If a tree is in a lawn and is big enough to take it it looks better if the grass comes up to the trunk, than if there is a ring of dirt or mulch between the grass and the trunk. But young or small trees may be bothered by having grass right next to them, as trees and grass are enemies where they meet. And a small tree with low branches or any other that is too shady underneath will tend to shade grass out.

Where a tree is inside of a large bed that is being furnished with shrubs and finished with flowers then of course some of these are going to be under the tree - preferably shrubs as trees are accent points that need to be faced down with shrub under-planting.

These need to be evergreen kinds for best effect.

If you can't dig planting holes without barking tree roots then you need to dig farther from the trunk or plant smaller specimens that can be fit in among the roots. Or dump well aerated, potting mix style soil on top and plant small specimens in that, that will then later root down into the tree root filled existing soil beneath.

With this method you will have to watch the watering, as a very light soil suitable for putting on top of tree root zones (in the shallowest possible layer to do the job) will tend to dry out. You want to water enough to keep the new plants going and also to keep the original soil beneath moist, so the tree is not bothered.

If a tree is a kind like a juniper or evergreen magnolia that is just too competitive, doesn't usually have anything much growing underneath then you may just have to give up on getting something going in that spot.

Or replace the tree with something more cooperative.

As far as mulching in general you always want to mulch permanent plantings (as opposed to things like flowering annuals and vegetables) because of the benefits mulching imparts. Keeping organic mulches maintained in hot climates where these may disappear rapidly can be daunting but the fact that this happens shows the need for them may even be greater than in temperate areas, where decomposition is slow and organic litter tends to pile up. Otherwise beds can at least be covered with stone materials so that there is still some shading of the soil, reduction of moisture loss.

This post was edited by bboy on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 15:42

there is so much wrong in what you said... i can understand your frustration ...

first.. newly planted trees ... any plant... needs mulch to cool the soil.. reduce weed competition ... and as a water management system ... it keeps the soil moister.. longer.. especially on hot summer days ....

an established tree.. need a mulch ring.. to keep the idiot with the lawnmower and weedwhip away for the tree .. trust me.. i damaged enough trees.. to know why .. lol ... it only took me a decade to learn such ... lol .. otherwise.. its jsut used to make it all look pretty.. see below ....

an established tree... is said to be twice as large below ground as above ... though in a different form ... as such.. planting things under it.. will NEVER harm it ... IMHO ... presuming you arent digging holes with a backhoe or some such ...

many large old trees are hard to grow under.. because they out compete the new planting for water .. so if you perfect watering .. and a few other tricks ... you can do just about anything you want under them ... though there are some trees... where it isnt even worth the effort.. like a norway maple.. e.g.

on a new transplant.. it might be good .. to leave it alone for a few years.. to grow that root mass i spoke of above ... so i would plant too many thing around it ....

does this help clarify your thought process.. i could try again.. if not ...

as great as the web is.. its really hard.. to hone in on peeps in the same circumstances ... and if you dont know the right terms.. the search brings you so much info ... its bewildering ... and that is why GW can be a great help.. to get you on the right path.. to learn ...

i did leave out all discussion of mulch.. using it .... just so it all looks pretty ... using such to make your whole yard.. cohesive.. on some level ...

shall i try again???

ken

If you need only one good reason for a mulch ring, consider this:
It decreases the likelihood of mower blight and string weeder damage.

What everybody said..... me personally, I have large mulch beds that need replenished with more mulch once or twice a year and weeds kept out, but, I have oaks that I have shade perennials under. I try to keep only certain trees like that, and save on mulch by keeping some mulch circles smaller. Once some trees get larger a groundcover plant will thrive in their shade with less water. Until the trees provide more shade, the groundcovers need watered in a dry spell. This is only when NEEDED because the oaks don't like all that extra water when they are semi established and all that. I know that I need to limit these beds unless I want to spend a fortune on mulch and break my back spreading it under a large area my umpteen trees. I would say I have about 5 oaks and a Dawn Redwood with these shade perennials under them in a large mulch bed, the rest are groundcover Ajuga, Barren Raspberry, and Bishops Weed, oh, and Creeping Jenny in the poorly drained spots. I won't have to mulch under the groundcovered trees after a year or so when the canopy makes the underneath all shade. My 2cents Poaky1

I think some people just don't like the way the mulch rings look. I agree with everyone above. I wholeheartedly agree that if for no other reason, to keep the weed whacker away.

In my situation, I planted a 3 gal Mexican Sugar Maple near the corner of my driveway-about 3' back from the pavement. I'd like to fill in the rest of the corner with a bed of perennials and ditch the struggling grass. I just don't want to create any undue competition for water with my tree.

The other spot I'd like to do something is under my 13 year old live oak that has exposed roots and won't allow enough light in for grass to grow for several feet around the trunk. I was thinking of planting something that will spread and fill in like trailing lantana perhaps. Again, don't want to harm the tree, but want to remedy an ugly situation.

Maybe I'll take some pics and post, eh?

Speaking lawn trees only...

For younger plants, lets say 10 years or less a mulch ring is a must for reasons outlined above. I don't see why anyone can question this as the grass will grow vigorously up to the tree and slow down establishment of the tree, depending on the species.

As the tree ages most people let the grass grow up near the tree as it looks more naturalized. Depending on the tree species some are forced to keep it mulched due to surface roots and deep shade. An example would be a 30 year old beech tree.

At the end of the day it depends on your circumstances, ie grass type, tree species, age of tree, shade etc.

As a general design rule all beds must be connected so that things don't appear disjointed. This is where you see folks argue against a mulch ring. In fact some would argue that you shouldn't plant a solitary plant whether it has a mulch ring or not.

Exception to the rule would be large acreage lots where its not feasible to join beds.

I think kidney shaped beds and mulch rings with perennials surrounding the trees are exceptionally over done and I personally don't like the look of either.

Don't mess with the roots of live oaks unless you want dead ones. they don't tolerate thick mulches or dense beds of ground covers very well.

As for the rest, a nice perennial planting beats having the tree beat to crap with the mower and string trimmer. Just pick a species that is stated to do well under trees.

Design wise, a tree plunked in the middle of a lawn looks awkward to me. A narrow ring of perennials surrounding it, even more so.
Mike....Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

So, being devils advocate here...if a tree in the middle of a lawn looks awkward, where would it NOT be awkward?

It's sounding like, by and large, this is strictly a matter of personal tastes. Like everything else, we're all over the place there.

As for live oaks, at least in my experience, are more durable and tolerant of root disturbance than given credit for. If having mulch around the root zone caused harm to the tree, we'd have a lot of struggling live oaks in the neighborhood. Just sayin'.

Integrated in a planting bed but again its going to depend on your lot size and shape. Sometimes function will trump design (ie tree is required in a location for shade but doesn't lend itself to be anchored in a planting bed).

Check out the link for a few visuals.

Here is a link that might be useful: Interconnection

Thanks for that link whaas; I look forward to reading more of that blog.