Photo: thespruce.com
Landscaping around trees in your yard is an easy way to add beauty and value to your home. Instead of flat, boring landscaping create visual interest and useful space! With a few practical tips and inspirations, you can turn your trees into the attention grabber your home deserves.
Common Question: How to Landscape Around Trees?
Tree limbs and leaves tend to get all the fanfare while the ground around their base is left empty and plain. Landscaping around your tree creates a completed look to your yard and makes the space even more eye-catching. When you landscape around trees some things to easy and practical tips are:
- Mulch to Maintain Water and Nutrients in Soil
- Hardscaping
- Create a Zen Space
- Consider Light and Shade Requirements
- Create Layers
Mulch to Maintain Water and Nutrients in Soil
Photo: architectureartdesigns.com
Regardless of whether you’re creating a full raised bed or planting a few plants around your tree, the tree’s roots will absorb the majority of the water in the soil surrounding it. You can offset this by adding two or three inches of mulch around the base of your new plants. This layer of mulch will help keep moisture available for the plants and stop you from having to water as frequently. When mulching around your tree, don’t cover the base of the trunk or your tree could be susceptible to bark rot and disease. Instead, for the immediate area around the base, thing your mulch layer out to just cover the dirt. This keeps landscaping around tree roots looking great without accidentally killing your tree!
Hardscaping
Photo: millvalleyflowersca.com
Using hardscaping to create an eye-catching boundary around your tree is a great way to spruce up your tree area. You can landscape around trees with rocks or stones to create whatever look you desire. This not only covers up the boring base of your tree, but also gives a clean, polished look to your landscaping. With hardscaping you can create a border for a raised bed, if you want to show off some new plants and bring them As with mulching, ensure the soil in your raised bed isn’t covering the entire base of the tree itself. Instead, make your boundary larger to allow for your landscaping without causing harm to your tree. The tree is a centerpiece in your new landscape design, don’t forget to care for it!
In addition to using hardscaping to create a new look, choosing the proper ground protection is key to preventing accidental damage to your new landscaping. When landscaping around trees, you should avoid plastic landscape sheeting and should use landscape fabric around trees instead. Plastic sheeting may help prevent weed growth, it also stops oxygen and water from reaching the roots, starving your tree. Porous landscape fabric will help keep weeds at bay without the additional hazard to tree roots. Picking any stray weeds by hand if they appear will keep your landscaping looking its best.
Create a Zen Space
Photo: zacsgarden.com
Landscaping around trees isn’t all flowers and bushes! Consider creating a shaded oasis in your yard with some mulching and the addition of a bench, hammock, or small seating area. Another great option for creating unique landscaping around your tree is adding a water feature! Creating a relaxing space for you and your guests helps make the most of your landscaping and improves property value.
Consider Light and Shade Requirements
Landscaping around trees also demands consideration for the amount of sunlight your space receives. While some trees let through lots of sun, others provide full shade. Planting the wrong kinds of flowers and shrubs in your new landscaping can result in poor plant growth. Alongside not looking great comes the expense of replacing plants that didn’t make it.
In the Upstate New York area, there are a variety of native plants that can thrive in partial shade. Smooth blue aster, broad-leaf Sedge, and hostas are a few favorites. Hostas, specifically, are very low maintenance plants that thrive in tree-shaded landscapes. These are favorites for those wanting beautiful landscaping around trees without constant upkeep.
Create a Focal Point with Color
Photo: pinterest.com
When landscaping around trees, green isn’t the only way to go! Consider creating a focal point in your yard with pops of color around your trees. There are plenty of vibrant flowers that thrive in shaded areas. Some of our favorite colorful blooms are pansies, toadshade and yellow trillium, lungwort, and hellebore (also known as the Christmas rose). A professional will be able to tell you which will flowers grow best in the Capital Region.
Create Layers
Photo: hgtv.com
Our final tip for landscaping around trees is to create visual interest with layers. Layers help your landscaping stand out and keep it from being flat and boring. Begin your layers by planting shrubs that grow at least twelve inches closest to the base of your tree. These shrubs can provide rich greenery or be flowering plants. In the next ring, add flowers that are closer to the ground and you’ve got yourself some layered landscaping! Adding in the vibrant colors mentioned before, this makes your landscaping bold and beautiful. Using natural rocks in various sizes between the rings of plants can also add to the visual interest of your new creation. For a more natural look, cluster flowers together and avoid perfect symmetry.
Landscaping around trees doesn’t have to be boring or difficult. Create a relaxing oasis where you can enjoy your yard while in the shade. Make your trees pop with colorful flowers and beautiful hardscaping. Beautiful landscaping not only transforms your home but also improves property value. This summer, add landscaping around your trees and get the most out of your home!
Are you ready to create the perfect yard and discuss landscaping services in the Capital Region? Contact us if you’re interested in a quote using the form below, or give us a call:
