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an update on underplanting trees and shrubs

mature-underplantingWHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES. Inspired by the underplanting of hellebores and trillium and other earlybirds and ephemerals under the oldest of my old apple trees (above), a year ago I underplanted two more of the big, aging apples.  On their first anniversary, the new areas are already shaping up…

year-old-underplantingNo, I don’t like that the plants don’t touch yet, but each little division has more than doubled in size and compared to where we began (below), it’s a great improvement.

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Early spring is the perfect time for this kind of project, when divisions of perennials are plentiful and there’s a long growing season ahead for everyone to settle in and get growing.

Successful underplanting involves selecting the right mix of plants, and then being patient: There are 10 things I think about when I am tackling a new area, creating another botanical mosaic to cover the ground beautifully instead of a mass one one thing. Ready to create some of your own?

Related posts:

  1. 10 thoughts on successful underplanting
  2. one hosta per customer, but which one?
  3. pruning roundup: what shrubs i prune when
  4. the toughest groundcovers i rely on
  5. great shrubs: a roundup of some favorites

Comments

  1. Johanna says:

    What a lovely sight! I’m hoping to put in a few apple and crabapple trees this year (assuming my drainage problem is solved), and it looks like I should be including some beautiful spring color in the planting plan. Thanks for the inspiration.

  2. Catherine says:

    That looks really nice. They’ll be touching in no time. I love your first picture.

  3. Once again, you inspire me to get off my well-upholstered duff and get digging. I’ve a long drive flanked by enormous shrubs, really more hedgerows, and am slowly underplanting them with a variety of flowering and fruiting things. Very slowly, as money allows, but I can feel in the future it will look wonderful.

  4. margaret says:

    Welcome, Catherine. Yes, they hopefully will fill in a lot this second year; very exciting. Thanks for your visit, and don’t be a stranger.

  5. Ailsa says:

    Yes, I concur! No ring around the tree. I think it ends up looking like an elephant wearing a tutu!
    Patience is definitely required when creating such a gorgeous underplanting. Can’t wait to see on the 31st…

  6. Kathy says:

    I have been trying to improve my underplanting techniques after seeing your previous post. Spring has brought some good results. Wish I was in the garden, stuck at work. Love the photos.

  7. Brian G. says:

    You are inspiring so coincidentally, that is exactly what I did this weekend under an old lilac near the back door. I even included some of your beloved Hylomecon Japonica. Hate to be a copy cat but they look so good!

    BTW, bought the Hylomecon and some Primula Rosea mail order from Evermay Nursery in Maine. FANTASTIC sized plants for a song and the proprietor includes a hand written thank you note with each order!

  8. gardenden says:

    Hello and Happy May Day!
    We moved the firewood pile a few weeks ago…Any advice on underplanting Norway Maples? (I know, but they came with the place.) I have read that natives are the best suited to survive with these thirsty trees. The site is dry shade, or mud, depending on the week. Any comment is appreciated.

  9. arythrina says:

    Looks great! I like how the bed runs out to the dripline of the tree – it makes it seem as though the tree branches are hugging it in.

  10. margaret says:

    Welcome, Arythrina. Good description…they are hugging. Love it. See you soon again.

  11. Julie says:

    Gardenden
    For underplanting Norway Maples:
    Senecio aureus – it’s a native, has a nice yellow flower in spring and spreads nicely.

  12. margaret says:

    Welcome, Julie, and thanks for the suggestion. Or you could cut down the Norway maples. :) (Kidding, sort of…just such a weed tree where I grew up, ugh.) Nice to see you and do visit again soon.

Speak Your Mind

The Sister Project

The Confessional

Some stuff really gets A Way to Garden-ers going. Weigh in, or just lurk while everyone else shares about these hot buttons:

Compost, Compost, Compost

I am as proud of my compost heap as I am of any part of my garden. It is the archaeological record of my garden past; it is the stuff from which future gardens will arise. I read a lot about, from sources like these: Garden Organic, a 50-year-old British charity; Journey to Forever (don’t worry, not some into-the-bunker survivalist cult); and the vast Cornell Composting archive. Dig in.

Juicy Bits

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keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every potion and anti-deer trick till I finally got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden situation.

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yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade. Maybe these tough perennials will serve you as well?

5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too, to earn a spot here. Maybe you have room for one of my 5 favorites?

10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants for many months of enjoyment. Here’s how I do it.

a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where have all my biggest frogboys gone? The latest frog mystery explained.

stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some of the finest spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).

speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting is my latest craze, and speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.

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the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.

must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE GARDEN POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.

12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here. Welcome.

orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID last year (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.

my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.

crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes growing now. And then some.

hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP. By that I mean they do more than a week or two of showing off; they look good in more than a single moment, or season. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if that’s the kind of multi-season interest you are looking for. Sound good?

can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.

the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony you might want to consider adopting does its subtler, wonderful thing.

which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop—maybe you’ll like them, too.