I want to plant something that is a good screen; prefer evergreen. My problem is I have many trees, I need something to plant beneath Pine trees and in the shade. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Pporter, East Texas has hardiness zones 7, 8 and 9. Many plants that grow in zone 9 won't survive in the colder 7, so it would be difficult to say. I'm not sure how close to the pines when you say, "...plant beneath Pine trees and in the shade." If you plan on literally planting shrubs directly under the limbs of the pine, I don't think you'll find much that will survive. If you want to screen out the area beneath the lowest limbs of the pines, it would be best to plant a few feet away from the pines. Too much root competition, too difficult to dig as you will probably injure the roots of the pines and it would probably be too dry. Take a look at these sites. You'll need to know your hardiness zone too, so I'm including a site where you can find it. http://www.garden.org/zipzone/ You can click on 'Search' on the left side of the page here and search by zone, sun conditions, etc. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/ http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/web.html Info on tree roots. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG08 http://www.mortonarb.org/research/treeroots.html http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/WO017 http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.asp Hope this helps, Newt
Thank you Newt. I am in zone 8a, but have had luck with many plants native to zone 9. I am thinking I am going to have to make a slightly raised bed just outside the root zone of the Pines. The trees are old and a good 40 ft tall. Native Privet and poison ivy are my screen now and I was wanting to put something a little more appealing there. Do you think Azaleas would do good there? The area gets slight morning sun and brutal Texas sun in the evening. This has been a very tuff area for me. The West side of my property is covered with Cedars and hardwood. It is shaded most of the day. It only gets filtered sunlight. I am having a hard time finding any shubs or vines to use as a screen in this area. Any suggestions? Thanks for the links.
You're very welcome! I don't know if the azaleas would take the brutal late day sun. Did you have a chance to use that search engine I gave you? I wonder if any native shrubs would work. I just am not that familiar with what will grow in east Texas. I've travelled through a couple of times and it's very different from my Maryland zone 7 climate and soils. I'd love to know if you find something that has potential. Newt
hello....I have a neighbor who has hostas planted under his trees. They look lovely and are doing well under the shade. I am not sure if they grow in your zone though.
