3 Tips for Landscaping Around Trees to Dress Up Your Yard

Reviewed by Joseph Tychonievich

A tree by itself has numerous benefits. It adds beauty, creates shade, and provides food and shelter for wildlife, to name a few. But with the right landscaping, you can make trees shine even more in your landscape.

No matter whether you have mature shade trees in your yard or you've just planted a new tree, the empty area around the trunk shouldn't be neglected. Landscaping under trees, also referred to as underplanting, creates a finished overall look while protecting the tree's trunk and roots to keep it healthy.

These landscaping ideas are inexpensive, easy to do, and will continue to look great year after year.

Related: This Hosta-Filled Shade Garden Plan Is Perfect for Planting Around Trees

1. Add the Right Plants

The canopies of shade trees often block out much of the sunlight during the growing season, which limits the choices of what you can plant below the tree. Thankfully, there are plenty of hardy, shade-loving plants that thrive in a sheltered spot under a tree. Plantings range from small beds around the trunk to more elaborate shade gardens.

Shade-loving annuals include plants that are grown for their colorful foliage, such as coleus, as well as flowering annuals such as impatiens. There are also plenty of flowering perennials for shady locations to choose from, including astilbe, lungwort, and coral bells.

Moist vs. Dry Shade

When selecting plants, pay attention not only to their light requirements (partial or full shade) but also to their moisture needs. Most shade-tolerant plants do best in moist soil, which shady locations usually offer because the soil does not dry out as fast as in the sun. A few plants also tolerate dry shade, a site condition that tends to be more challenging.

Tips

When purchasing plants, choose smaller nursery containers because younger, less mature plants are easier to plant without damaging the tree's roots.

Drifts and Dense Groundcovers

Drifts or mass plantings of a few well-suited species are easier to maintain and more appealing than a collection of specimen plants. Groundcovers that form a dense mat over time, such as barren strawberry or golden star, both native plants, are ideal. Hardy ferns also make excellent groundcovers below trees.

Seasonal Plants

Spring bulbs are another great way to add a pop of seasonal color around deciduous trees. By the time the trees leaf out and block the light, the bulbs are about to go dormant and disappear for the rest of the season.

Related: 20 Shady Garden Corner Ideas for a Vibrant Shade Garden

2. Mulch Properly

Mulching around a tree is a must. Mulch comes in different forms—wood chips, shredded bark, pine straw, and even gravel. Use the same type and color of mulch throughout your landscape to create a unified aesthetic. The repetition of mulch in flower beds and around trees gives the landscape a cohesive and clean look.

Mulching around trees does more than give everything a tidy appearance, It also protects the tree trunk from damage by lawn equipment. The mulched circle around a tree trunk creates a visual barrier so you stay away from the trunk when mowing and trimming and won't accidentally hit it.

Mulch also helps to insulate the soil from temperature extremes. A 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch keeps the soil insulated against the cold in the winter and cooler in the summer. That protects delicate roots from heat stress, which is especially important with young trees. Plus, it slows the evaporation of water in sunny spots, so plants stay hydrated longer. Mulch also helps to reduce slope erosion and naturally prevent weeds from sprouting.

When applying mulch around the base of a tree, don't pile it against the trunk like a volcano, as this encourages pests and diseases. Instead, create a ring of mulch, so it looks more like a donut around the trunk. Make sure your mulch layer extends at least to the tree's drip line (the area outside the canopy). For a more defined outline, add landscape edging around the mulch border.

Tips

In addition to mulch, use a few large, smooth rocks to fill empty spaces below the tree. Rocks add garden accents and suppress weeds.

Related: The 19 Best Edging Plants for Your Flower Beds

3. Leave the Leaves

The area below a mature tree is often so packed with roots close to the surface that it's not only difficult to plant but plants will also do poorly. In this case, instead of planting around the tree, leave the leaves of deciduous trees where they fall, or, if there are fallen leaves on a lawn nearby, rake them to cover the area below the tree.

The leaves form a natural layer of mulch around the tree that not only suppresses weeds but also fertilizes the soil as the leaves decompose. What's more, leaf litter also provides a habitat for beneficial insects to overwinter. This free and sustainable practice of landscaping around trees gives your yard a natural yet neat look.

Related: Why You Should Leave the Leaves in Your Yard This Fall, According to Experts

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