Plants that Grow Under Pine Trees

Are pine needles are the cause of acidic soil beneath pine trees?  This idea is pretty common but the surprising answer is no, pine needles do not cause the soil to be overly acidic. Normally, pine needles barely affect the soil PH, but they can cause slightly more acidic conditions if they are worked into the soil. The pine needles, which are themselves fairly acidic, lay on top of the soil and decompose very slowly. The slow decomposition allows microbes in the soil to neutralize the acidity from the pine needles, over time.

Pines trees (conifers) naturally prefer acidic soil, and it’s best to choose like-minded plants as companions for underplanting.

 The problem lies in whether the plants can survive the pine needle mulch that will surround them. Pine needles are very dry, with a waxy coating, and overall their value as a mulch is not very good or effective. The other condition which prevails under pines is the shade. While many plants can grow near pine trees, not many can survive directly beneath the pine tree in constant shade.

Plants that thrive under pine trees will prefer an acidic soil and have the ability to withstand shade and drought. It sounds limiting, but there are many plants, including flowers, ferns and sedges that are good choices.

Actaea pachypoda - White Doll's Eyes

Actostaphylos uva-ursi - Bearberry

Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger

Aquilegia canadensis - Columbine

Aster divaricatus - White Woodland Aster

Aster cordifolius - Heart Leaved Aster

Campanula americana - Tall Bellflower

Campanula rotundifolia - Harebell

Cardamine concatenata - Cutleaf Toothwort

Dicentra eximia - Wild Bleeding Heart

Geranium maculatum - Wild Geranuium

Helianthus divaricatus - Woodland Sunflower

Hepatica acutiloba - Sharp Lobed Hepatica

Heuchera villosa - Maple Leaved Alum Root

Iris cristata - Dwarf Crested Iris

Maianthemum stellatum - Starry Solomon's Plume

Mertensis virginica - Virginia Bluebells

Podophyllum peltatum - Mayapple

Polemonium reptans - Jacob's Ladder

Polygonatum biflorum - Solomon's Seal

Solidago flexicaulis - Zigzag Goldenrod

Solidago odora - Anise Scented Goldenrod

Trillium grandiflorum - Large Flowered (white) Trillium

Trillium recurvatum - Prairie Trillium

Uvularia gradiflora - Bellwort


FERNS

Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern

Athyrium felix-femina - Lady Fern

Dennstaedtia punctilobula - Hayscented Fern

Dryopteris marginalis - Marginal Wood Fern

Gymnocarpium dryopteris - Oak Fern

Osmunda regalis - Royal Fern


SEDGE & GRASS

Carex eburnea - ivory sedge

Carex pensylvanica - Pennsylvania Sedge

Chasmanthium latifolium - Northern Seaoats


SHRUBS

Viburnum trilobum - Highbush Cranberry

Diervilla lonicera - Bush Honeysuckle

 

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