The root area of conifers is often bare and the view of the bare earth brings little joy. Underplanting can also be the right solution to better retain moisture in the soil and suppress weeds.
Which plants are suitable for underplanting conifers?
Ground cover plants, perennials, woody plants, ferns and grasses that tolerateacidic soilandshallow roots are suitable for underplanting Conifers. Depending on the type of conifer, the following fits well:
- Ivy or cranesbill
- Funkie or Columbine
- Hydrangeas or azaleas
- Lady fern or funnel fern
- Sedges or bearskin fescue
Planting conifers with ground cover plants
The underplanting with ground cover plants should depend on theroot system of the respective conifer. A thuja, for example, produces a shallow root system and is therefore more difficult to plant under. For this purpose, only shallow-rooted plants should be chosen that are robust, can assert themselves and can tolerate drought and shading. The following ground cover plants have proven successful for planting under all kinds of conifers:
- woman's coat
- Storksbill
- Fat Man
- Ivy
- wood anemones
Planting conifers with perennials
Since the conifers are usually shady, the perennials should be able to handle verypoor lighting conditions. Typical forest perennials that have no problem withdrought are suitable for underplanting. The whole thing becomes particularly intoxicating when the perennials produce bright or colorful flowers. The resulting light-dark contrast attracts attention. The following are ideal, among others:
- Elf Flower
- Dwarf Forest Sparrow
- Aquilegia
- Funkie
- Foam Blossom
- Bergenie
- Purple bells
- Solomon Seal
Planting conifers with ferns
Ferns are adapted to life under conifersand can cope with shading. The conifers, in turn, benefit from their long fronds, thanks to which they become visually more attractive in thelower area. How about one of the following ferns?
- Lady fern
- Deertongue Fern
- Rainbow fern
- Funnel fern
- Spotted Fern
Planting conifers with trees
Conifers that formdeep rootssuch asFir treesorPine trees can also be planted with trees. However, the trees should know how to deal with an acidic substrate and drought and also be able to cope with shady location conditions. For example, the following are suitable:
- hydrangeas
- Azaleas
- Wild blueberries
- Wild strawberries
- Cranberries
- Skimmie
Planting conifers with grasses
Last but not least, grasses also represent a fantastic opportunity to underplant numerous conifers such as arborvitae, fir, spruce, yew and the like. As a rule, they require little care, These include, for example:
- Sedges like Japanese sedge
- Bearskin Fescue
- Blue Fescue
- Pennisetum grass
Tip
Cover conifers with mulch
A layer of mulch can also enhance the overall appearance of a conifer. It covers the root area, prevents water from evaporating too quickly and suppresses the development of weeds. Bark mulch (€13.00 on Amazon) is wonderfully suitable for this as it promotes the acidic environment.
