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Sat 28 Apr, 2007 09:06 pm
I have a huge Cedar tree in my front yard. I'd like to landscape under it but don't know where to start. The bottom branches dip down to about 12 feet from the ground so there is plenty of light. Right know I have a bleeding heart that I'd like to keep there as its doing really well and some grape hyacinths but I want to plant some groupings of similar plants and have it look nice and neat.
Any recommendations or favorite websites??
Not offhand, but I'll look around a bit.
You might google something like Planting Under Conifers, or, Planting under Cedars.
If bleeding heart are happy there, try hostas, ferns, astillbe, toadlily (tricertis), solomon seal (hmmm, gonadum?), foamflower (tiarella/huecherella), lily-of-the-valley, epimedium.....
I'd probably add a mix of hostas and ferns to the plants already there. If you want taller plants, try snakeroot (cimefuga), sweetspire (itea), summersweet (clethra) or azaleas.
You probably don't get as much sun as you might think. I think it'd be called part shade or light shade (not really knowing the full conditions there).
The slugs love hosta and I do have lily-of-the-valley there too. Thanks for that list of plants. I'll be heading to the nursery next weekend.
Hmm... pacific NW - you have so many more choices than I know of. Your zone is pretty unfamiliar to me.
plants that thrive in a more acidic soil and those which you'd find naturally in a wooded environment, such as azaleas and rhodedendron.
If your tree sheds needles and it rains a lot, your soil might be too acidic and you might need to add lime to neutralize it somewhat.
Here's a link with some ideas:
p://www.gardeninghelpuk.com/plants_for_acid_soil.htm
how about your grumpy Uncle Buster?
I don't have an Uncle buster but I have an ex.
Isn't cedar a traditional preservative?
If I had any inconvenient bodies (Who, me?) I wouldn't want them preserved.
Don't plant anything that needs a lot of water because cedars are thirsty water hogs. So, my suggestion is some drought-resistant varieties. And, of course, shade-loving.
Hmmm.... the epimedium can stay, some hostas, a couple ferns..... actually, the plants I listed above all are drought tolerant or at least some varieties are. Add thalictrum to the list.
I google imaged all those plants. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I ended up buying some plants today...seven dwarf laurel's, 8 white double impatients and 3 violet Pasquel plants. So far it looks nice, I need to mulch and try to upload a photo.
Thanks for the help, seems like its that time of year!