We have just moved into a house with a very large Blue Spruce in the front yard - too big for the plot really. All the grass under the tree has died & looks unsightly. Does anyone have any ideas re what we could plant underneath - grass, ground cover, flowers? I understand that pruning the lower branches isn't a good idea. Help!
Cats like to soil such places, so I'd probably put cobbles under it to keep them out if the soil is at all loose and like a litter box.
Somebody jump on me if the Blue Spruce is a special case, but I've "pruned up" lots of trees and have always been happy with the results. Good idea - bad idea? I think it's a matter of individual circumstance and taste. My larger trees around the farm are pruned up to about 10 feet because that's how tall the tractor cab is. The smaller ones in the garden/lawn area are just growing now, but they will be pruned up about 6 feet because that's how tall I am and I hate mowing with branches in my face. The seqouiadendron gigantum on the other hand will probably be left sweeping the ground because I like them that way. As far as the "natural shape" argument, natural for a spruce in the forest is no branches at all for the lower portion of the tree (except for dead stubs), and a canopy with lots of branches. Even growing in the open around here the lower branches are nipped off by the deer for the bottom 5-6 feet. Ralph
Youngish conifers in particular look floating or perched when on a bare stem, like your Sierra redwood would be more impressive with a basal sweep. Think of it this way: would you buy a limbed up Christmas tree or one that was full to the bottom?
More room for presents if there's space at the bottom, plus the limbed up ones are likely to be cheaper 'cause they're ugly. Think of the savings in money and time in decorating only the top half of the tree!
Likewise, in a garden you would plant shrubs underneath to get a finished appearance, because limbing the spruce up made it (and the area beneath it) an eyesore.
I think I would go with the bark mulch suggestion. If the grass you plant underneath survives, you'll only have to get under there with a lawn mower. Plus all the watering that you'll have to do. Also the needles from the tree will keep attacking the grass (by changing the Ph level to acidic) so it won't be a really fun time. I would cut a tidy circle around the tree where the grass is lush and green, then bark mulch (or whatever you like the look of) then walk away. You could even get creative and make an oval shape and put plantings in the part that isn't under the tree. Carol Ja
Re: No grass under Blue Spruce--- I too have a very large Norway Spruce (about 80-100 feet tall) with a very large dirt area around the bottom. Aside from mulching that area, is there ANYTHING that I could plant there at all that would live and wouldn't compete with the spruce for water, etc? What about woodlands ferns, or other flowers? Also, they need to be deer resistant. Thanks.
