Jen wrote:

Hi, I live in the Northwest, (zone 8, I believe). I have an area next
to my driveway that has a pine tree. The ground is currently just
pine needles but I would like to plant something there. I don't know
what would be the best plant choices for an area that gets a little
morning light, shade the rest of the day and lots of pine needles.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Jennifer

Dry shade is a pretty common situation here in the PNW because of all the
large conifers that abound. There are a number of plants that will do just
fine in this situation, but you'll need a little patience to get them
established. They will need to be watered regularly for the first couple
of years but then should be relatively drought tolerant thereafter. IME,
it is far easier to get smaller plants established under the canopy of a
large conifer (not to mention digging the planting holes), so I usually
recommend low perennials or ground covers rather then any type of shrubby
material. Here are a few to consider:

Oregon grape or salal - both natives that occur naturally in precisely
this situation.
Euphorbia robbiae
Geranium macrorrhizum
Lamium
Ajuga
Euonymus fortunei cultivars
Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis
Iris foetidissima
Epimediums

All of these have the advantage of being mostly evergreen in our climate
and with the exception of the euonymus, all will bloom at some point
during the season..

pam - gardengal