the sunny conditions NOW and the shady conditions when that tree matures.

We posted simultaneously so I will answer that q about raising the surrounding grade. you want a newly planted tree to be set a little higher because it will settle after time. therefore i would not plant anything that cant grow in the native soil or go ammending the soil.

We've all seen pictures of beautiful planting areas under trees. Ken has pics of his yard with great looking hosta beds near his trees.

I've tried barberries around some conifers with the hope a few thorns will deter deer. (oops, they have lower flooding tolerance than arborvitae)

Pick something with a similar water tolerance to the tree. No Prickly Pear Cacti near a Bald Cypress in a swampy spot, stuff like that.

Oh!
Don't go and pull up the top few inches of soil around your entire tree in an attempt to pull the grass. You'll kill too many roots. I THINK the preferred method of getting rid of the grass is probably Round-Up CAREFULLY applied. I've had bad luck using even the thick landscape fabric. Grass just grows through it or finds the slits by your plants, a pain to pluck near them Barberries.

Thanks to everyone for the great and clear advice. I definitely don't want to do anything to jeopardize the health of the tree, however it kinda looks all alone in the front yard. I really feel like it needs something to tie it to the rest of the property.

Are there any specific shrubs/annuals/groundcover that someone could suggest that would be similar to a willow oaks water/sun needs and give me the best chance for success??

Well you will definitely want to plant your groudncovers, shrubs and companion plants before the trees roots extend into that area. Do it in the fall of course, don't attempt planting now.

I'm a big fan of the low growing junipers for groundcovers. Some will say 'oh thats so boring zzz zz' but the blue rug makes a nice ground cover for the foreground and will reduce the amount of mulch you'll need. The slightly taller ones like parsoni and grey owl provide seasonal intersest from the year round color, the pleasant fragrance and they are really trouble free. They grow under trees and in full sun too, very drought tolerant. There's so many varieties, shapes, sizes and colors.

As I mentioned before I would not recommend planting annuals in your peanut bed. Make a separate flower bed for annuals. MAke your peanut bed a permanent fixture in the landscape that won't require constant maintenance, digging and fluctuating regimes of shallow watering.

I would put something like sea green juniper in the back, some perrenials in front of that and in front of that, a hedge of soft touch hollies and in front of that some blue rug. Beside the perennials, a specimen like a viburnum or something else that stands out. You'll have a nice low maintenance peanut bed in no time.