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Underplanting silver birch
cat woman
Posts: 1
Planted small silver birch clump late last autumn (10 trees). Any suggestions for underplanting this (hopefully) dappled shade area? Looking for something low growing, low maintenance, giving cover but not boring.
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I have similar situation but with wild cherry's,I tryed not to choose planting that would affect the tree roots and kept the natural ish! look, as silver birch are very hungry trees I under planted with dryoperteris, astilbe ardrensi x it has great natural feeling of the wilderness with the astilbes adding a fuzz of colour in the dappled shade. Try hellebors or a carpets of vinca minor.
I'll just list a few plant ideas, maybe nice to add in some bulbs too:
English bluebells, Snowdrops, Cyclamen, Liriope muscari, Lamium, Bergenia, Tellima, Wood anemone's, Pachysandra terminalis
Have a look at them and then see what combination you like. Good luck. www.alisonpike.com/blog/
For spring, forget-me-nots en masse, euphorbia polychroma and big clumps of different daffs, flowering at different times, from lemony Ice Follies to the lovely late-flowering Pheasant's Eye? Low maintenance and full of zing!
I think box balls look great under silver birch, if you can fit them in after the event. Keep these trimmed and round. Saw this at chelsea first...fabulous if done well...a really classy combination. Could add some crocuses also.