On 7/14/11 7:01 AM, Don Wiss wrote:
We have a new street tree in front. NYC's standard tree pit size is now
4-1/2 x 9 feet. It is right along the curb. With nine feet along the curb
there will be people getting out of cars and into the pit.

So what ground cover can take this the best? It would seem to me that
myrtle/perrywinkle would be better than English ivy, which would be better
than pachysandra.

Other plants (e.g. spring bulbs) could be added further from the curb.

Don http://foraging.com/ e-mail at page bottom.

I think the preferred term is "tree well", not "tree pit".

Any ground cover will freeze in the winter. Walking on it then will
leave dead patches the size and shape of shoe prints.

Consider a tree grate. This would be two open-work steel or iron panels
that lie flat on the ground over the tree well. Where they meet, they
form a hole for the trunk of the tree.

Tree grates are not fastened into place. They can be lifted to work on
underground utilities running in the area. They might need replacement
as the tree outgrows the hole for the trunk.

With a tree grate, you have two choices:
* You can fill the spaces in the grate with coarse sand, bringing the
soil surface to the height of the top of the grate. This prevents
someone walking over the tree well from tripping. But it is not
attractive.
* You can plant a ground cover in the spaces. The grate will protect
the bottom inch or so of each plant from damage when someone walks there
in the winter. But this is quite a hazard for a woman in high heels.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary