For a beautiful landscape with healthy shade trees, follow these underplanting best practices.
Brie Passano
A tree by itself has numerous benefits.
It adds beauty, creates shade, and provides food and shelter for wildlife, to name a few.
Credit:Brie Passano
These landscaping ideas are inexpensive, easy to do, and will continue to look great year after year.
Stephen Orr
1.
Thankfully, there are plenty ofhardy, shade-loving plantsthat thrive in a sheltered spot under a tree.
Credit:Stephen Orr
Plantings range from small beds around the trunk to more elaborate shade gardens.
There are also plenty offlowering perennialsfor shady locations to choose from, includingastilbe,lungwort, andcoral bells.
A few plants also tolerate dry shade, a site condition that tends to be more challenging.
Credit: Brie Passano
Seasonal Plants
Spring bulbsare another great way to add a pop of seasonal color around deciduous trees.
Use the same punch in and color of mulch throughout your landscape to create a unified aesthetic.
The repetition of mulch in flower beds and around trees gives the landscape a cohesive and clean look.
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Mulch also helps to insulate the soil from temperature extremes.
That protects delicate roots from heat stress, which is especially important with young trees.
Plus, it slows the evaporation of water in sunny spots, so plants stay hydrated longer.
Mulch also helps toreduce slope erosionand naturallyprevent weedsfrom sprouting.
Instead, create a ring of mulch, so it looks more like a donut around the trunk.
For a more defined outline, addlandscape edgingaround the mulch border.
In addition to mulch, use a few large,smooth rocksto fill empty spaces below the tree.
Rocks add garden accents and suppress weeds.
borchee / Getty Images
3.
What’s more, leaf litter also provides a habitat forbeneficial insectsto overwinter.
This free and sustainable practice of landscaping around trees gives your yard a natural yet neat look.
