Planting under oak tree
misslemonverbena
19 years ago
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misslemonverbena
19 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (4)Trillium is a very desirable native plant that in many areas goes dormant in the summer. Therefore it's good to mark where it is so that you don't try to plant something on top of it during the dormant period....See MoreShade plants
Comments (10)Happily, under oaks it isn't quite as rooty and dry as under some other types of trees. Many of the plants for shade are primarily foliage plants, with varied leaf color, texture and size creating long season interest, with flowers being the cherry on top. There is currently a thread on Epimediums, a great plant for dry shade (see link below.) The columbines discussed in the same thread should well in the area also. There are several bugbanes (Actea AKA Cimicifuga) with dark red leaves and tall wands of bottle brush flowers in late summer that are stunning. Many of the hostas that Ken mentioned have really nice flowers ranging from white through deep purple in color in addition to the ornamental foliage. There is a form of variegated Pachysandra that works well as a ground cover. Lamium does well in full shade and also can be used as a ground cover. There is a variegated Solomon's Seal that is lovely. Some other plants I grow in shade include: crested iris (short, blue or white flowers in spring) Heuchera AKA coral bells Heucherella AKA foamy bells Tiarella AKA foamy bells Hakonechloa AKA Hakone grass or Japanese forest grass comes in green and white stripes, chartreuse gold among other colors and contrasts nicely with some of the other leaf forms Carex, such as Ice Dance, is another grass-like plant. There are many varieties, and several have interesting foliage. That will give you something to start with. Here is a link that might be useful: Epimedium thread...See MorePlanting under Live Oak Tree
Comments (15)Why remove the leaves? The plants love them, but I know if you're dealing with an HOA, you may not have a choice. I had bromeliads, gingers, amaryllis, crinums and philodendrons under my oaks. I planted the philodendrons by laying them up against the oak tree trunk and covering with a pile of dirt. They eventually grew up into the tree and were gorgeous. I loved not having to rake under the tree, or even fertilize much, because of the leaves. Never "planted" a bromeliad. Just laid them on the ground and let them do their thing. The gingers only need an inch of dirt over them to grow. The giant crinum was planted quite by accident when I was given one which I tossed under the tree and forgot about. It rooted into the ground, still growing on its side, and bloomed like mad every year. The amaryllis I started as tiny bulbets given to me by a friend, so I only had to dig a tiny little hole and cover with dirt to start them. They took a few years to bloom, but they did, and multiplied like mad. There is a grass that will grow under oaks. It's called "Bitter Blue" St. Augustine, and it's not that easy to find. Mine was there when I moved in, and wherever it grew out from under the shade, it died, because I didn't irrigate the lawn. Still, it thrived under the oak. Monkey grass is also easy to plant and grow under oaks, because you can pull the clumps apart and just plant the sprigs. It fills in rapidly. Same with the green or variegated ornamental sweet potato. Just root some cuttings in water and plant them as soon as they have tiny 1/2" roots on them. Of course, you can always mulch and use containers for flowers if you want. A lot of people do that....See MoreOak leaf hydrangea
Comments (3)They do well unless the tree is competing with it for water. Other possibilities: do remember that as time passes on, your shrub gets larger and will need more water. If you have not had to increase the amount of water per watering, you may to try doing that too. And maintain 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line to prevent the moisture from evaporating rapidly in the summer. If you overwater, this can cause the oakleafs to develop root rot because they are very sensitive to wet soil. If they are wilting 24/7, that would suggest a root rot issue to me. If they wilt but recover by nightfall or by the next morning, that would be ok....See Morecasper1
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