Whats a good plant to plant under pine tree?
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Azaleas, rhododendron, hosta, trillium, jack in the pulpit.
MAYBE HOSTAS, BUT ASK BEFORE YOU BUY THEM, THE GREEN WITH WHITE TRIM ARE REALLY NICE AND THEY GET BIG, SO LEAVE 3 FT BETWEEN THEM.
too much acid from the pine needles cant grow much there!
If there is 5 or 6 or more feet from the ground to the bottom branches like you get with some mature pine trees, then another little baby pine tree looks pretty cool. I've seen this done before and it is an interesting affect.
Azaleas are best...the soil acidity from the pine tree is perfect for the Azaleas and they get more rain than any other tree. extra bonus...no need to mulch with the natural pine needles falling.. it's a win win situation!
The basic answer is none! If you wish to highlight the pine you need to plant a minimum of six inches to a foot away from the dripline (exterior branches) in a bed that is both elevated and with a barrier between the pine dripline and the back of a bed.
Pine trees will naturally mulch themselves and preserve themselves through both the needle drop and weeping of sap or acid. Trying to maintain a bed under the tree means mulching (not good) feeding, (not good) and irrigation. You want the water to go to the outside of the dripline to promote new and better roots for the tree.
Try either round or square planting beds around the tree. Make them small and moveable given the growth pattern of the pine. Frankly I would use two round and two square with the squares as the focus in front and back. The round I would use on the sides of the tree (again distanced).
Use the square to use annual flowers and Cranberry Cotoneaster along the edges. The annuals will go dead center and given the light use full sun in front and shade (Wax Begonia) in back. Use two mid-sized round Clay pots for the sides. The Red Clay will focus attention to the pine. In here you want to put either a dwarf verigated eunoumous or Meidlander Shrub Roses.
The Cotoneaster is evergreen and will drape over the edges of the square planters. The Verigated Euonomus will also be evergreen with a splash of yellow and light green leaves. The shrub roses will be hardy and flower from Early May to Late November if you go that direction. Good Luck.
Pine trees roots grow mainly just under the ground, and don't go very deep. What you plant should not have very deep roots and should be planted a fair distance from the tree itself.
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