Can you tell us what part of the country you live in?

Sure - North Atlanta (suburb).

Planting beneath trees is a challenge. Most trees have roots close to the surface. This is especially true of oaks, maples, beeches, magnolias, pines and cherries. All these roots make digging difficult, but the roots also suck up water so the soil dries out quicker.

Raised beds are not the answer. Raising the soil level around the tree can lead to fungal disease at the base of the tree trunk, especially in humid southern states. Your dogwood is small enough that you should be able to plant small flowering shrubs and perennials and let them grow with the tree. This area is and will be sunny. How about a dwarf spirea on one side of the tree with a spreading shrub like purple pixie loropetalum to trail across the bed. Both of these spread up to 4 feet across so plant them at least 2 feet away from the base of the dogwood. Add some rudbeckia, coneflowers or daylilies for continuing color.

The large tree is more problematic, but you can still use shrubs. However, the one you have right next to the tree is too close. There are many species and cultivars of St. John's Wort, and you can find both ground cover and hedge varieties. Lily turf is an evergreen ground cover in zone 8, and daylilies are also tolerant of shade and dry soil. Heuchera also does well in dry shade and has both colorful foliage and flowers. Do a search for "plants for dry shade" to get more types.

Don't try to cover the beds the first season. Shrubs and perennials take time to fill a space. Add annuals the first couple of years. In the south there are many cool season annuals such as dianthus, snapdragon, and pansy, that will keep color going through the winter.

When you plant do not push mulch up under a plant's leaves. As I noted earlier this can lead to fungal infections. The purpose of mulch is only partly to keep the soil moist. Its more important purpose is to protect soil from hard rains which can throw soil particles 3 to 5 feet. As plants grow they generally shade their root zones so, IMO, are somewhat self mulching. Remember that you will need to provide supplemental watering the first year after planting. It may be easiest to run a soaker hose back and forth across an area then cover it with mulch. Just hook a hose to the open end whenever the area needs watering.

mindshift,

Thank you so much for the plant suggestions - all very appealing!

Unfortunately, my problem is the soil. How do I dig in it?

I can't dig even for small plants such as you suggested.

Once I remove the mulch, it's just hardened, rocky soil and roots.

Rocks probably left from construction decades ago and TONS of old, very thick roots - including in the bed around the small dogwood!

You probably wonder how come, given the dogood is so young.

Well...one more piece of info: the way this dogwood got on our front lawn was to replace a very tall, old tree with a huge canopy that had been standing there since way before the house was built in the early 80's.

That tree rotted inside, split in two and collapsed on the road when no one was there (luckily) - instead of on our house. It was a mess after the fallen tree was removed so my husband threw a lot of mulch to cover up the barren ground left. This is how we ended up with that round empty mulch bed which was done for immediate necessity rather than with any landscape project in mind.

Soon after that we added the dogwood you see. However the enormous roots left from the old giant tree remained in that whole area.

Now we have the young dogwood sitting in the middle of this large, empty mulch bed - with very bad soil underneath.

So how do I pant ANY kind of flowers there? Add more soil on top to make a mound so the flowers can have something to anchor their roots in?

I mean...even making a few small tulip bulb holes last fall was torture. I kept hitting rocks and roots more often than not.

As for the spot #2 - left of the driveway - yes, there is an azalea bush to the left of the tree, relatively close. But these have been like this since before we bought the house and they seem to co-exist just fine. In the spring, those azalea bushes put on a great flower show - but then it's over soon.

So my big problem is the soil, not the plant selection.

If I can't do raised bed in spot #2 and if I can't dig in there - then is this area doomed to stay empty? It's a good 12 by 5 feet or so - major waste of space in a nice, sunny area. :(

For spot #1 (around dogwood), can't I do a mound like a ring, keeping it far enough from the dogwood's trunk?

I just need some options to be able to dig some holes in these spots to begin with - for ANY kind of plant.

Thank you so much again!

Raised beds around trees or in their vicinity...it looks like it's a thing - so weird...

http://www.properimage.net/file/pictures-of-raised-flower-beds-around-trees/

Maybe I should just buy something like this, plop it in the middle of those unfortunate beds with some annuals and call it a day.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Garden-Wood-Wagon-Flower-Planter-Pot-Stand-With-Wheels-Home-Outdoor-Decor/132724880150?epid=3006593624&hash=item1ee704f316:g:BGwAAOSwh1pZ7t1h

But - sigh! -...there's nothing like perennials coming right back in spring on their own...

begonia2015, that raised bed photo you linked to is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Again, southern soils have extensive biologic activity, and fungal disease is likely, especially in hot, wet weather.

A raised bed can be built around a tree if you also build a tree well around the trunk. HERE is a diagram of an ideal tree well, showing a substantial height change around the tree. You do not need to add a lot of soil depth to grow flowers, so if you put a well around the tree trunk, use a sandy loam, and keep the soil depth to 12 inches your current trees may do OK. Remember that you would also need wells around the shrubs next to the large tree if you raise that bed.

Arborists universally dislike tree wells. In addition to disease, the extra soil above the roots prevents air exchange, and it takes more rain or irrigation for water to penetrate to the roots. This is a big problem if you have clay soil, but a minor issue if you have sandy soil. Water infiltrates sandy soil easily; it infiltrates clay soil at about 1/10 the rate of sandy soil. It has to rain much longer to penetrate clay as deeply as sand.

This is why I suggested you choose flowering shrubs and ground covers. You dig a relatively shallow hole for each plant and let the plant spread out as it grows. The roots of the dead tree are already composting back into soil, but no one can do anything about your rocky soil.

The dogwood island would look a lot better if you make it circular. There doesn't seem to be any reasons to make it lopsided with a flat spot. It would also help to replace the thin edging (it looks cheap) with an 8" wide flush mowing strip of brick or pavers. (Raising the edging helps to show off every imperfection.) A solid bed (not a ring at the edge) of big blue liriope would be a practical solution ... not too tall, evergreen and decent bloom during the summer.

It looks like you're trying to use the lower limbs of the tree to screen your yard from the street. A lot less neglectful looking way to do it is to remove those low hanging limbs and plant some thick, full shrubs that get tall enough to screen. The hydrangea group is colorful with a lot of variety. You could pick a variety that grows the height you want and tolerates the conditions, and underplant the tree with it. But limb the tree up. It pretty much never looks good when shrubs are growing up into the bottom of a tree canopy. There needs to be a distinct separation between the two ... unless you're intentionally trying to create a solid screen, but this would be the exception and a rare case at the front yard. If you need a tall screen there is oak leaf hydrangea. Something shorter would be one of the big leafs or some of the panicles. Whatever you choose, they'll appreciate your limbing up the tree so they can get more light.

It makes it a lot easier to dig if you run a sprinkler the day before you dig and soak the ground well. Have a pick on standby for rocks.

In the area near the large tree I would use several whiskey barrel sized planters.

Thank you all so much. This helps!

When you talk about the tree limbs - do you mean in spot #2? I have no problem cutting off some of those low hanging limbs for extra sun. I am not trying to do anything with that tree...it came with the house and just skits there. It separeates our tyard fro neighbors. That bed gets a whole lot more sun than it looks in the picture because the tree braches don't reach to the edges of the bed. It si quite sunny there despite the tree.

But I think cecily is right....planters may just be the answer for spot 2.

For spot 1....urgh...I certainly wish we had done some purposeful landscaping work as soon as the big tree collapsed and left the lopsided barren spot behind. My husband just threw some mulch wherever it was barren - and as you can see, it was not in a perfectly circular shape.

I will show the landscaper your notes and will consult with him.

I could, of course, just call the landscaping company and tell them "fix it all" and throw as much money at them as they ask - edging, re-shaping and all.

But I don't quite want to spend that much and I was hoping to be able to add some color in my own.

But I will see what the landscaper says.

I did just read the tip about irrigating the soil first. I hope this could make the process easier.

Thank you so much for your advice!

I can't imagine containers being easier to maintain than plants in the ground. They're usually much more troublesome. In spite of the fact of sun penetrating below a canopy, it doesn't look like a kept place if the bushes below are growing into the canopy above. There needs to be a distinct separation in order for things to look purposeful. If you need screening, you can grow a shrub high enough to do it. If roots and soil are uncooperative, begin with small plants/rootballs and treat them well. They will prosper and perform.

Yardvaark,

I am not sure what you mean by bushes growing into the canopy. Also, the old tree and the fence you see in spot#2 is between our yard and neighbor's property ; what you see in the background is their driveway. It is not a public road.

Looking at the picture, I think it might be misleading. First, the azalea bushes to the left of the old tree (for spot #2) look closer in the picture than they are in reality.

Otherwise, there is nothing beneath that canopy and I surely don't plan on putting anything right under it. I couldn't anyway because I would only be hitting thick roots.

However, the canopy of that tree DOES NOT extend all the way to the edge of the bed, even though it might look like that in the picture. The branches stay quite far back, in fact.

If I plant anything in that area - whether in the ground or a planter - it would be at the outer edge of that bed, where the canopy doesn't reach and plants would get plenty of sun.

Moreover, even if I planted more in the back, under the tree branches, I wouldn't plant anything so tall as to reach any branches and merge with them.

I am not looking to achieve any separation or screening.

I just want some color in that spot - but my trouble is I can't dig in the ground because of R&R (roots and rocks); this is why I thought a planter, as Cecily suggested, would be MUCH easier to do. Nice fluffy soil - plants can sink their roots in it all they want! No?

If I prep the soil really well by pre-watering for a few days - and I manage to dig some holes, would some day lilies work along the edge of bed #2? They could cover those raggedy rocks that previous owners (or whoever) put there as an bed edge. Again, the daylilies would NOT have the tree canopy over them even though the picture makes it look like they would.

For the dogwood island, could I combined the lily turf suggested with day lilies?

I already ordered a few of these:

https://www.americanmeadows.com/perennials/daylily/daylily-frans-hals

I really love them, they were on sale and I hope I will be able to plant them somewhere in either of these two spots, somehow.

The first thing to do is to put in a thick mulch of compost (don't put it on tree trunks). After a while the soils will be softer. Landscape fabric (which others will crucify me for suggesting) with some compost underneath will work, too. This takes a good half year to work. You cover it with bark mulch.

A big help is to put in a lot of small plants, then you don't have to dig deep or start with seeds. Perennial seed might take a year or two to bloom. I have a lovely crested iris that does well in shade. It's small, so it would go under the dogwood. Corydalis does well, too. Dianthus has shallow, creeping roots, as does creeping phlox. My dianthus blooms in the summer, my phlox in the spring.

Bulbs give you pretty instant color. If you can dig them in. Alliums are tall and will stick up above your lirope. The Brits put huge quantities of crocuses and cyclamens into the lawn and they bloom in the spring and then when it's time to mow, they are gone and mown under. They last for years.

It does not take several days to wet the ground. It takes an hour or two with the sprinkler running, done the day ahead of when needed.

If that is your neighbor's property behind the tree and it is the public street in front of it, how is it that the strip of land with the tree is yours to deal with. You should post a picture that clearly explains the arrangement ... where we see your house as a reference point.

Planting at the outer edge of the island, but leaving the island itself unplanted, seems an inferior look to a finished solution. I understand planting under trees with their roots. Sometimes it's hard to carve out a hole. That's why the plants being installed must be adjusted down in size. One must pick tough plants (not annuals). Sometimes, small tree roots must be cut. It's definitely a situation for a plant with groundcover capabilities, or mass shrub if that that can be made to work. (Mass shrub is a solution I would use in limited situations. Here, Hydrangea below would be OK. But probably not over 4'- 5' height at the end.) Annuals in containers setting on the ground WOULD work in that you can plant them easily. But it sounds like a solution that would end up looking fairly junky for a planting at a front yard perimeter.

Yardvaark, sigrid and flo,

Thank you each of you for your suggestions!

To answer your question, yardvaark - here is a panorama picture of the front of our house for perspective.

Hope this addresses the confusion about bed locations. :-)

My husband too thinks that planting at the lopsided edge of the dogwood island would look weird. I thought it could look "asymmetrically chic" or something, but I am clearly no landscape designer.

I will surely consider covering the entire island with some low lying /ground cover type plants but I would still want some color in there. I keep thinking I could plant daylilies around the edge of the island.

As for using containers with colorful annuals set on the ground, I DO see how lots of small, regular containers can look cheap in the front of the house.

But for Bed 1, I am either thinking of some decorative thing like this as a "cherry on the cake" in the middle of the island:

https://www.amazon.com/WROUGHT-Tricycle-PLANT-Bicycle-PLANTER/dp/B00H7KE5Q6

and for Bed 2...a nice, sturdy urn like this (ideally in stone) - I don't think that would look cheap. No?

https://www.houzz.com/products/easton-urn-garden-planter-prvw-vr~89795745

Urgh! I responded to you, Flo, and I lost the entire message. Will come back.

At bed 1, I think a solid bed of 'Big Blue' Liriope would be ideal ... not too tall, evergreen and 3 weeks of bloom. Tasteful and groomed. If you can think of something that would better, all year-round factors considered, what would it be? An alternative for interest could be variegated liriope.

Why wouldn't you put annual color flanking the steps, in front of shrubs? You could extend it to the sides as far as you desire. Seems like a better place than around the dogwood.

BTW, pasting some color in the lawn is not going to overcome the fact that you need a new foundation planting all around. It looks pretty worn.

Yardvaark,

A landscaper came by today and he agreed day lilies would work well on the right side of the island (the lopsided part) . He said I could add more soil there for a mound that would gradually slope down towards the tree trunk. Maybe some dwarf gardenias on the left side, he said.

I am not sure yet about the gardenias.

In time, I could add the liriope to further fill in the place.

These are hard to resist:

Yes, I have also thought about adding color flanking the steps as well as more in the foundation bed.

I think the problem with the foundation bed is that there are just too many gaps in it now.

More plants need to be added to fill in around the existing shrubs.

You're probably right the azalea bushes could be replaced at some point. They're around 10 years old, could be more - but they're still blooming nicely in the spring.

So with these, we went by "if it ain't broke don't fix it" . At least so far. Hollies are fine too.

Unfortunately, we can't quite do a complete make-over all over the foundation area. When it comes to this area and priorities, we would probably have to install rails before we would do a complete foundation makeover. Right now, this 80's house is not even up to code when it comes to rails that are now required. So many things to do to an older house!.

But this past spring we just planted a tea olive on the left side - so this one is new and will be growing much larger. See below right under the lower left window.

The shrub right to the left of the stairs is also a relatively new camellia (2 years old) - so also growing.

I asked the landscaper his opinion about the foundation bed but he said something along the lines of "yeah, you have some gaps ...but well...it's OK".

He wasn't in a hurry to add anything there. I think the foundation bed is screaming for extra low-level plants between the shrubs.

I will have spring bulbs there this year (previous owners had daffodils right next to the stairs) - but that bed needs more than just spring bulbs that go away in a few weeks max.

As crazy as I am about red hot tulips that NOBODY can miss - they are short lived and then it's back to "all salad".

The foundation bed is shaded during the day but it gets late afternoon (western) sun - especially the part to the left of the entrance door.

In the south, this can be HOT. Shorter time - but hot.

I would also love to add two urn planters to carry some high impact annuals to the left and right of the entry door - but the area is not very wide, all in all. The planters would need to have a rather small diameter (12 or below.)

Anything for some color - no matter how and where it's added.

The whole thing is just too boring outside of those few weeks of spring when the azalea bushes bloom all over (mostly to the right of the entrance).

As for Bed #2 in the original pictures above - the landscaping guy confirmed that a planter would be best because of the old tree roots. It's best to not plant anything in the ground there.

Another pic for more overall perspective.

You didn’t post any straight on photos of the whole front, but here’s a mockup of what you did provide with some urns on the ground and some colorful shrubs and perennials. Not necessarily specific plants. I would probably include more annuals for longer seasonal color.

It seems your mailbox garden is another place where color could occur. Annuals are going to be your best bet for ongoing color. Very soon, the pansy season is approaching.

Most perennials will give color for about 3 weeks before petering out. Nothing wrong with daylilies, but unless you have a sizable bed with a multitude of varieties, bloom is not going to last that long. Most shrubs will be too tall. Another possibility is variegation for something that seems colorful, though it is still green. Another thing you could do to add interest is by adding very coarse foliage. (Consider a groundcover of cast iron plant below the large tree.) While now is not the time of year, when the soil warms up again next season, consider caladiums for foolproof color in a wide variety of conditions. Some are sun tolerant. (Use bulbs over plants ... for cost effectiveness and better performance. They are super easy.)

Not chopping your landscaper, but neither would I take his word on design as gospel. Most landscapers have little of no training in design and fly by the seat of their pants on it, where it is common to tell the customer what they want to hear. I have a degree in horticulture and another in landscape architecture and worked as a landscape architect in Atlanta area for 20 years, about a fifth of that time as a grounds manager of a large Atlanta university. During that time I was extensively developing landscapes for two of my own half-acre properties, one at a time, of course, and have much hands-on knowledge on account of it. My last position was as director of landscape architecture for Atlanta's then premier home builder, responsible for entrances and amenity areas of the subdivisions. I'm not unfamiliar with the problems you're facing.

Saypoint,

Thank you so much - how do people do those pretty mock pictures? So nice!!

Well...yeap, that's the look I had in mind. Fuller bed with more color.

If this was to ever happen, however, I would have to do it in stages.

First of all, the tea olive we just planted this spring would have to be removed and transplanted somewhere else and replaced by the pink colorful shrub you pointed. That would probably have to be another azalea. I guess Encore type - because that one keeps on blooming.

Ours are some older varieties that only bloom in Spring once.

Would an Encore azalea take the brief hot afternoon sun in that area?

We did think about placing another azalea there (an old, transplanted one had died) but for whatever reason, I got seduced by the tea olive because I'd heard of its amazing fragrance and how it's so nice to have it next to the entrance or pathway.

Maybe this was a wrong move and I should have added more color there.

Maybe when I decide to transplant the tea olive , I should remove ALL azalea bushes (left and right) and replace with new Encores across the board. But they will take some time to grow into fully mature bushes to provide proper foundation coverage.

Finally, what kind of low level plants (ground cover) would work there? What should the yellow ones be?

As for the planters flanking the stairs, this is on my Christmas list.

If anyone would be able to recommend a good source to buy outdoor planters of quality and somewhat formal style (not cheesy/plasticky, etc), I would appreciate it.

I love those antique types made of stone - but I have noticed those can be a literal fortune!

Thank you SO much!

You can get stone look planters that look pretty good and are a lot lighter and less expensive, don’t have a source offhand. The yellow I pasted in was daylily, but for color you have to decide if you want a short bloom from a perennial or longer bloom from an annual, or a small shrub with colorful foliage. Any of the flowering shrubs is going to have a short bloom time so don’t forget foliage color and evergreens.

I use Photoshop Mix which is a free app to use on iPad. it doesn’t work on PCs. There are probably other free apps out there. Fun for visualizing.

Previous comments about constructing tree wells or raised planters around existing trees are extremely ill-advised. It's not concerns abut soil piled up around the trunk - also not a good thing - but a concern about the entire root system. Burying the root system with even just a couple of inches of soil impedes oxygen exchange and smothers the roots. You may not notice any effect immediately but it will eventually kill the tree.

If digging is difficult, you can create small mounds of soil to accommodate the plants, as long as you start with small ones. Personally, I would do this or use a suitable groundcover - variegated liriope would work well - and stage some planted containers for the color you desire.

Also planted containers do not need to be anymore difficult to nurture and maintain than inground plantings. I grow almost exclusively in containers in my current garden due to lack of gardenable space and a lot of shade. You can find lightweight, durable containers in every shape and size and with a variety of finishes/colors. Just fill with a good quality potting soil (made for containers) and plant whatever colorful plants you like. Providing adequate water is about your biggest concern.

For me MS Pain, which is on any Windows computer. Need a stylus and touchscreen to use it effectively.

Agree on taking out those trees flanking the entrance. They look too close to the house and overwhelm the rest of the area.

Those stairs definitely need railings. Lots of good ideas on plantings. I do love those daylilies.

Saypoint,

What are planters that look-like-stone-but-lighter made of? Fiberglass?

Any specific recommendations for some sources would be appreciated as I need suggestions for my Christmas wishlist.

As for color - I love the impact of annuals but I don't like the work I would have to do every year by digging in this clay, rocky soil. This is why the high-impact color would have to come from planters.

I love perennials for not having to dig and plant every year - so I will have to include some of those too. This is why I would love some day lilies around the dogwood or on the edge of the front bed. They make for nice ground cover too.

Gardengal,

You give me second thoughts about raising the right side/lopsided part of the island at all. The landscaper said it is fine as it will slope down towards the tree - so it would not affect/suffocate the roots. I will ask him if it is smarter to just do small mounds for the 24 day lilies we will plant there - but I think this would look a bit weird. I don't know.

I agree about containers. I find them MUCH easier than planting straight into the garden. It removes soil-related problems, digging issues, etc.

I am certainly going to add some planters for crazy hot red annuals left and right of stairs. :-)

Trouble is the right side has a shrub that is much fatter than the camellia on the left side - which means less space for the planter. The pictures makes that space in front of it larger than it actually is.

Is it possible to trim it down and keep it shorter to accommodate the same size planter on both sides? I am not even sure what this shrub is called. Maybe someone can help me...

Here is the best panoramic picture I could take that includes the full foundation bed:

Notice the larger space for a planter around the camellia (left) compared to the spot around the fat bush (right).

To the right of the fat bush are spring azaleas (only bloom once in spring). Someone here said they look kinda worn-out. I didn't consider that before as they still bloom fine in spring. But now that I think of it, they do seem like they've become a little sparse over the past few years. I don't know how old they are.. but I read an azalea bush can last up to 50 years with proper care. House was built in the 80's but I doubt they were there originally.

The left side of the bed is begging fro extra stuff.

Yeap, we also need to re-do the lawn, the path, the driver-way, rails ...never-ending "to do" list, unfortunately.

Yardvaark,

I wish I could take you home - because if you couldn't fix my front yard, nobody can! :-)

Regarding the mailbox area - it's true, I can add color there too...but urgh...it's a bit out of reach, our front lawn is quite large and I often neglect watering in that area. This year I planted 3 box woods there and some easy Marygolds for a bit of color - now on their last leg. It's just an area that I don't quite trust with too many annuals.

Check out local garden centers for cast stone or resin. Or look at Home Depot online. you can get free delivery to your local store and if you don’t like it you don’t have to buy it. Cast stone from other vendors would be expensive to ship. I’ve bought some nice concrete and cast iron planters locally on sale at the end of the season.

Dear Flo,

I reserved my answer for you on separate space. I wrote one yesterday and unfortunately, it disappeared right after I posted. Not sure what happened.

You will not remember me but I was so delighted to see you here again after more than a year!

I am writing from a different account - but if you remember...you helped me re-do my dining ...north Atlanta, I shopped for a crystal chandelier, painted the room in Van Deusen blue after you were the only one able to alleviate my fears about this bold color...:-) And you found the most perfect curtain tassels for me!

I literally still cannot get over how much I love this room every time I look at it - after all this time! And it was mainly due to you, without exaggeration!

I can't reaffirm enough - for the whole world to hear - what an amazing interior designer you are. And you did all that sight unseen.

I am glad you like the day lilies I posted, I ordered 24 of them. So they will have to go somewhere.

I hope you have been doing really well. I have thought about you many times since then!

Best of wishes!

Thank you, saypoint!

So key words to keep in mind would be cast stone, resin, concrete, cast iron.

You are right about Home Depot.

The best options I have seen so far (not insanely expensive stone) have been there.