Flower for Planting Around a Tree

Finding the right flowers to plant around a tree can make an otherwise placid site bloom with color. The trick is to select plants that will tolerate, even flourish, in the shade. You will also need to access the amount of sunlight that passes through the tree's canopy and determine if the site provides light shade or heavy shade.

Perennials

Certain perennials do well under trees, depending on whether the species chosen will tolerate the amount of shade the tree casts. Perennials that will thrive in a light shade include the monkshood and the bleeding heart. Fewer choices exist for a site with a deep shade, but daylilies and hosta lilies will both tolerate heavy shade. Groundcovers with attractive flowers, such as the lily of the valley, are also perennials that can be planted beneath trees, according to the University of Missouri Extension.

Annuals

Although most annuals prefer full sun, some species will flourish in light shade. The impatiens, a low growing plant with showy flowers, thrives in shady conditions. The shade-tolerant wax begonia produces white, red or pink flowers throughout the summer. Although the polka dot plant does not produce notable flowers, its speckled, colorful leaves make it a welcome addition beneath a shade tree. The tubular blossoms of the wishbone flower come in vivid colors and add striking hues around trees.

Warning

Some trees can harm nearby plants. This phenomena, called allelopathy, is perhaps most pronounced in the black walnut. This species produces a chemical called juglone that is toxic to a wide range of plants, including peonies and azaleas. Hickories and pecans also create juglone, though in lesser amounts. Other trees that can have harmful effects on nearby species include the sugar maple, the cottonwood, the tree-of-heaven and the red oak.

Bulbs

Bulbs, flowering plants that grow from an underground stem, can thrive beneath trees under certain conditions. Spring-flowering bulbs, such as crocuses and snowdrops, will typically bloom before the tree leafs out. It will blossom throughout the growing season if the shade is not too heavy. The tuberous begonia has blooms that do not tolerate full sun and is another good choice for a tree casting a light shade. It is best to treat these plants as annuals as they do not receive enough sunlight to bloom well for more than one season. Dig them up at the end of the growing season and replace them with new bulbs.

References

• University of Missouri Extension; Gardening in the Shade; Deborah L. Brown; 2009
• Iowa State University Extension; Annuals for Shade; Cindy Haynes; June 2003
• Virginia Copperative Extension; Trees for Problem Landscape Sites -- The Walnut Tree: Allelopathic Effects and Tolerant Plants; Bonnie Appleton et.al.; May 2009