What do you do to yard with large tree that nothing grows under it ?

I do have shade flowers in a bed around the tree ; have antique farm tool scattered around and rusty tool on the fence. Lots and lots of dirt. We have tried grass but it is hopeless.
  11 answers
  • Marg Harris Marg Harris on Jun 14, 2017

    Hello, Try planting Hostas, they will grow in shade and they don't require much care!!

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jun 14, 2017

    Can you dig holes or are there to many roots?

  • Mgriffice Mgriffice on Jun 14, 2017

    If the tree is tall enough, what about putting down pebbles or mulch and making a seating area? Chairs or bench with a side table holding a colorful lantern. You also could hang colorful lanterns from the branches. I'm picturing you enjoying a glass of iced tea in the shade on a hot summer day. Hope you find a great solution for this little corner!

  • Lois fitzgerald Lois fitzgerald on Jun 14, 2017

    Personally I would raise a bed for shade loving flowers and maybe put them in large pots if this is possible. Plant some HOSTA they love the shade. and cover the ground with a decorative mulch. Then display the farm tools around the pots. If pots not possible just cover the ground around the plants with the mulch.

  • Cori Widen Cori Widen on Jun 14, 2017

    Hostas are a great idea for under a shady tree!

  • Judith Judith on Jun 14, 2017

    We have the same situation with a HUGE tree and the only solution we could find was to dig up the yard the whole width of the canopy of the tree (I know!) and made a really large flower garden. We have a very big yard so it actually does look very nice, and there would be plenty of room to scatter your farm tools among the flowers. We put a short white picket fence - a heavy plastic snap together thing from Home Depot - around the edge to set it off and we are happy with it now. It also enclosed the ginormous roots I kept trippping over! It did take a couple of truck loads of mulch to fill in the bed and cover most of the roots and we had that delivered.

  • Bam24686315 Bam24686315 on Jun 14, 2017

    Ferns such as the Southern Shield also make a nice ground cover in shady areas. They will spread relatively fast and could be used as a backdrop to hostas.

  • Julie Herr Julie Herr on Jun 14, 2017

    Depending upon the size, maturity, shape of your tree, you could have an arborist limb up your trees. (take off the lower branches.) This will allow more light in and you might be able to grow grass. You will give up some shade though. We have a raised bed - hostas, astilbe, lillies, toad lily, Japanese anemone(last two are fall blooming), heuchera, cranesbill geranium, Japanese ferns, bearded tongue, and a patch of variegated Solomon’s Seal under our mature trees. One side must have roots closer to the surface - nothing grows great there so I have potted plants. There are lots of variations in texture and color in shade plants to give variety in plantings. Limbing up the trees allowed a variety of things to grow but most of the aforementioned plants are shade or shade tolerant. You don't mention the size of the area you are working with but we put in a small patio and mulched around the area.

  • Julie Herr Julie Herr on Jun 14, 2017

    Depending upon the size, maturity, shape of your tree, you could have an arborist limb up your trees. (take off the lower branches.) This will allow more light in and you might be able to grow grass. You will give up some shade though. We have a raised bed - hostas, astilbe, lillies, toad lily, Japanese anemone(last two are fall blooming), heuchera, cranesbill geranium, Japanese ferns, bearded tongue, and a patch of variegated Solomon’s Seal under our mature trees. One side must have roots closer to the surface - nothing grows great there so I have potted plants. There are lots of variations in texture and color in shade plants to give variety in plantings. Limbing up the trees allowed a variety of things to grow but most of the aforementioned plants are shade or shade tolerant. You don't mention the size of the area you are working with but we put in a small patio and mulched around the area.

  • Ames Ames on Jun 14, 2017

    Some Vinca or Periwinkle is nice ground cover. Not sure where you are located though.

  • Castrang17 Castrang17 on Jun 15, 2017

    Big landscape rocks/boulders.