Ideas Welcomed For Tree Surround

Hello,

In our recently landscaped garden sits a damson tree. It produces a bountiful crop although it doesn't seem in the best of health and it looses small branches annually. As you can see from the photos, the tree is elevated above the grass level and one or two roots are visible. The landscapers turfed around the tree last year.

We thought about installing some sort of a semi-circular seat around the tree to at least make a feautre in that part of the garden, but apart from that we don't know if anything would grow around it, being planted so near to almost bare roots.

The other consideration is that we have a newly acquired labrador, and we'd consider felling the tree if it would be poisonous for the dog.

Suggestions on ideas for this bare piece of earth are welcome.

 

Hi,
The seat idea is good. Or maybe build a rockery round it. Also troughs/planters could be the way to go.
I'm not sure whether the tree would be poisonous to your labrador but being a fruit tree I'm inclined to say no. Let us know what you decide on and pics would be good at a later date.

 

Hi Seafuryfan. your seat idea is on the right track. as you have a lovely open area overlooking your garden why not go the full hog?. A circular table built close around the tree with circular seating attached. imagine sitting there on a lovely warm summer evening with a lovely cool drink or two or five ???.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I particularly like the alpine plant/rockery suggestion. Would I need to have a timber surround to stop the soil/gravel spilling round the edges? And if I had a rockery, do I get large stones and plant the alpine plants in between them? I remember when there were stones before (I know why now!) it was a real nuisance, as all that grew between them was grass and it was a right b****r to keep under control - kept on breaking the strimmer blades. As you can tell I am rather new to this.

 

Table

Blimey, I'd never thought of having the table inside with the circular seating around, of course! An alternative seating area, sounds good. Thanks.

 

I dont personally think that its a good position for alpines.

I do like the open situation and the fields beyond.

I'd go for the seat option.

 

I'm going to be harsh about this one.

The seat idea seems pointless to me. You already have one just a very short distance away in the other corner, and adding another would upset the balance even further. It would also be right by the trampoline, not that you could escape the noise of screeching kids playing on that anyway. The big mistake was excavating within the space of the canopy of the tree in the first place.

The only thing in my mind that would remotely half sensible now, would be to raise the soil level back up again to form a flowing curve around the base, then create an area for spring flowing bulbs around the base of the tree, with shrubs placed deep into the corner.

 

Thanks for the further replies. Eddie, that part of the garden is open to some development possibly, I think you mean then taking away the entire area of grass behind the tree up to the fences beyond and planting shrubs around? That's an interesting one.
"The big mistake was excavating within the space of the canopy of the tree in the first place." Well, this area was already turfed when we arrived but we don't have to keep it that way. It would be nice to keep the tyre there, and we don't mind the noise from the trampoline as our youngest son is autistic, and fairly vocal at times.