On 7/14/11 3:00 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
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.

If people are going to walk on it often then there is none that will look
good all year round and many that will never look very good. Pave it.

David


Don't pave it. Eventually, the tree will outgrow its hole in the
paving. Furthermore, rain and snow will run off and not irrigate the
tree; and tree roots might suffer from a lack of oxygen in the soil.

Consider pea gravel, coarser gravel, or rounded river stones. These
just lie on the soil and allow water and air to penetrate. Another
alternative is unmortared bricks in a basket-weave or herringbone
pattern. All of these prevent mud from being tracked out of the area or
from ensnaring someone's shoes.

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