What to plant under Live Oak?
dallas_design
15 years ago
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gardenspice
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Under Pin Oaks-what to plant?
Comments (2)Where is this large bed going to be? Are you going to bury the pin oak roots under soil that you truck in to create this large bed? Be careful you don't smother them. I had a very large pin oak tree in front of my house a couple of years ago when I live in PA. I planted all kinds of plants right under it, but didn't put a whole lot of soil on top of the roots, just enought to grow the plants in. I planted impatients, begonias, calidums, any small shade loving plant will do fine under them. Just not something with long roots. By the way, their roots broke the water line coming into my house, and it cost me thousands of dollars to have a plumber jack hammer the sidewalk and repair the water line. Their roots are strong and if it doesn't rain for a while, watch out. I had no idea they would do that, or I would have had it cut down earlier. Oh well, live and learn. Your bed is going to look nice, just not too much dirt....See MoreWhat to plant under a large live oak?
Comments (2)Try azaleas again. Bring in some high quality potting soil, several bags for each bush, lots of mulch, and then water them every week, perhaps twice a week, all year long. They may need some extra water the next summer too. I see bridal wreath under a neighbors oaks. Hostas too. The key here with a two hundred year old tree will be bringing in that potting soil. There is no danger of "smothering" the roots of a tree that size, and you dont want to damage the trees roots with your digging. Spend some money on the best potting soil available and plants will grow. Perhaps your oak has a few limbs that are in need of thinning. Most trees do. This will also help anything you plant below. Dogwoods and redbuds make a great understory tree combination There is also now a whitebud form of redbud....See Morewhat to plant under a 100yr old pin oak?
Comments (7)I agree that (some) ferns are as tough as old boots. Also, they don't necessarily require damp conditions. I have planted a number of ferns - basically whatever K-Mart was selling as Baby Ferns - along the narrow passageway between fence and house. Although they are protected from our heavy frosts, they still have to contend with the winter cold of the Canberra region. Some turned up their toes in the first winter, the survivors went on to endure our drought. Over the past 3 years, the only water they have received is the odd shower of rain. The oak tree, at 100 years, should be providing high shade - that is, shade from direct sun but still allowing for a lot of light underneath. There are oodles of plants which would enjoy the environment, including shrubs. I would definitely recommend the old acanthus (oyster plant or bear's britches). After dying back after flowering in summer, it shoots up again in autumn. The large dark green leaves are quite impervious to cold and would provide a luxurious green under the bare oak. If it were my garden, I would plant lots - they grow from root cuttings. The leaves themselves look fantastic edged with a rim of frost. Lots of photos on the net of the flowers, but finally found this one of the plant. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_perennials/article/0,1785,HGTV_3610_1956068,00.html...See MoreUsing Mulch Under Oak Trees: what do I do with the oak leaves?
Comments (5)Just now saw this thread, so I'm late to the convo. I'm in 10b south florida and I use one of those battery operated leaf chippers? mulchers? to chew up our oak leaves. We have a literal forest of avocado trees... that grow like weeds in our 'oak leaf amended soil' (much like @sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish) said above. Now that I'm putting in a front garden... I'm going to put them on my rose beds as mulch. I've heard it's great!...See Moreshebear
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