A tall skinny pine tree shouldn't suck up a lot of water. Plastic would probably worsen the problem. I pesume you mulch. I don't know why this location should be so different from the rest of your yard. Is there hardpan a few inches down.s Have you tried to dig down a foot or so to see what the subsoil is like.

Well I would but I hit the tree roots after like 6-8 inches or so and it gets kinda rocky. So then Maybe I can just raise it up a little and add more Miracle Grow Soil! Or get plants that grow in dry soil!

Hello again,

I have a long row of hemlock trees down one side of our property - dry, dry, dry! Shade, shade, shade! Roots, roots, and more roots! I need to mulch it deeper (it's only got an inch right now), but in the meantime I've been trying all sorts of shade/woodland plants to see what tolerates such brutal conditions. So far the winners are: hosta, pachysandra, variegated Solomon's seal, Lady ferns (I just put a few other kinds of ferns in there last year - the jury is still out on them), some rhododendrons (2 out of 4 are thriving/2 croaked), lamium (aka dead nettle - a lot prettier than its name), and mountain laurel (so far so good). I do have to water this area if a dry period goes on for too long - this isn't a self-sufficient woodland border.

If I wanted it to live with NO help from me at all, I'd have nothing but hosta and pachysandra and lamium in it. Of course, there's a lot to choose from among the hostas and lamiums. But, I don't know how much sun your skinny-tree bed gets. You might be able to experiment with drought-tolerant plants that need more sun, like sedums, tall bearded irises, daylilies, lamb's ears, lavender, dwarf Russian sage, yucca, annual portulaca, potentilla, etc.

A word of caution: don't bury the tree roots too deeply farther out from the trunk - the tree needs its feeder roots closer to the surface than you might think. Better a shallower, lighter, moisture-retentive soil layer than a deeper, heavier, drier one. Mulch and compost, mulch and compost. . . .

Laurel

I have large maples in my yard that such up all the moisture and they have a very shallow root system compared to a lot of trees. I have had very good success with hosta, sweet william and impatiens. The beds around the trees in the front yard don't get watered as much because quite frankly by the time I am done in the back I am too tired to do the front but those plants thrive inspite of my neglect. The maple in the back is surounded by a large woodland fern, jewelweed, hosta, lily of the valley and impatiens. The jewelweed requires lots of moisture so that one does get watered regularly.

Penny

I also have gardens in and around pine trees and don't have too many problems. I would definitely look into more drought-tolerant plants for that area. There are so many to choose from. I'm starting several from seed this year for my own problem area.

How much sun does that area get?

Tracy

Heres a pic of the area last year...this is the best it did! It gets sun from 2pm til almost sunset. The year before it did much better. see pic ....under Gardens/photo set 3 for pic from 2 years ago. {{gwi:1322564}}

Just off the top of my head, some pelants you could try that are drought tolerant are: gaillardia (both annual and perennial kinds), millet & many other ornamental grasses, ratibida columnifera (Mexican hat), tithonia, and penstemon digitalis.

Nasturtiums would also probably work for you there, and might help fill in the gaps will your perennials are establishing themselves.

Tracy

Ok now as I think about it I have another problem!!! I live on a main road...Division Street. The wind that comes across the highyway is wide open. So now I need drought tolerent,wind tolerent,part shade, and would like taller plants that flower. God I'm askin for alot!...Wayne

Wayne I would give sweet william a try. As you know I am on Ruie Rd and we are right close to the boulevard and get a lot of traffic and the wind blows straight across our yard as my neighbor's yard has nothing to slow the wind down when it is really blowing. The sweet william really did thrive on neglect. Each year they get fuller and fuller. Thre greenery stays a bit lower and the flowers rise up above about 12 to 14 inches. Something else that may do well for contrast might be Dusty Miller.

Penny

Don't put new soil on too thick, and don't mound it up near the trunk. It can cause serious damage to your tree. (I can see that you haven't in your picture, but don't be tempted to next year.) Also don't dig down too deeply either. Digging down 12 inches would probably cause the tree to die. Of course, that would take a few years, trees die slowly.

Yes, it will be dry because the tree roots will suck out all the water in that area, so plant drought tolerant things like hostas, etc.
Your best bet is to plant the plants everyone here has suggested. Another suggestion is corydalis lutea, as seen in the photo below. I will bring some to the swap, since it self seeds readily, but not aggressively.

This is NOT my garden, but one I saw on a garden tour last year. Notice the happy hosta and corydalis lutea.

{{gwi:15037}}

I found using soaker hoses in the shade beds around my trees seemed to keep them much moister. Also, peat, lots of peat and compost! I have very sandy soil here and I've had to ammend it quite a bit to keep the moisture in.

Epimediums, hostas, lamiums, forget me nots and violas seem to tolerate my dry shady spots very well. Also wildflowers like false soloman's seal, vinca, creeping jenny, soloman's seal, trilliums, herb robert geranium, geranium maculatum and jack in the pulpit don't seem to mind these areas much either. They tend to go dormant if things get too dry.

Hope this helps.

starmoon *)