Underplanting a crab apple

Robmarston

I need some advice on what to plant under my crab apple. It is a tall red sentinel that is on the north side of the garden, but South facing. It is also at the front of the house next to the fencing railings.  I'd like to obscure the view from the road so would like to underplant with some shrubs, preferably evergreen.  I'd like something that grows to 3-5 feet high and wide. Does anyone have any suggestions and how close or far from the tree would I need to plant it? Thanks  

pansyface

I don’t think that apple trees much care for underplanting.

Would it be possible to plant something like an evergreen clematis against the railings and train it along the boundary fence?  If the fence isn’t high enough, could you put a small trellis alongside the fence?

Clematis armandii:

Robmarston

That’s not a bad idea. The railings aren’t high, and I’m training a Montana along them, but I need something evergreen. Hadn’t thought of another clematis 😊

pansyface

Unless your garden is extremely wide, like sixty or seventy feet wide, I don’t see a montana and an armandii co-existing. There would be a fight to the death.😊