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Undercover
Planting
1 September
2003
Trying to get plants to grow immediately below
mature trees can be a headache. There are three
main problems. Firstly the area will be shaded.
If the trees are evergreen there will be deep
shade in winter. Then you have the problem of
dry soil. The tree canopy acts
as an umbrella and tree roots absorb any rain
that does make it through to the ground. Finally,
the roots themselves are a physical barrier
to making planting holes. There are ways of
improving the conditions under mature trees..Adding
lots of leaf
mould, compost, spent mushroom compost or old,
well rotted, farmyard manure in 1-2 inch layers
annually will build up a root free zone of moisture
retentive soil.
Where possible the head of the tree may be raised
by removing the lower branches. This allows
more light to penetrate to ground level.
At planting time incorporate bone meal at 4
ozs per square yard into the soil as a slow
release fertilizer. This will get the plants
off to a good start and help replace the nutrients
removed by the tree roots over the years.
Avoid planting where they are densely packed.
Cutting a few roots won’t damage a mature
tree. Once planted, water the whole
area daily for three days to make sure the top
6 inches of soil is damp. Some of the early,
spring flowering bulbs are ideal for impoverished,
shady sites. They will become dormant before
the driest period.
Snowdrops are easily satisfied and providing
they are planted in spring while the leaves
are still green they will flower in late winter
and multiply annually. Cyclamen coum (above
left) will self seed producing its marbled foliage
and petite, icing sugar, pink flowers in winter
and spring.
The flowers of Winter aconite (right) resemble
those of the buttercup, flowering a few inches
above ground level. Planted with the bright,
blue flowering Anemone blanda (top right) they
make a colourful display in late winter and
early spring. Lily-of-the-valley loves a dry
situaton in shade. Flowering in late spring,
its pure white, urn shaped flowers are incredibly
fragrant .It will quickly spread forming a mat
of roots close
to the surface.
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