Best if you make the beds raised up put lots of compost in and Gypsum to break up that clay preparation is the key to everything. How about the succulent type ground covers not sure if they grow in acidic soil though. You can sweeten up acidic soils by adding lime don't know what it will do to your pine trees. Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias, like soil that is acidic but not clay soil. Mesembranthemum they come in so many colours also white, pinks So do the Kalanchoe and flower for many months. What about Chamaescilla mine are in the shade and flower for ages, they multiply fast. My Verbena Coral Pink ground cover loves the shade. Get yourself a packet of Nasturtium seeds they come up year after year.. All the ground covers I have grown from cuttings. Hope this helps a little.. Mary-Anne

What is your question? What do you want to plant? There is no reason you can't plant under pine trees, you just have to see what plants you want there. Japanese maples, Rhododendrums, gardenias, hostas, really anything that prefers some shade will do well under pines. Pine tree roots grow down more than out.

Not sure where you might have read it but pine needles do NOT poison the soil!! Pine needles (pine straw) are a very common garden mulch in many areas!! Nor do they make the soil any more acidic than it would normally be - both of these are garden myths. The reason many plants do not thrive under large conifers like pines (or even larger deciduous trees) is usually a combination of dry shade - a tricky gardening situation at best - and root competition. Look for spreading groundcover type plants that will tolerate or thrive in these conditions - fernleaf dicentra, epmediums, bigroot geranium, just to name a couple. Start out with small plants and give them some extra TLC (water and even some ferts) until established.

Yep, wait and see, live and learn at this point. It is a south facing hillside, but it gets shade in the winter from pine trees across the street. Some morning sun. That, being zone 6 and having clay soil I hope bails me out. Perhaps I could throw some burlap on top of the wall if I notice it melting the snow more quickly. I was a little confused about the reversing the radius of the wall comment. But as I started to ask the question, I think I see what you mean. You mean digging into the hillside further back and continuing the circle of the wall higher up but using it to hold back the soil rather than holding the soil in. That way I could move the tree further back into better insulated soil. Perhaps a project for next year if I lose the tree.