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suburban_farm

Landscaping under Pine

suburban_farm
18 years ago

Wondering if anyone had a recommendations for landscaping under pine trees. I have a good number of the ginormous pine trees with the long needles that have no low branches, so the ground underneath gets dappled shade. The soil is so acidic (4ish, same ph as a good beer.) that I'm afraid to do too much correction. I know that blueberries and perhaps kiwi will grow. I've tried Hostas, but someone keeps eating them, so I've given up.

Comments (5)

  • joepyeweed
    18 years ago

    Whatever is eating your hostas is probably going to eat whatever you plant there.... hostas are known as deer candy.

    Other suggestions might include:
    Hydrangea, lily of the valley, azaleas, bleeding hearts, ivy

    Those are plants that do well in acidic soil and tolerate a bit of shade.

    Anyone else have more suggestions?

  • aka_peggy
    18 years ago

    I have a massive white pine surrounded by several dogwoods. I have a white flowering native saxifraga that has done well. Virginia bluebells, dogtooth violets, Carolina beauties, Canadian & European ginger, heuchera, pulmonaria, dwarf rhodies, jacob's ladder, ferns, jack in the pulpit & anemones. I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them off hand.

    You said something keeps eating your hosta's. Like Joe says, it could be deer. Depending on the extent of the damage, it could also be slugs. If I don't use sluggo around my hosta's the slugs will eat them holey.

  • aka_peggy
    18 years ago

    I almost forgot one of the best...trilliums, but they're mostly around the dogwoods.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • ahughes798
    18 years ago

    Trilliums, Lady's slipper orchids, and most of what people have mentioned above. Don't do the English Ivy! Fothergilla Gardenii would be a good small shrub, viburnums, tiarellas, pulmonarias, heucherellas...there's lots of stuff!

  • lynnencfan
    18 years ago

    suburban farm - I have a very similar situation - a re-forested acre plus of neat rows of 80-100' loblolly pines - it is wonderful dappled shade but very acidic and DRY. I have most of the plants and shrubs suggested above and if I want to grow something different I will amend that potting hole or small area with lots of lime. ANY time I plant something it gets LOTS of organic material and I add compost on a regular basis. The soil I have to work with is very poor and sandy under the pines so needs all the help it can get. I am also having success with hellbores....

    Lynne

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