Mumsnet Talk

We've got an Amerlanchier tree (quite a small tree, white blossom in spring, green leaves in summer turning red in autumn) and just ugly bare earth underneath it.

What would be a good plant to put around its base, which will tolerate the shade and dry conditions? Ideally it would be something white in spring to go with the white blossom, but that may just be me being greedy.

You could always plant forget me nots which self seed and are a lovely blue shade- nice contrast. Or some bulbs such as crocus or snowdrops?
Some of the hardy geraniums are white and would survive in shade. Otherwise you could go for just foliage like heuchera. There'a a shade loving plant called pulmonaria which has white/silver leaves and I think there's a white flower variety.

White geraniums, macrorrhizzum and phaeum are both good under trees and have white flowering varities, white Pulmonaria, snowdrops, white narcissi, Liriope for evergreen cover.

Wood anenomes

Thanks for all your suggestions so far - any more, keep them coming!

I will definitely plant some snowdrops, and will look at white geraniums maybe mixed with forget me nots.

some ideas on here
[[http://www.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=430]

That link didn't work Pannacotta, but I will have a look at the RHS website. Am ordering snowdrops today.

www.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=430

Thanks Pannacotta. That is exactly what I was looking for!

I've got four of these trees. Love them. Snowy blossom in Spring. Bright orange autumn leaves. I took cuttings from a few different varieties of Clematis Montana and put them in as ground cover plants under the trees. Free and beautiful. Just trim back when too long. Also no messing with annual plants that need lots of work.

Thanks for the tip ChristieF. Doesn't the clematis montana have to have something to grow up? Did it grow around the tree trunk or did you put in other supports?

I have got some montana growing against a fence - have never taken cuttings in my life though! Do you just cut off a bit of stem?

Yes Montana are usually climbers but they don't have to be. They form a lovely mound of foliage which you can rim into a hummock. Lovely white star flowers too which echo the starry flowers of the amelanchier. Lovely. Bit late for cuttings now. Take them when plant is growing fast in spring and summer. Just nip off sections of new growth. About three inches long. Bottom cut under where the leaf joint is. Cut top just over the top of another leaf joint (where leaves join the stem). Take four or five cuttings to make sure some come through. Take off all the leaves except the bottom two. Normally you'd have to put cuttings into a pot with a plastic bag over to force roots. With clematis montana it's so rampant that you can just put them into the ground and they'll soon have formed their own roots. Give it a go. Nothing to lose.