The trees and shrubs on your garden or lawn are key features that need attention when it comes to landscaping. Although they are already playing important roles such as providing well-needed shade, improving air quality, and providing refuge for animals, special attention should be given to the areas around their trunks. These parts are usually barren and devoid of growing vegetation. While it is natural to see barren spots under trees and shrubs due to heavy water and nutrient consumption and the blockage of sunlight from reaching the soil, there can still be effective ways of beautifying these areas.
Here, we’ll share useful tips on how to landscape around trees and shrubs.
Apply Mulch When Planting Beneath Trees
Mulching is a good way of providing nutrients to the new occupants of the area around your tree trunk. As mentioned earlier, much of the nutrients in the soil around a tree are already bound to be absorbed by the tree roots. Plant enthusiasts and garden experts from https://www.eaglecreeknursery.com/ recommend mulching as a way of keeping the nutrient supply in the topsoil stable for new plants. This ensures a continuous shade of green throughout your lawn or garden. However, care should be done not to pile mulch against the tree trunk. This can lead to tree trunk rotting, insect infestation, and disease. Living spaces are more attractive when there are uniformity and a sense of balance or evenness in the scenery. Barren spots can be an eyesore at times, and having plants under trees or around shrubs can be refreshing to the eyes.
Select the Right Plants
Mature trees have thick branches and dense leaves, which make them effective in blocking out sunlight and providing a good canopy and shade for your lawn or garden. Thus, your choice of plants should be well adapted to the environment under the tree canopy where there is little to no sunlight. Choose resilient and shade-loving plants that will thrive under the sheltered area of the tree. Whether you are considering planting around the tree trunk or making a shade garden a few feet around the tree, select small-sized plants for easy planting, placement selection, and to avoid damaging the roots of trees. You can plant coleus, impatiens, astilbe, coral bells, azalea, oakleaf hydrangea, variegated aucuba, euonymus, hollies, soft-tip yucca, spirea, and mahonia among various plant options. They will not only enhance the surface around the tree, but they also add color to the landscape.
Bricks and Stones Are Good Plant Alternatives
While plants are the top options when it comes to landscaping around shrubs and trees, bricks and stones are good options for those who can’t regularly spare time for watering and maintaining plants beneath the trees. An attractive arrangement of rocks or a perimeter of bricks is a good option, especially if the trees have shallow roots or have roots that jut out of the ground. Since placing plants is difficult with roots jutting above the ground, stones and rocks make a good landscape alternative. The same precaution should be applied at planting around trees, where you should leave a free space of at least 10 inches from the tree trunk to avoid damaging it. Bricks make a good outside border due to their symmetrical shape. Rocks and stones can also serve as borders, but extra care should be taken when placing rock piles and levels to avoid them from tumbling out of the lawn. As an extra precaution, add a concrete mix to hold the rocks firmly in place.
Strategically Place Your Patios and Decks
You don’t have to cut down your trees and shrubs if you are planning to build a patio or deck as part of your landscaping project. Your mature lawn tree can be a good asset to your living area expansion plan because it will complement your landscaping plan of building a patio or deck. Trees provide a cool and natural ambiance and additional shade, while the patio or deck help improve the attractiveness of your lawn or garden. If you want to include one or more trees in your deck area, ensure to leave a minimum of two feet as a perimeter for the trees or increase the perimeter size if the tree is still growing. Patios typically have a solid construction design, which can block water, nutrient, and air absorption around the tree trunk. A wider border distance is needed for a patio with trees around it. A distance of at least 5 feet can give the roots room to absorb water and nutrients. To make the area near the trunk look more attractive, you can place plants or bricks around the tree.
Landscaping your lawn or garden that has one or more trees or shrubs doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need to stick to the basic principles of harmony and balance when it comes to applying modifications to your lawn or garden. A harmonious coexistence of the trees, plants, and other elements in your lawn or garden landscape can give off a great aesthetic appeal to the homeowners, neighbors, and passersby.
