planting perrenials near maple tree

by shireen
(chicago )

i have a maple tree in the middle of my front lawn and it has a shallow root system that has spread across the WHOLE yard !!!! can i plant in there? should i make raised beds? do i have to line the bottom of the raised beds so the roots dont come in there?

thanks.
shireen

Doug says that a maple tree does indeed have a very aggressive and invasive root system. And it will suck all available moisture from the ground to the detriment of your plants. To make matters even worse, the dense shade under a maple is really tough to grow under. So combine the dry soil with the shade and you have a serious plant killer combination.

One solution is indeed to build raised beds but to line them with an pro-grade landscape fabric. No seams allowed! Then fill with good quality artificial soil or sandy top soil. It will take a few years for the roots to penetrate those beds (but yes, eventually they will force their way through). And you'll really have to watch the watering of the raised beds because they do tend to dry out even faster than in-ground gardening.

But that's the way I'd do it.

The alternative is not to garden right under the tree - mulch that. And build garden beds closer to the edges of the tree drip line (the outer edges of the branches) where the roots are the thinnest. They'll still invade but you can fight them off by digging the beds every two to three years.