How to Plant Around The Base Of A Tree

Putting plants around the base of a tree can look great, but it’s also a challenge. They don’t get as much light and they are competing with the tree for water. There is also a chance that you could damage the tree if you don’t care for it properly.

But if you follow these tips, when planting around the base of a tree, you won’t have any problems.

Assess The Health Of The Tree

Before you do anything else, you need to assess the health of your tree. If you notice any signs of rot or disease, it’s not a good idea to plant around it.

In some cases, you may need a tree removal company to take it out for you.

However, a specialist tree surgeon can help you to remove the disease and prune the tree to make sure that it’s in good health. If your tree is in poor health before you start planting around it, you will only do more damage.

Start Small

Once you have made sure that the tree is in good health, you are ready to start planting. You will not be able to put large, fully grown plants around the tree so you need to start small.

Germinate some seeds and grow some small seedlings. These can then be planted around the base of the tree and they will grow into the space.

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Only Use A Few Varieties

If you try to make things too complex, your plants will not thrive underneath your tree. That’s why you should stick to a few different varieties. However, you need a lot of coverage, so make sure to plant plenty of seedlings.

When you are choosing the plants, always pick ones that give good ground coverage. These will spread quickly and thrive underneath your tree. However, you need to be careful because some plants, like ivy, can quickly spread beyond the base of the tree and take over the entire garden, so stay on top of pruning.

Fill Around The Tree

It is tempting to plant a ring of plants around the tree but that won’t look natural. Instead, you should fill around the tree and plant right up to the trunk. Look for any small gaps between the roots and fill these with seedlings. This gives you a much better look once the plants start growing out.

Choose Drought Resistant Plants

A large tree with lots of foliage gives good rain coverage to the surrounding area. This means that plants around the base won’t get a huge amount of rainwater. You can, of course, water the plants yourself but if you are trying to create a low maintenance garden, you should think carefully about the plants that you choose.

There is some great drought resistant plants that do well without too much water for extended periods of time. These are a much better choice when planting around trees. Stick to these simple tips and you can create a beautiful plant arrangement around the base of your tree.

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Poetess Denise N. Fyffe is a published author of over 30 books and a publisher for Jamaica Pen Publishers.

She is a freelance writer for online publications such as Revealing the Christian Life, Jamaica Rose, Entertainment Trail, My Trending Stories among others.

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