Tree Canopy; dry soil - what will grow?

dgar3727

Hi, having recently re-landscaped my garden I have discovered the joy of gardening.  My side borders are getting organised quite well but I am stumped by the back of the garden.  We have a section at the back where I want to put a border, but it is under a tree canopy (made up of Horse Chestnut and Oaks all with preservation orders) and the soil can be quite dry - I assume not only due to the rain not getting through the canopy but also due to the roots taking up moisture. It also gets quite a bit of sun during the day, so is not necessarily shaded.

I would appreciate any suggestions for plants that would tolerate being planted in this position.  I am probably more traditional in terms of my planting of the side borders so far (crocosmia, lavender, penstemons, ferns) and probably want plants that would blend with these but am open to some new suggestions!

Thanks

Ladybird4

Hi dgar. There are some geraniums that would happily tolerate that type of situation and they come in several colours and types.

Dovefromabove

I have a similar very dry area under ash trees at the end of my garden ... we garden it in a sort of 'woodland' style ... things that seem happy there are Dryopteris ferns, Sweet Woodruff (Galium oderatum), Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver', Helleborus foetidus, Iris foetidissima, Arum italicum and Geranium phaeum.