I am trying to figure out what will grow under this large oak tree. I will most likely be putting rocks inside the border, but would like some kind of plant also. It is almost all shade and lots of oak leaves and acorns dropping constantly (which is why rocks and not bark due to having to blow them off). Hope someone can give me some ideas. Thank you.
I will suggest Hostas, Heaucheras, Ferns, Caladiums, you might be able to grow some daylilies. I suggest those things because that is what I grow under my oak tree beds. I will suggest not using the rocks. They will get blown out with the leaves, they will get kicked out, and when you try to dig in that bed it will be awful. I have experienced that in one of my front beds, I am not a fan of rocks in flower beds, especially when you own a power mower, and love to dig in the beds and change out the plants.
If you plan to just put rocks and a few shrubby plants and not work the beds that might work if they are large rocks.
I think the bed looks great, looks like a great place to grow plants!
Thank you Seedfork for your response. I am VERY new and know nothing about planting or plants so I will google and research the types of plants you recommended and maybe think twice about the rocks. Thanks again!
I am not sure if hosta will do well in East Pasadena Ca. If I was designing this space I would use big rocks but I agree with not using landscaping rocks.
First get your bed ready by amending the soil, adding a lot of compost. If you had not composted before there are a lot of threads how to compost.Place the big rocks and plant perinnials. I like grouping specific varieties . Use garden soil when planting the perinials.
We have all sizes of big rocks which we collect over the years, in addition to tons that we had bought. DH like to arrange them when he has the time. You can see them in this forum under Belles Haven 2013.
Melanie-- take your time and plan well and post your progress. If you plan to stay in this house for a long time invest wisely and buy what you like.
Belle
Thank you Belle, I have lots of research to do so I guess I will get to it! I will post my ideas and progress as I continue.
If this is an established oak that was there before the houses then it will not tolerate the amount of water required for most garden plants.
If this oak grew up in the garden, getting garden water through its life, then it will be OK with garden water, but not as much as is needed for the typical shade garden plants.
I would suggest plants that...
1) Grow tall enough that the litter from the leaves and acorns can sift through and stay there.
2) Need as little water as possible.
Where to find such plants:
A) Native plants sales, nurseries and societies can be a wonderful source of plants that are compatible with native oaks.
B) I can list a few that are OK in zone 9b and nearby zones.
Most of these are plants that need better light, not dense shade. The dappled light under a fairly open oak would be just fine. These are genus names, look for local species that are well suited to your area.
Arctostaphyllos
Cotoneaster
Grevillea
Eriogonum (our native Buckwheats- look for the taller ones. The low ones would get covered in leaves)
Salvia
Symphoricarpus
Zauschneria
Mahonia
Ribes
Rubus
Rhus
A few specifics:
Iris douglasii
Salvia leucophylla, S. spathacea
Ribes viburnifolium
Carpenteria californica
Zauschneria californica 'Orange Carpet' (Best variety for shade)
Rhamnus californica 'Eve Case'
Phlomis russeliana
Dicentra chrysantha
Cynoglossum grande
There are SO many more!
I would not plant things like Hosta or other typical shade plants under oaks in California. These plants typically demand so much water that the oak will soon get any of several root rot or related fungus problems, and will die. Shade gardening here is not like shade gardening in areas with more rainfall.
Here is a site that has some information about growing under California Oaks. It appears the first thing to do might be to identify what type of oak it is.
http://www.orchardnursery.com/pdfs/nurserycare/21-oaksplantingunder.pdf
Thank you Diana for the info and list. More research, but I am enjoying it, can't wait until I get to start planting! I do have a Sunset Western Landscaping book my Dad gave me. It has alot of the plants everyone has listed. I was in a rush to do something..anything, but now I am just going to take my time. Seed fork, thank you for the article.
This message was edited Feb 1, 2014 3:49 PM
Oh, one thing I just remembered which might make a difference in planting etc...you guys would probably know! When we installed our sprinkler system (designed to not spray the border area and tree) underneath the border area and under the surrounding area there is about 6 inch thick slabs of asphalt and concrete. We do not know how far or wide the slabs go as we only removed the parts we needed to for our pipes. It is about 6 inches below the dirt/grass line. It seems to have been there quite awhile. If you look at my picture, that front dirt area was a huge hole from removing the asphalt and concrete. I have slowly been filling it with extra dirt around. Would that make a difference in planting in the ground? Thanks in advance!
This message was edited Feb 1, 2014 3:48 PM
It could make a difference in how long the tree is expected to live, but I see oaks growing right next to paved roads on one side and walkways on the other, and they live for many years. As far as the plantings if the slab is concrete it might cause the soil to become more alkaline. A soil test could answer that. I would take a piece of re-bar and test the deep of the soil till I got a good idea of the outline of the underground slab. Drainage could also become a concern, how does than area drain?
I am not sure about how it drains as I never water there, it is just dirt. In my picture it is wet because I had sprayed it to keep the dust down while I was working. Suggestions on testing the drainage? Maybe just spray it and watch where it runs off and how long it takes?
Well, the next time you get a good rain( here right now about every other day), you just walk out after a half hour or so and see if there is any standing water. If so walk back out a half hour later and check. Do you ever remember seeing standing water in that spot, if not the drainage is probably good.
Haha..rain? We have only received a tenth of an inch this whole year so far! Serious drought. But when I wet it, I don't think it puddled. I will check again with a sprinkler or something. But it will have to be next weekend or during the week because I am inside today preparing for a large superbowl party tomorrow!
Midriff55, yesterday I read that California officials decided they are cutting off water supply to the state's agencies because of the 3-year drought:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/01/california-cuts-off-water-to-agencies-serving-millions-amid-drought/
This is the first time California's State Water Project is shutting off the water to farmers and residents. The situation seems dire, so if farmer have to abandon their fields I assume they will probably start rationing water in your neighborhood if they haven't already done so and maybe put a ban on garden watering. I suggest calling your local municipal water supply as soon as possible to ask them how much water you can use this year, then plan your garden based on water supply. Perhaps lily turf might be an option for creating an attractive border around the half moon edging, because it is drought tolerant, evergreen, and produces flowers.
DoGooder
Dig more test holes to see if you can figure out where the asphalt is.
If it is a large slab under a lot of the area then you will have some real problems gardening on top of it. Probably be worth renting a tractor to dig it out.
If it is currently about 6" below the soil then there is almost no room for the roots, and no water storage possibilities. Even if you add several inches or a foot of good soil on top it will still cause problems.
Practically impossible to garden on top of anything like that. I have run into natural rock in some landscape jobs, and no matter what we do the plants just cannot survive. Best is to expose the rock and make it a part of the landscape.
Thank you everyone for all the help. This weekend and week I will be checking on the asphalt problem, and doing more research on drought tolerant plants since we are in a drought I think it would be better. I went to the nursery today and purchased Jasmine to plant along my chain link fence in the front. I have been wanting to do that for months, I get them Friday...yeah! I also looked at iceberg roses (I think thats what they were) for another planter. I am pretty sure they do not require too much water correct?
Roses, even the Iceberg group, need about an average garden water sort of watering.
While roses can survive dry settings when they are well established they are not very showy under that sort of condition. Lots of die-back and few or no flowers.
I would not plant roses or any species of jasmine under drought or near-drought conditions.
Look into less hybridized plants, native to dry parts of the world, including California, South Africa and Australia. Caution: just because a plant is native to any of those areas does not automatically make it drought tolerant. There are many plants native to California redwood forests, for example, that need as much water as any average garden plant.
I am trying to figure out what will grow under this large oak tree. I will most likely be putting rocks inside the border, but would like some kind of plant also. It is almost all shade and lots of oak leaves and acorns dropping constantly (which is why rocks and not bark due to having to blow them off). Hope someone can give me some ideas. Thank you.
I would encourage you to stay away from smaller plants, they can get lost in the leaves. Shrubs and bulbs are virtually maintenance-free, and are right at home in such a spot. The leaves will help the drying to be less of a factor over time, though the bigger the spot, the more effective that is, and may not help nearly as much as it does in a more moist climate. I'm sure you have to have rain occasionally to moderate the speed at which it evaporates!
EE's and Hydrangeas might not work in the more dry conditions in CA, I would go with the natives suggested by other Californians, but offer these pics of a similar spot, under some giant oak trees, runs to more sun by the walkway. Can you guess which spot was 'mulched' with some large white gravel 2 years ago? You'd have to, because the gravel is under leaves now, just like I told Mom it would be. At first, a blower can move the leaves, but eventually there's just too many leaf bits stuck between the rocks to bother anymore. And they're stained brown from the tannin.
The first pic are from a couple weeks ago, and April (why the Hydrangea is schizo! - LOL!)
