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What Can Be Planted Under Spruce Trees?
What Can Be Planted Under Spruce Trees?. Spruce trees drop needles that create an acidic soil environment under their roots. Not everything will grow in acidic soil or in the shaded environment created by the tree, and a lawn is unlikely to flourish there. Limited choices do not mean you have to leave the area bare. Choose acid-loving,...
Spruce trees drop needles that create an acidic soil environment under their roots. Not everything will grow in acidic soil or in the shaded environment created by the tree, and a lawn is unlikely to flourish there. Limited choices do not mean you have to leave the area bare. Choose acid-loving, shade-tolerant plants to create visual interest under landscape spruce trees.
Ferns
Many ferns love the shade and nearly all like acidic soil conditions. In uncultivated areas, ferns are often found growing naturally under spruce trees. Plant ferns alone or mix them with other perennial ground cover plants, flower bulbs and small understory shrubs. Select ferns that thrive in temperate conditions and light to full shade. Try Christmas fern, Polystichum acrosticoides; it grows well under spruce trees and it retains its green foliage year round.
Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Azaleas and rhododendrons are a mid-size flowering shrub. They thrive in partial-shade to full-shade and acidic soil, making them ideal for the conditions under a spruce tree. There are both deciduous and evergreen varieties with flowers in shades of purple, white, pink and red. Plant azaleas and rhododendrons carefully so as not to disturb the spruce trees shallow root system. Start digging out the planting hole with a shovel. If you hit a large root, move the planting site to one side to avoid it.
Ground Covers
Use a low-growing perennial ground cover to fill in under spruce trees and around shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons. Heather is a flowering evergreen that thrives in acidic soil and part shade. The plants grow 1 to 2 feet tall and produce small pink and light purple flowers in the summer and early fall. Try wintergreen as a ground cover under spruce trees, it grows just 1/4 to 1/2 feet tall in full shade and acidic soil. As the name suggests, wintergreen keeps its foliage year round.
Flowering Bulbs
Bulbs come back year after year, producing colorful, often large flowers and then dying back until the next growing season. Plant flowering bulbs to add a splash of color, but make sure you choose varieties that can tolerate the shaded, acidic conditions created by a spruce tree. Try Japanese or Siberian irises under a spruce tree, but put them where they will get some sun during the day. Plant these water-loving bulbs in a slight depression that you can fill with water to keep the roots damp and happy.
