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What to plant under pine trees & clay
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Posted by bam1985 NSW (My Page) on Tue, Aug 26, 08 at 11:34
| Hi, I’m a beginner at gardening and need some help. I've recently moved out of home and into my grandparent’s old place. While I love it here, it's been 5 long years since my Poppy lived here and in that time the garden has gone down hill. Over the last year I've managed to transform the garden a little bit, mulching areas and planting some easy care perennial flowers and tending to the neglected roses. I'm only renting so I try to keep things nice, but without digging into my budget too much.
Anyway one area has annoyed me since I moved here, out the front yard are two huge pine trees planted by poppy over 50 years ago. As you can imagine they are massive, I've asked every gardener I know and they don't know what would grow there. My parents say nothing has grown there for years. The trees are only two meters or so apart and their branches have intermingled, I'm told the soil is acidic because of said trees, coming into spring now I cant stand the thought of another year of brown mulch and pine 'leaves'. I also have another problem the soil is basically clay.... so any suggestions as to what I can plant under these beasts and what grows in shade with afternoon sun and acidic clay soil or how to improve the soil quality would be greatly appreciated. Ideally I want a ground cover and some flowering low to the ground plants in the area.
P.s. I live in Sydney and I planted some gazanias under them, which have survived but have not spread or thrived, I also planted some geraniums near by but they don't seem to be going very well either. In my mind I want a sort of cottage garden look where all you can see is green and flowers as the entire side of the house is basically a mulched bed mostly under these terrible trees.
Kind regards, and thanks in advance,
Brett. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What to plant under pine trees & clay
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| g'day brett, yep you will need to look for the acid lovers, there i can't help you as i grow vege's not flowers but there will be plants out there that will thrive if there is enough sun for them, one i think of is strawberries they like it acid might be a thought in there? len |
Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page
RE: What to plant under pine trees & clay
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Clivea, Rengarenga lily, pacific coast iris (might be too humid where you are) Iris foetedissima, and some of the crested irises I. japonica, I. tectorum, I wattii, I. confusa,
Liriope, Nandina,
OK - I've run out of ideas :-) |
RE: What to plant under pine trees & clay
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| Best if you make the beds raised up put lots of compost in and Gypsum to break up that clay preparation is the key to everything. How about the succulent type ground covers not sure if they grow in acidic soil though.
You can sweeten up acidic soils by adding lime don't know what it will do to your pine trees.
Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias, like soil that is acidic but not clay soil. Mesembranthemum they come in so many colours also white, pinks 
So do the Kalanchoe and flower for many months. 
What about Chamaescilla mine are in the shade and flower for ages, they multiply fast. 
My Verbena Coral Pink ground cover loves the shade. 
Get yourself a packet of Nasturtium seeds they come up year after year.. 
All the ground covers I have grown from cuttings. Hope this helps a little.. Mary-Anne |
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