Planting a Gardens Around Your Trees And Shrubs With a Ring Garden
Trees and shrubs in lawns can be difficult to mow and weed whack
around and it cause damage to the tree’s bark. Roots might also come through
the soil and cause tripping hazards. One option is to plant your trees and
shrubs in island beds or ring gardens, which provide a buffer to protect your
trees and shrubs and your humans.
What is a Ring Garden?
You will either love or hate a ring garden around your trees
and shrubs. They come in many different forms, but the concept remains the same.
A circular area around the tree is bordered at a desired diameter and then it
is filled with plants, mulch, rocks and/or other material. The focus can be for
visual interest, to keep the trees safe from mechanical injury, or both. There
are many ideas to create a unique ring garden that can give your yard a
facelift and tie your tree into the landscape.
Tree care professionals refer to ring gardens as “islands.”
These can be a variety of shapes but essentially they are areas of soil or
mulch extended away from the trunks of your trees and shrubs.
Tree and Shrub Island Beds
When it comes to tree ring gardens the only thing limiting
you is your imagination. Add no 2 to 4 inches of soil or mulch at the tree base
to avoid bacterial/fungal issues from close contact to the bark. Border it
however you like.
The plants you choose for the new area should take into
consideration things like moisture, lighting, the range of the tree roots and
the depth you can plant at. You can damage the tree roots if they are disturbed,
so plan the garden with this in mind.