Growing a garden in shade with lots of tree roots

9 years ago

Mindy has asked for recommendations for growing in shade under trees where you have a lot of tree roots to contend with. I have been trying to grow in those conditions for about the last 30 years. The first 20 years most trees in neighbor's yards were not mature yet and I had an established garden that I was not trying to change. About 10 years ago I had to make changes when the shade and tree roots were making it too difficult for anything to grow.

It has been a challenge. I've asked a lot of people on GW and read many posts on this topic. I've taken lots of suggestions made and researched lists of plants that work for these conditions. It's an ongoing project. Here are my experiences in growing under these conditions. Would love to hear what your experiences have been. What have you tried, what worked, what didn't?

What has been happening along our lot line with many Maple tree roots? I have an Arborvitae that is working in more shade than I would have thought was possible. It's only getting about 2 hrs of sun in the morning and then filtered light later in the day. It's very close to the trunk of a Silver Maple, maybe 5ft? It is a Western Arborvitae and it was recommended by New England Nurseries, when I asked for suggestions for this site. I have 'Emerald Green' in a sunnier location, but the Western Arborvitae does well in more shade with tree roots than the EG in more sun. I make sure it gets water when it's been dry. I have a soaker hose looped around the base of it, and I use that when we have a dry spell. I do mulch with bark mulch.

I should point out that I have Silver Maple trees in neighbor's yards. Five of them. These trees have particularly aggressive roots and it's been recommended to me not to water individual plants or fertilize individual plants trying to grow in their root zone, because the roots will seek out the water and nutrients and your plants will have more roots to deal with. So I try to wait for a rain or use a sprinkler on the whole area and then give each plant extra water.

I have tried Viburnum maresii, which someone on the shrub forum suggested, despite the fact the shrub is said to prefer a moist location, I liked it so much I gave it a try. And I can say that has not worked out as well as I wanted. It has survived, it has grown slowly and looks great every spring, but when July and August hit, I can't keep up with watering it and it looks miserable and drops it's leaves early. I'm getting ready to replace it with something else.

I have a 'Wentworth' Viburnum next to that which has done really well. It's very tall, maybe 9ft? Has a lot of berries on it and nice fall color. Doesn't seem to be bothered by the dryness or the part shade it is in. Gets maybe 3hrs of sun. I don't give it any special attention. It's growing right around the drip line of two Maples, one to it's West and one to it's North, so it faces East where the 3hrs of sun comes from before it is shaded by another Maple to it's South.

Three other shrubs that are doing well around that same location, facing East near the drip line of the Maples are an Oakleaf Hydrangea, and two Clethras. I know Clethras are supposed to prefer moisture, but mine have not skipped a beat since I planted them. It looks clean and healthy every year, and blooms very well. I have 'Hummingbird' which stays about 4ft tall and spreads out. 'Sherry Sue' Clethra is one of my favorites, the flowers are longer and dangle and smell like vanilla up close and it blooms in September instead of the summer like 'Hummingbird'. Bumble Bees cover it when it is in bloom and appreciate such a great food source so late in the season. Sherry Sue is taller at about 6-7ft. I found that one at Broken Arrow. Of course all of these shrubs are rather casual, but I'll take whatever grows successfully. They are not in full shade.

On the other side of the yard, in the corner that is the shadiest, I have Taxus, that has done well and does not get extra attention. It is not as dense as it would be in more sun. I have two Blue Hollies that also do very well. These are in the deepest shade, with very little sun except filtered light and a little late afternoon sun. They have grown slowly but are now at the height I need and all these shrubs together are screening that corner of the property.

I have a shrub that I could recommend as growing easily in the shade and is not bothered by the dryness or the Maple tree roots. It always looks healthy and never needs attention. It grew very quickly to about 8ft tall. It also offers white berries for the birds. The one drawback is that it suckers a lot. It's a Gray Dogwood, a native shrub. It does work in a challenging situation, but you have to be comfortable with the suckering. It is growing, blooming and fruiting with a stockade fence 4ft away on it's South side, and about 10ft away on the other side of the fence, there is a huge 50 year old Silver Maple, so that is pretty challenging. It does get maybe 2 hours of sun from the east in the morning.

Shrubs I've tried and found difficult to establish were, Rhododenron and Azalea, which could be the PH? Mine is usually around 6PH. I have two, they do okay but not growing gangbusters at all. I have a Nova Zembla that is hanging on and growing slowly that is completely under the canopy of a Maple whose canopy is about 6feet off the ground. And it's about 5ft away from the trunk. I do give that extra water, trying to get it to a decent size to be a screen for me. I have a 'Purple Gem' Rhodie that I ignored this year that is in a good amount of sun but in the root zone of a lot of trees and it had yellow leaves on it by mid summer.

I tried two Ninebark 'Summer Wine' in about 4 hours of sun but in the root zone of a lot of trees and they did not do well in that location. They are supposed to tolerate dry soil too and they are native. I moved one of them to the corner of the house away from trees but in an equal amount of sun and left the other one there. The one I moved took off and grew into a great shrub, that I really enjoy. The one I left behind did absolutely nothing from one year to the next. Never grew, just barely hung on with sparse growth, no height, and by late summer had dry edges on the leaves even with watering a lot some seasons. I don't think they would do well in a root zone and shade.

I tried boxwood under the canopy of a Maple and a native Ilex glabra, they wouldn't grow at all.

For perennials, I have a Maidenhair Fern on the North side of my Garage and that does pretty well. Never looks dry and crispy and it is in one of those areas that doesn't get a lot of rain. It doesn't look lush for sure, but it did have a good amount of growth on it this season. I think with supplemental watering it could do well.

Mindy, you asked and I haven't tried growing lamium up a fence. I have some in very shady areas that doesn't really spread, but it comes back every year. I have a lot of Japanese Ferns that I like a lot. Hellebores do well, Solomon's Seal, European Ginger, Hostas. Some woodland phlox and Tiarellas which tend to become unnoticeable along with the Bleeding hearts over the summer, then come back great every spring. Lunaria does very well for me and reseeds. I have some Cimicifuga but I ignore it and by late summer the leaf edges are dry. It's under a tree canopy with no sun. My most dependable plant in this dry shady area, is Epimedium. I have a lot of that growing all over the garden.

I thought about trying to alter the growing conditions more, as you are doing. Thought about mirrors. About amending the soil more. In the end, I didn't want to fight it, it takes too much energy. So I've just experimented. You always wish you had more options, but considering what I am working with, I'm happy I can grow something that I like. Good luck, I would be happy to hear about any successes you have in these conditions.

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User

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

As I am only in my second season of growing in this situation, I am a complete novice....but a few tentative observations. Firstly, not only is the entire area rooty (it is a poplar plantation) and dry, I have no irrigation either (apart from a ridiculous saucepan on a long stick), so, I am growing from seed, directly in situ, or transferring tiny plants straight into the ground rather than potting them on (which is what I would normally do). As they only get puddled in once, it is quite true to say, the smaller, the better, when it comes down to establishing a rootmass.
Then, there are the roots themselves. The bigger, the better....so, looking at what is growing already, I am seeing plants with great tap-roots or vigorous rhizome-y type affairs which can search out the (plentiful) water down at water table level. Cow parsley, hogweeds, nettles are all rampant....which gives me huge encouragement as my woods are nothing like evergreen plantations or beechwoods. Grasses grow freely, so I have added clovers and sainfoins, along with many wildflower seeds. Bulbs, of course, are an obvious suggestion - 3000 narcissi were planted last year - after 50 years of fallow neglect, the fertility in the soil is surprisingly high (as the chickweed and nettle attests) and I am helping out further with comfrey. and various legumes (the lathyrus of various types are doing well)
From seed, foxgloves, meconopsis, aquilegias, hesperis, hardy geraniums, salvias, callirhoe, linaria, martagons, bluebells, campanulas, cenolophium, peucedanum, chaerophyllum, millium, valerian, campions,lysimachias and epilobiums are thriving....and I have added many other varieties (as I feel it is going to involve harsh selection and extensive culling).
Of course, I am still feverish with delight at owning A WOOD....although I alternate between despair, glee, delusional tendencies and insane optimism....sometimes in the same day..

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Comments (14)

mxk3 z5b_MI
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It is possible, but difficult, to grow under a maple canopy; heck, even planting many many feet out from the drip-line of the canopy can be challenging, maples are water hogs and their root systems are a b*tch.

I have been successful over the years. One trick that helped immensely to get shrubs established has been the use of the water-absorbing crystals (Soil Moist). I got some hydrangeas (!) established by digging a nice big hole and adding a butt-load of the crystals to the fill - I still had to keep an eye on the watering (even now, but to a much lesser extent), but I really think those crystals made all the difference, allowed the shrubs to become well established because they didn't dry out between waterings. I've used the crystals on perennials here and there, but primarily with shrubs.

I've used the Spin-Out bags for hostas, which also works well. What I don't like about the Spin-Out bags is the root system will be limited by the size of the bag, but the roots can't get inside the bag, so the soil stays moist and the plants don't have to duke it out with the tree roots. I don't know if you can still buy the bags (?), but I believe the fabric is still available. It's not cheap, though. I've also lined holes with garbage bags with holes cut in the bottom, and planted plants in pots sunk in the ground with success.

Of course, choosing plants that tolerate drier conditions helps a lot (um..well...definitely not the hostas and the hydrangeas, but darn it I wanted them there!). There are lots of them, just have to do a little research. Even some ferns do fine in drier conditions once established (Dryopteris is a *fantastic* fern and does fine right smack under the maples).

The best thing, though? Hands down - an automatic sprinker system. WORTH.EVERY.STINKIN'.PENNY !!!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If one lives in the rural Pacific Northwest - like I do - gardening with large trees is a fact of life. Nearly every garden has one or more of our native trees and these all tend to get to be big mothers - Douglas firs, western red cedars, big leaf maples. One just has to learn how to garden under these conditions and what plants will thrive if they expect to have any sort of ornamental garden at all.

Since I do garden design and consultation for a living, I encounter these types of gardening situations on a pretty much daily basis. Plus, a good portion of my old garden was sited in the dry shade from large trees. Here's a few tips I've learned......

Learn what types of plants suitable for your area will tolerate or preferrably thrive in dry shade and with root competition.

Start with smaller sized plants to begin with. Instead of that gallon sized perennial or 5G shrub, opt for the smallest sizes you can locate. It is far easier to dig a small planting hole in the mass of tree roots and small plants will establish faster and more easily in tough conditions than a larger one.

Remember that drought tolerance is not immediate and plant establishment takes time. You may very well need to supply extra water and even fertilizer for a several growing seasons before the plants have properly settled in and can hold their own. I seriously dislike automated irrigation systems and prefer soaker hoses or drip irrigation whenever possible, as these deliver water more efficiently directly to the root systems where it is needed, not wasted on the foliage.

Use a good mulch and apply liberally. It will help to maintain soil moisture after watering.

Consider limbing up some of the trees. This can allow more light and even rain water to reach the planting area, greatly increasing the range of plants you can grow.

Consider including some native woodland plants. These are usually well-adapted to these challenging growing conditions and can be very attractive garden additions.

Tops on my list for drought tolerant shade plantings:
hellebores
epimediums
lamium
Euphorbia robbiea
Geranium macrorrhizum
various saxifrage
dicentra - bleeding heart, especially the fern leaf culitvars
hardy cyclamen
hostas (yes, these ARE considered quite drought tolerant once established)
Hakonechloa - Japanese forest grass
pachysandra
lots of hardy ferns, especially any Polystichum
iris foetidissima

For larger plants:
Aucuba japonica
sarcococca - sweet box
Euonymus fortunei
Kerria japonica
Vaccinium ovatum - evergreen huckleberry (although many different Vaccinium species will work well also)
Lonicera nitida - boxleaf honeysuckle
Taxus spp - yews.
Mahonia - grape holly

Note: not all these plants will be appropriate in all areas.....some will not be zone hardy but check to see what will work for you.
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One think I am unsure of with mulch is whether it would ultimately cause the same problems for the tree as piling on soil. I guess it would at least initially be more permeable, but it's something I'd like to hear expert advice on. Of course, it's hard to know just where the roots go. There are no doubt feeder roots all over (at least where the woodchuck hasn't gnawed through them). The one main root that goes into the area I'm looking at is at surface level, so far as I can see, as the trunk is actually 2-3' up a little bank, and this root is trailing down. That part of the "shade room" area is also the highest. Other areas are depressed 1-2'. So perhaps the lower areas can be filled with gravel, with only some sort of topcover (whether mulch or crushed stone) over the area with known roots? I'll look up KwikDek, though a surface that has to be moved around every so often is probably not a good bet for me. And I'm not totally keen on decks anyway, as the one I have needs annual waterproofing. (I think if I ever install more decking, I'd want to go with one of the new composites like Trex, but they seem beastly expensive by comparison right now.)
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greenhearted Z5a IL
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Great information here! Among my ambitious plans is to one day have a shrub border filling the spaces between/in front of the trees along my property lines for additional privacy.

Currently, I have the trees underplanted with groundcovers. Pachysandra, epimedium, ajuga and geranium have done the best.
TexasRanger10
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My experience will pertain to a more southerly situation in case anyone is interested.

Back when I had a different kind of landscape I had very good luck with these in very dry shade with lots of root competition, I relied on contrasting foliage colors --

Nandina's (standard & the dwarfs), Yew, Holly (various leaf forms), Rose of Sharon (blooms very well), Eastern Redbud, Euonymus, Ajuga, Barberry (good in mostly shade) Variegated Privet and Liriope.

My situation is shade all summer but sun in fall winter and early spring, then its shade ranging from all shade, bright shade to dappled to maybe an hour or so of sun at different times but no more.

Surprisingly the common very large green Texas prickly pear cactus that is so common across the Southwestern & is so easy to grow at least to zone 6 does quite well in dry shade. I have a couple huge clumps back there now. Its not too picky about conditions.

Along with the 2 bold cactus statements I am now having good luck in zone 7 with:
Mealycup Sage
Salvia greggii
Heath Aster
Echinacea
Silver King Artemisia (bits of sun or dappled)
Purple Winecups
White or purple Mistflower (I have the white)
Cedar Sage
Purple Ninebark

I just planted several Sesleria autumnalis, I think they will do well and add some light green grass texture.

A friend is sending me seed of Inland Sea Oats. these do well in dry shade. I'm still working on it and have done a lot of experimenting.

Here is a picture of the O. englemannii that spends all summer in deep dry shade. This was shot in fall so the sun has moved enough to give it a bit in late afternoon. I think these will grow anywhere down here, it is quite cold hardy. Very easy, low maintenance plant.
arbo_retum
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
mxk3, paper or plastic garbage bags? pots bigger then the current root size or just the pots they were grown in? I ask because today we are planting euonymus emerald and gold to grow up the fence in j maple zones.

the spin out bags ARE still available and someone on the Hosta forum told me about them.I think you choose the size dependent on the max predicted size of that particular hosta's roots. If you google 'spinout' a list of ~5 Hosta Forum threads comes up. VERY helpful.
mindy

Here is a link that might be useful: spin out bags website
TexasRanger10
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
campanula, check this out. I got a few of these heavy duty tubes once when I ordered some plants from Great Basin Nursery but never checked into a source for the tubes. The plants I received had very nice hefty roots in a small space saving container. I ran across this thread yesterday and immediately thought of you since you sow seed on such a massive scale -- these look like something a seed sowing addict would be interested in. What was that number of seeds you said you were sowing again? 10,000? 20,000?

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/natives/msg100038524472.html?32613
catkin
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have the exact trouble spot area in one of my beds. It's directly next to the neighbors massive evergreens--which we love. Their roots were so happy when we cultivated the ground years ago.

Some plants have suffered over the years, some have done well and some just okay.

Recently ripped out a Viburnum 'Mariesii' that was at least 15 years old. It was just sad...I'm going to transplant two Cornus kousa 'Satomi' in the same area--they're not happy with the amount of sun they're getting in the front bed. I nipped all of the roots left in the Viburnum hole, now I have to get up the gumption to dig the dogwoods which are about five feet tall...

What's done well is Escallonia 'Pink Princess', I think that's the cultivar. That thing is bullet proof!

Also have a spreading yew that's doing well.

A dwarf rhody seems to like it there too but I'm moving it this Fall or next Spring after it flowers.

Hydrangea 'Annabelle' and 'Preziosa" do okay--they always bloom but don't thrive.

Red twig dogwood does fine--and the Salal is only too happy to travel around...

I'm hoping some wood chip mulch will hold some water--it'll be an experiment for sure.

If the dogwoods don't work out, I may just throw some mulch down and stick a bench there!
arbo_retum
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
geez catkin, you're waiting to move the satomi after they've gone dormant/lost their leaves, yes? That's the 'rule' here. too nice a plant to lose over a matter of waiting a little......

why not try the spin out bags?
mindy
greenhearted Z5a IL
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
campanula, just wanted to say that the picture of your woods is delightful! What an amazing place to call your own... and a huge responsibility to care for. My feelings would be swinging wildly about too!
Embothrium
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Forget about planting among tree roots. Buy some loose, well-aerated soil instead, dump it over the tree roots and plant in that. Use the minimum amount needed to provide a useful depth and keep it well watered, at least in the early years, so the trees are not bothered.
mxk3 z5b_MI
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Mindy: Plastic garbage bags, holes larger than the current root size, if possible.

The spin out bags have worked fine for me, but are expensive - may be cost prohibitive if someone has a lot of plants to plant. Also, it's not always possible to dig a hole as large as the bag when planting amongst tree roots; I ran into this problem when I used them for some hosta - sometimes the bag just won't fit the hole, so can't use it. If you're using a garbage bag, you just cut the bag (or bags) to the size of the hole and cut out the bottom or cut large holes in the bottom for drainage. If I ever need the Spin-Out stuff again, I'll probably order the fabric, it seems more versatile (i.e. cut to fit - either smaller or larger than the available bag sizes).
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
copied from reply in native forum (dimwit, that I am)

Ah yes, we have summat similar (called roottrainers, they are basically long plugs with little internal flanges to encourage downward growth)....but, given a deep enough container, roots will always grow down (they are sensitive to gravity) so I have used newspaper or cardboard, rolled in a tube, sitting in 24cell tray modules, but only for station sowing largeish seeds. Mostly, I use large deep pots and just upend them to separate the seedlings. I usually only sow a couple of thousand seeds over a season but have ramped it up considerably so will have to much more sowing in situ in nursery beds.
I find sowing in plugs or modules to be fairly stressful and largely abandonned it because it was easier to keep the soil uniformly moist (or dry) with larger pots....but if I was sowing, say 100 sweet peas, a set-up like that, Tex, is just the ticket.

I often use 5 litre, 10inch deep pots, plant 100 seeds in each and when I come to turn the pot out, the roots grow all the way to the bottom and generally fill the pot, but they separate really easily, leaving long roots - I use a bulb-planter (for crocus and snowdrops, so only 1inch diameter tube) - I am not keen on dibbers because I think they compact the soil. I can race through planting 100 plugs in no time - almost a bit of a swizz after all that time nurturing the little seedlings in pots.

True, Greenheart - how lucky am I?
catkin
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes GH, I will wait! It'll be difficult, though. I want to plant something else there!

Camp, your land is pretty! Thanks for sharing!

The roots I'm referring to are underground and not particularly big around, just plentiful in places.

Growing a garden in shade with lots of tree roots

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mxk3 z5b_MI

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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