Underplanting trees can be tricky, especially when they are shallow-rooted trees. In the following you will learn which plants are suitable for planting under trees and what needs to be considered with flat-rooted plants.
Almost everything grows under light deep roots
Shallow-rooted or deep-rooted
Shallow-rooted trees are particularly difficult to plant under, as they leave little room for the roots of other plants and take up water and nutrients for themselves. Shallow roots include:
- Banks pine
- birch
- douglas fir
- Spruce
- hornbeam
- hazelnut
- magnolia
- Norway maple
- pasture
Deep-rooters, on the other hand, don't compete for space or water with above-ground plants and are therefore easy to plant under. This includes:
- apple tree
- rowan
- yew
- Oak
- jaw
- cherry tree
- linden tree
- plum tree
You can plant any plants that can cope with the prevailing light conditions under deep-rooting plants. The choice of plants for planting under shallow-rooted trees is more limited.
The best plants for planting under trees with shallow roots
There is little light, especially under large trees. In addition, the foliage catches the rain and the roots suck the water from the soil. Therefore, plants that can cope with little light and water, such as forest perennials, are particularly suitable for underplanting. There is a larger selection of plants for planting under sparse or small trees, and if you also want to plant moisture-loving plants, you can sometimes use a hose or plant them as far away from the trunk as possible. The following is an overview of the plants that are suitable for planting under trees:
| Surname | shade/penumbra | Tolerates drought | features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balkan cranesbill | penumbra or shade | Yes | Wintergreen ground cover |
| Bergenia | penumbra | Fewer | Flowers beautifully in spring |
| Brown cranesbill | penumbra or shade | Yes | Beautiful flowers from May to August |
| ivy | Shade to semi-shade | Yes | Climbs up the trunk for tall trees |
| elf flower | Shade to semi-shade | Yes | Very pretty flowers |
| ferns | partial shade to full shade | no | Poisonous |
| thimble | penumbra or shade | Yes | Poisonous |
| Funkie | partial shade to full shade | Yes | Often beautiful leaf decorations |
| golden strawberry | partial shade to full shade | Yes | Yellow flowers in April/May |
| Large masterwort | partial shade | Yes | Beautiful white to pink flowers |
| Japan gold ribbon grass | penumbra | Fewer | Bright yellow-green foliage |
| Japan sedge | Varieties dependent | no | Robust, winterproof |
| Small periwinkle | shade to sun | Yes | ground cover |
| clove root | partial shade to full shade | Fewer | Medicinal and spice plant |
| hellebore | Sun to semi-shade | Yes | Poisonous |
| Astilbe (Astilbe) | penumbra | Fewer | Vibrantly colored flowers |
| Purplebells | Fewer | penumbra | Often variegated foliage |
| masterwort | penumbra | Fewer | Beautiful pink to white flowers |
| Forest Aster | sun to shade | Fewer | Silvery flowers, very easy to care for |
| forest poppies | penumbra | Fewer | Orange to yellow flowers from June to October |
tips
Cover the soil around your plants under the tree with mulch, gravel or nut shells to reduce moisture loss through evaporation.