I have a pine tree at my new house. There's nothing under it but dried
needles, and some hideous red mulch applied by the previous owner. Now, I've
spent enough time hiking to notice that in the woods, there's not much that
grows under pine trees. But, that's before WE get involved. :-) The circle
under mine begs for something, whether it be just green like pachysandra or
vinca, or maybe a bunch of spring bulbs. Is it hopeless? Do the needles
wreak havoc with pH to the point where the soil's unfriendly to most plants?

Let's assume for the sake of discussion that if lack of water is the issue,
I'm willing to correct that. I've got this new high-tech thing called a
sprinkler.