Border plants around fruit trees

[new gardener 1052]

Good evening all... Picked up some bedding plants from lidl earlier in thinking about putting then into the ground around my apple trees. I also have some trees in containers would this be advisable ?

Or should I leave it bare?

Thanks in advance Steve.

[elsie-scot]

I read this last night, might be of interest
https://chriscondello.wordpress.com/...r-fruit-trees/

I have two apple trees, one has some chives under it. I moved the other one last year and it had various annuals growing by it.

[chrisdb]

I plant things under my trees. I keep grass away, but I have lots of low growing herbaceous perennials and small shrubs planted around them. If the worst comes to the worst and the trees shows signs of stress, putting down some woven plastic sheeting around the tree for a year will kill everything without pesticides and remove the source of the stress. But in my experience, underplanting with broadleaved plants doesn't slow down trees on semi-vigorous rootstocks much.

If you really want to be cautious, spring ephemerals like daffodils are probably the way to go as these are dormant when the trees are active.

[new gardener 1052]

thanks guys, just thinking to myself is it too early to be putting in bedding plants? we have had a few frosty mornings up here in Aberdeen. not sure how hardie pansys and marigold plants are.

[peachmonster]

Thanks for asking this question, I have been wondering about this too, as I'm planning a fruit tree area!

The pansies will be hardy, With the marigolds, it will depend which type you have, but you will want to harden them off if they've been grown inside so far.