Kinder Landscaping Options for the Area Beneath Your Trees 

Trees are a major part of a landscape and add much value, beauty, and grace to any setting. However, they do present some challenges when it comes to landscaping around them. In the mid stages of a tree’s maturity, roots protruding through turf can be a mowing headache. Later, the tree’s expanding area of shade can cause the grass beneath the tree to die out. In each of these cases, we absolutely do not want to do anything to damage the tree (especially its roots) which is probably a favored plant. Therefore, we must be cautious and creative in solving each of these problems.

Since the roots of a tree grow horizontally rather than vertically, roots pushing up through the grass around the tree are practically inevitable. In addition, while they can make mowing slightly more difficult, we need to resist the urge to chop at them unless they are very small. Something also needs to be done to keep the mower from chewing them up. Either tactic can be extremely dangerous to your tree’s future. It is possible to take some of the smaller roots out. If it is a major bracing root, though, leave it alone! Otherwise, remove small roots as soon as they start to surface, and never take out more than ten percent at a time. Simply take thr roots out using an axe or chisel, cutting at a minimum of three feet from the trunk and at the end furthest from the tree as it disappears into the soil. Then remove the root and pat the lawn back into place. If the root is smaller yet, cut it just at the base or the place where it separates from the larger bracing root and leave it to decay. I must warn you, however, that cutting roots poses a high risk to the trees, and you should absolutely never violate the ten percent rule. Most people who choose to cut their tree’s roots do so the make mowing convenient. It may just be safer for the tree, though, to put up with a few imperfections in the lawn and some tedious trim work.

As a tree matures, the shade canopy will create a dry, shady area under the tree that will eventually cause the grass to die out. This occurs when a tree is about ten to twenty years old. There are few things you can do to prolong the grass life under your trees at this stage. Raising the branches of the tree improves the circulation of air, light and moisture under the tree and may help initially. This can be done at a rate of one or two branches a year to allow up to an 8-12 foot clearing underneath. Having the canopy properly thinned by an arborist is also advisable. You can also reseed the lawn area under the trees. However, when you take the time to do this and the lawn dies anyway, it is probably time to give up the battle.

This does not mean you have to settle for a muddy mess underneath your favorite trees, though. Instead, use your imagination to create a unique landscaping look in this area. Decorative mulches of various types of organic matter and a decorative rock and stone boulders may be one solution. If you wish to keep a dash of green around the tree, you may want to use a ground cover such as myrtle, pachysandra, English ivy, purple winter creeper euonymus or others of your choice. To do this, add just a bit of soil, but never more than two inches deep. This way the roots of the ground cover can take hold in the soil without deep soil penetration of digging that could damage the root system of the tree. Follow this with the normal planting procedures and water thoroughly to help the new plantings take hold. You will also want to separate the rest of your lawn from the ground cover with a sharp line of demarcation. Try using a shape that is visually interesting such as that of a kidney bean or a boomerang and understand that your initial ground cover planting is just a starting point.

As the tree gets larger, the area of dying lawn that will need to be dealt with will also expand. In fact, you may need to expand the area of ground cover by as much as one foot a year. Just remove any remants of grass, fertilize lightly, mulch the new area and then let the ground cover take over.

If you favor a more rustic setting under the tree, let the grass die out and keep the area free of weeds. Then, plant some shade tolerant wildflowers. If seeded, make selections that will bloom before the tree sets its full leaves and provide interest for about six weeks in the early spring.

By taking a creative approach to this area under your trees, you can avoid damaging root systems and still provide a landscape that it interesting and functional.