Landscaping under Pines

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had several requests for suggestions about what to plant under pine trees, so I thought I would share my thoughts with you. Here in Wisconsin native evergreens grow pretty well in a variety of soils, but preferably on the acidic side with a lower pH level.

Because of the acidity in the soil, not all shade plants are comfortable growing under pine trees. Plants also have to tolerate drier soil conditions not only because they share the ground with the tree’s root system, but also because of the dense canopy which not only blocks the sunlight, but also prevents the rain from reaching the ground. Here are some suggested native plants for you.

Forbs:

Canadian anemone (Anemone canadensis) – white rose-like flower

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) tubular-shaped salmon and white flower which blossoms in the spring

Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) – small white flowers

Sharp lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) – three-leaved groundcover with white flower

Three-leaf false Solomon’s seal (maianthemum trifolium) – white star-shaped flowers, oval levels, reddish berries

Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) – large white lily-shaped flowers

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) – blue bell-shaped flower

White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) – white plume-like flowers, awesome red berries which are considered poisonous if eaten in large quantities

Wild bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) – fringed leaves, pink heart-shaped flowers

Wild geranium (Gernaium maculatum) – pink/lavender flowers; leaves turn red in fall

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) – velvety-leaved groundcover with white/scarlet flower

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – white umbrella-shaped flower head

Grasses/Sedges:

Ivory sedge (Carex eburnea) – delicate, fountain-like

Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) – upright, clump-forming; unique colorful seedheads

Vines:

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) – waxy, round leaves, white flowers, red berries

Princess Pine (Lycopodium obscurum) – club moss; looks like a miniature Christmas tree, typically with three “fairy candles” at top

Running pine (Lycopodium clavatum) – club moss, also called stag’s horn moss; evergreen, needle-like leaves

Ferns:

Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) – erect, lacy-cut leaves

Hayscented (Dennstaedria punctilobula) – light green, lacy fronds

Marginal Wood (Dryopteris marginalis) – grayish-green, deeply cut, leathery fronds

Shrubs:

American Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana ) – deciduous, fall flowering shrub with very tiny, distinct yellow flowers; prefers rich, moist soil however

Highbush cranberry (virburnum trilobum) – aka American cranberry; deciduous, maple-shaped leaves, white flowers, red berries

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) – low-growing shrub with white bell-shaped flowers, waxy leaves, bright red berries, leaves turn red in late fall

Other:

Many of the short grass prairie species such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), Virginia wild rye (Elymus virginicus), big leaf aster (Aster macrophyllus), false indigo (Baptisia australis), purple (Echinacea purpurea) and yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) will do well around the drip line where they can receive lots of sun. And of course black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).

For those of you who are Wild Ones members, see also Native Ground Covers for Shady Areas (page 10-11) by Pat Armstrong.