My Partly/Mostly Shaded Flower Bed NEEDS YOUR HELP!!! Please

[Chastity]

I love to plant but I feel like my yard is whipping my tail every year!! We have SEVERAL larger pin oaks directly in front of our house. They provide much needed shade in summer as the sun rises in front of our house however, they make making the front of my yard beautiful.... DIFFICULT! One end of the bed gets hit by the hot afternoon sun and a couple of "shine thru" spots where branches don't cover the afternoon spots right there. I would really appreciate your expert advice!! I am in Georgia zone 7B.

I have a rock bordered (what I wanted to be a beautiful) flower bed around the edge of this tree clump. Roughly about a 10w x 30l area. There are 4 pin oaks of good size inside this area. There is also a privet hedge- that my husband tells me we need to get rid of but I don't because 1) it smells heavenly when it blooms & 2) I'm afraid nothing else will ever grow and at least it's something green in there!! about 4 feet outside and our mammoth beauty about 15 feet away & this one is so big it alone can shade the front of our house until noon sun. So- I have a lot of trees... And a LOT OF ROOTS especially inside the rock flower bed. I planted a few irises on t he border, some lamb's ear inside, two azaleas, some monkey grass...these things grow-- but they don't--- GROW. I WOULD LOVE To fill in this space more and give more color/depth to this space. Not to mention the curb appeal it would offer... Can anyone offer me ideas on what I can get to grow happily in a space where trees are the boss. I know they are probably taking much of the nutrients the plants need it but cutting them is just not an option. I am open to all ideas-- shrubs, plants, flowers, whatever will fill in all this empty space. I would prefer perineal a but don't mind planting accenting annuals.

Your help is more appreciated that you know!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!

[JoParrott]

Why don't you make some free form raised beds in strategic places-? It sounds like you have a perfect place to grow Caladiums, and they come in all sorts of beautiful colors. Also Hostas, ferns, Impatiens- they all do great in shade. But if there are tree roots, it would make sense to do raised beds and use stones or other netural things for the egdes.

[Chastity]

I knew I could get some help here!! Thank you! That is a great idea and I really feel dumb for having not thought of that sooner! Never even occurred to me...LOL. LOVE THIS IDEA! thank you again

[ElizabethB]

Your biggest issues are moisture and nutrients. Those trees are robbing the soil of moisture at an amazing rate. They are also sucking up the nutrients especially nitrogen.

Grass and or beds under large trees can be done but it is a real chore. You have to be very careful with adding a soil layer under large trees. Too much and it will eventually damage/kill your trees.

To plant under your trees very lightly till - no more than 1" with a small cultivator. Add no more than 1" of soil on top. Plant smaller plants. I really like white and silver in the shade. It shows up so much better than other colors. Impatiens, dusty miller, lambs ear, variegated grasses. You will need irriagtion. A low volume DIY system or even soaker hoses will help a lot and are easy to do. You will also need to suppliment nitrogen at least twice a year. Shade gardening is wonderful but a challenge because of the demands of the trees providing the shade.

Good luck

I was in england in 93. I could put a sign on my butt that says "Kick Me" because I failed to make time to visit this magnificent garden.

https://www.invectis.co.uk/sissing/sswhite.htm

[rainbowgardener]

Sweet woodruff is one plant that handles the dry shade under trees well. Others include: epimedium, lady's mantle, pulmonaria, lamium. If you plant the right things there, you may not need any irrigation, although anything will need a little watering the first season to get established.