What to do with a bed under a large holm oak
henry.blince
Posts: 5
I have a large holm oak in my front garden. Trunk diameter around 2 metres, height probably 80ft. Beneath this tree I have a bed radiating probably 20 feet out from the trunk base. It was neglected for many years but a couple of years ago I cleared it of all sorts of weedy nastiness and dug over the very heavy, very dry Devon clay soil. I've been digging it over a couple of times a year since then and it's now ready to plant.
The tree sucks the bed dry of any moisture, even after the heaviest of rainfalls, in what seems like minutes and if the soil isn't dug regularly it hardens like concrete. It's shaded but not heavily shaded, the canopy being reasonably high and it catching the afternoon sun.
I'm looking for advice on a) planting; everything I've planted to date doesn't really get beyond moderately stunted and b) Any thoughts on treating a soil that goes rock hard very quickly and stays almost perpetually dry.
Many thanks.
Posts
I would just put a thick mulch under it, to the drip line, and leave it. Unless the canopy is lifted to let in light, most things will be stunted. Some things will tolerate dry shade, mainly spring flowerers like pulmonarias and spring bulbs.
Epimedium, in a few varieties, dainty yellow, white and pink flowers, heuchera (given a good start, though), the hardy cyclamen coum (spring) and c. hederifolioum (late summer into autumn), hellebores of all sorts,
Shrubs - sarcococca, osmanthus 'Goshiki', ruscus aculeatus
Grasses - hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.
H-C
Leycesteria, euonymus, spirea, pulmonaria, epimedium, geranium, pachysandra, vinca. Quite a lot of plants will do in a dry and shady bit. I would keep them well watered in the first year.
Last edited: 14 September 2016 19:22:26
Thanks for the replies. Good suggestions.