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Originally Posted by PatK
Hi all,
I have a very large maple tree that covers about half of my yard and every summer the grass dies underneath it from lack of sun (and rain I'm sure) Now it's just a dirt area. Is there anything I can plant underneath of it that would grow without a lot of encouragement? I need something pretty sturdy because I have a large dog that likes to run in my yard several times a day, though she's not really destructive. I thought about ivy but I was wondering if there's anything else?
Thanks,
Pat
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Hi Pat,
Don't use ivy. It grows with thick stems and your dogs won't be able to run through it without hurting themselves. It will also eventually suck up all the moisture the tree needs and grow up into the tree, causing additional stress on the tree, eventually causing an early death if allowed to grow into the canopy.
I would suggest that you put down a 2" to 3" layer of shredded hardwood mulch. You could plant something like liriope in a few areas where the dogs don't run. They are tough clump forming plants that can take the drier and shady conditions. Each spring you will need to cut the tops off about 2" from the soil so they can renew themselves and look less tattered. Plant in odd numbers of clumps so it looks more pleasing to the eye or do a mass planting like in this picture where the great dane is resting. It comes in an all green or variegated cultivars as well.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/l/liri_mus.cfm
You might also consider dwarf mondo grass as it looks more like a lawn.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/o/ophi_jap.cfm
Newt