planting around an apple tree

[Jungle Jane]

I'd like to get near to all-year interest as possible.
I know the Ivy idea could sound alarming, hence was looking for a variety that would not keep taking root, but rather cover the surface with evergreen leaves. I've seen it in some woodland park areas and like the look of all the glossy green leaves. Yes, it would climb up the trunks, but I thought I could trim it back, or trail it away from the tree in the opposite direction. Does that sound plausible?

For year round interest have you looked at vinca major 'variegata' it's a low growing evergreen shrub that can give you the same ground cover. Garliic & chives are good companian plants for apple trees as the smell deters some pests.

[chrisdb]

I forgot to recommend my all-time favourite herb! It's almost guaranteed to succeed in your situation, and it's the only herb I eat in bulk raw direct from the plant.



The reasons you should plant Sweet Cicely are:

1. It has nice ferny leaves. At the right time of year it has small clusters of white flowers which are quite attractive.
2. It tops out at about 1m (Wikipedia says 2m, but I've never seen mine get that big) and is herbaceous, so it won't get in the way of pruning and harvesting
3. All parts of the plant are edible with a gentle, sweet anise taste. This includes the seeds, leaves, stems and the long fleshy tap-roots
4. The unripe seeds and new stems in spring taste almost exactly like blackjacks, except they're completely natural and not full of processed sugar. As someone who loved blackjacks growing up, I will happily pull bits of the plant and chew on them while wandering around the garden.
5. The plant can be added to cooked dishes as a sweetener to reduce the amount of sugar needed - the use everyone always suggests is sweetening rhubarb.
6. It likes damp, fairly shady places. Heavy clay soil underneath fruit trees should be a perfect spot. In fact, giving it too much sun is a good way to make it unhappy - it goes a bit yellow and looks sad when exposed to hot dry conditions in the middle of summer.

The only major downside is that it's still quite rare to see it in garden centres, so you either need to get some from a friend who has it or plant seeds. To get the seeds to germinate you need to stratify them: this means putting them in a moist medium like sand and leaving them somewhere cold over the winter, either outside in a shed or garage or in your fridge. Without the cold they won't grow, but you need to be careful as mine started growing in the fridge after 3-4 months and had to be planted in early February.

Oh, it may also self-seed, especially in the North where winters are colder, but it doesn't spread by roots so you can just pull up the seedlings if you don't want them.

[SusieG]

Loses, got to agree with you re ivy, dreadful, dreadful stuff. I am fighting an ongoing battle with the darned stuff. Choking the old apple and pear trees and destroyed the garden wall. Sure I can see it spreading if I stand still for long enough! ....