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Landscape Solutions for the Base of Trees

Leaving the base of the tree bare can often look unkempt or out of place since it’s not easy to mow right up to the edge of a tree or to even weed-eat around it carefully. Plantings or mulching around the base of the tree trunk can not only help protect roots from the mower’s blades, but also make your existing trees a part of the landscape design and reduce the amount of weed-eating that is necessary. Here are some of my favorite ideas for landscaping around the base of your trees.

Option 1: Mulching around the base

While this method reduces the amount of weeds at the base of the tree, you still have the problem of weed-eating at the edge of the mulch to create a nice clean edge. And besides, it’s not that interesting.

Pine mulch at the base of this tree
Wood mulch at the base of the tree

***Based on a comment from a reader, I am including this brief information on mulching around the base of a tree: Mulch should not be deeper than 2-4 inches and should not touch the base of the tree. For more information on properly mulching around the base of a tree, visit: http://www.atchison.ksu.edu/doc39465.ashx

Option 2: Plantings encircling the trunk

I like this option – but it won’t work if there isn’t enough soil around the base of your tree or enough water. Consider the amount of water that will be available when you select your plants. If you put something that requires moderate water levels, you may want to incorporate a watering system.

I really like these hostas (below), but you would have to add some soil to make this work. The daylilies are very nice as well. They’re pretty hardy but require several hours of sun. Recently, I have fallen for cast iron plant. It is hardy, usually staying green throughout the winter, and looks so classic.

You can also plant things a little further from the trunk of the tree and mulch in between the plants and the tree trunk. This will reduce the competition for water between the plants and the tree roots while also controlling weeds around the tree base.

Daylilies make a nice border around the tree but require a decent amount of sun
Orange Daylilies at the base of a tree
Hostas around the base of a tree
Cast iron plants
Nice use of shade plants around the base of this tree
Hostas
The owners of this tree created a raised bed and added shrubs
Azaleas at the base of a tree
These yucca were volunteers in my yard but I transplanted them and as they grow they will make a nice surround for the base of this tree
Yucca plants
Cast iron plant and liriope edged with bricks
Cast iron plants and liriope
Hostas Around the Tree Base
Hostas

Option 3: Groundcover plantings

Be careful when using groundcover around the base of your trees – some can be quite aggressive and aren’t a good idea when there are other plantings around (liriope). However, the thick groundcover makes a nice smooth transition from trunk to ground.

Combination of variegated liriope and English ivy. Be cautious with ivy as it can get invasive.
Liriope
Mondo grass around base of tree
Mondo grass
This groundcover only works when planted in a stand alone bed.
Vinca
The liriope creates a nice edge and border, but it is not recommended to be planted in mass with other plants.
Liriope
Vinca can take over. It works here b/c it is in a bed separated from other plantings and edged with rocks
Vinca
Vinca can take over. It works here b/c it is in a bed separated from other plantings and edged with rocks
Vinca

Option 4: Enclose it in a bed

In some spots, it only makes sense to incorporate the tree into a fully planted flower bed. Here are some photos from my yard and a yard I saw in Pennsylvania.

This pecan was incorporated into a bed which includes hostas, ferns, and some containers
This is how the same pecan tree and bed looks in winter
In PA I saw this bed which incorporated this small tree
Gravel path with shrubs under 5 trees

In this area in my yard, there are so many trees clustered in one spot that there was always bare ground and leaves. I decided to put in a nice path and bench and create a shade garden full of azaleas and hydrangeas to make it a nice sitting area. Because hydrangeas require moist soil, I incorporated a sprinkler system in to the beds.

Gravel path with shrubs under 5 trees
Gravel path with shrubs under 5 trees
Gravel path with shrubs under 5 trees
Gravel path with shrubs under 5 trees

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