do NOT rototill under a tree .. EVER ... and do NOT add a blanket of good soil ... kill grass.. cover with a good mulch ... at proper depth take plant.. dig hole.. insert plant.. backfill with native soil.. [from another part of the yard if needed] never fertilize that plant individually [or the tree will come to the fert] .. and never water individually [or the tree will come take the water ... if fert is needed.. broadcast it.. same with water ... basically .. we are digging small holes.. with the least amount of root damage [a tree will respond to a severed root.. by making 100 more feeder roots, which is why no till under tree] .. and tricking the tree into not knowing you planted something under it ... or doing anything to attract its attention ... to the plant itself ... then .. all thats left .. is your attention span ... and not forgetting to take care of them.. insert finger and provide proper watering .. ALL YEAR LONG ... sharpen your shovel to aid in digging ... good luck ken

ECHO had mulch right up to the trunk, though it was very shallow against the trunk. the main fruit guy there, danny, who was like TOTALLY passionate about COMPOST, said they've never had any problem with fungus. you can find perennial peanut at nurseries (i've seen it increasingly). it's good stuff. i'd warn you away from cypress, mainly for environmental reasons. tree trimmings, esp those from the power company, make a great mulch. the power company trims mostly smaller limbs, which have a LOT of lignan in them. good soil enhancer, if you believe the french. best of all, it's free. barb -- about the mulch and feeding. read this particular pub from ECHO -- changed my gardening life... Here is a link that might be useful: principles of ag for humid tropics

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.

I have six large white oaks in my yard and I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon (lucky in every way). Oaks are allelopathic but certain plants in Oregon are adapted to grow near and under the trees. Ferns, hostas, heucheras all grow under Oak trees naturally in Oregon. The trees are very sensitive to water especially along the base and mushrooms will grow on the base of the trunk as well as the root lines if irrigated/watered heavily. It is important to keep plants a distance away so that water doesn't creep onto the tree base. The roots spread equally about 3 feet down with some deeper rooting at the center - one fell in the oak grove behind my house last winter...very unusual. It is important not to disturb these roots when planting around the tree as injured roots make the tree more susceptible to disease. I have planted Astilbe, coral bells, azalias, rhododendron, Hydrangeas, heliotypes, forsythia and hellebores, coleus and begonias in addition to plants mentioned previously, under the canopy of the oaks, but I have so many I have a larger area to plant in without disturbing the trees. I am trying Japanese Anemone, but it is poisonous so it requires more care to assure animals (dogs, cats) don't get into it. These plants do well in dappled shade under the oaks rather than total shade. I try to supplement my soil with mulch every year. I carefully cultivate by hand the 7 foot by 45 foot garden under my trees with a special rake to break up the soil, add in commercial mulch and organic soil by hand and use a drip watering system with small water lines going to the base of each plant to prevent over watering. The first year is the worst, it gets better as the soil gets more an more conditioned, especially because my soil is a bit "clay" like. Hope this was helpful.