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what to plant under an oak tree, sunny though......
susie g
Posts: 18
can anybody help me? Huge oak tree at end of garden, clay soil but either dark and shady in winter, or baking hot and sunny in afternoons in summer! what plants might take these co nditions?
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Posts
Bumping up to the first page
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sorry cannot find your reply, could you reply here please?
Can't find your reply, can you reply here please?
You could try some geranium maccorhizum, they are pretty tough, also vinca minor, and heucheras. Some ferns are drought tolerant, in particular dryopteris. Ornamental grass stipa tenuissima will also be okay.
The key would be to plant when the soil is damp when the oak is dormant, either in the autumn or early spring, and keep them well watered in the ensuing weeks to ensure the roots get well established. Prepare the soil as much as possible by digging in plenty of compost, to enable it to retain some moisture in the summer.
Susie - I didn't have time to post a reply as I had to go out, but I'd noticed that your question had gone onto Page 4 and was unlikely to get noticed there so I just posted 'Bumping' so that someone would see and reply to you.
Hope that's ok
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks for both replies! Will try your suggestions potsandpansies.
I thought I'd replied to this one but I must have forgotten to press 'submit', sorry
Pand p suggests Geranium macrorrhizum, that is an excellent one, very willing in poor situations. Anamathele lessoniana a grass, that will be fine.
I'd try all sorts of things except the obvious non starters like alpines. Some snowdrops for early in the season, hellebores should be OK. Aquilegias.
Nothing to tall, they'll be forever leaning towards the light
In the sticks near Peterborough
Believe it or not I have two hybrid musk roses in that bed which by the way also has horrible very old conifers in it (am in conservation area so can't chop anything down without permission which is refused) which do very well! All other roses I have tried struggle.
Rosa rugosa and its cultivars would probably grow.
In the sticks near Peterborough
You're right! Thanks Nutcutlet