{"id":9249,"date":"2021-08-03T07:47:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T07:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=9249"},"modified":"2022-05-11T20:38:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T20:38:54","slug":"what-grows-under-oak-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/what-grows-under-oak-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"What Grows Under Oak Trees?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Oak trees<\/a> provide ample amounts of shade beneath their green leafy canopies. You may find that the natural grasses in your yard tend to die out underneath your oak tree, or that patches of grass and weeds grow sparsely. So, you may be wondering: what grows under oak trees? Are there any shrubs or ground covers that thrive beneath spreading oak branches? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Grows Best Under Oak Trees?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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There are actually quite a few plants that thrive in shady conditions such as those found beneath oak trees. You simply have to know what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perennials<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shade-loving perennials are the best types of plants to grow under oak trees. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perennials come back every year so there\u2019s no need to keep digging the area around the tree to plant fresh plants. Too much digging, or digging too deep, may disturb the tree roots and stunt the tree\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s best to plant perennials when the tree is young so they can grow together. That said, some types of perennials can be planted around mature trees as long as you are careful not to disturb the roots.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shrubs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most shrubs are perennials, and many of them love shade. There are many different types of shrubs you can plant, some of which are merely ornamental while others may bear edible fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, it\u2019s best to plant young shrubs around the same time you plant young oak trees.<\/strong> If you plant your shrubs later, they may not become as well established or may be stunted because the tree saps all of the water and nutrients from the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, it depends on the type of shrubs you\u2019re planting. We\u2019ll discuss specific types of plants that grow well with oak trees in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ground Covers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t plant anything under your oak trees, you may find that wild ground covers such as clover and creeping charlie will automatically take over the area and start filling in bare spots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could let these wild ground covers do their thing, or you could be intentional and plant more decorative ground covers around your trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ground covers are usually perennials or self-seeding annuals, so they come back each year without much effort on your part.<\/strong> They do well with oak trees because their roots are generally more shallow, so they don\u2019t interfere with the oak roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grasses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many different types of grasses. If the grass in your yard has died out beneath your oak tree, that doesn\u2019t mean all types of grass will do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re going to plant grass under your tree, the <\/strong>University of New Hampshire Extension<\/strong><\/a> suggests planting a shade-tolerant variety. <\/strong>Many decorative grasses and some types of lawn grass grow quite well in the shade and, thus, make ideal companion plants for oak trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the following video for some tips on growing grass under oak trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Q7bV-A6Ber0<\/a>