RE: planting under pines

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>
>
> I am at a loss trying to figure out what to plant
> underneath a friend's pine tree. The ideas I found
> are not Med-plants oriented. I could go with pacific
> northwest natives, but the bed next to it is more
> Med-like. The two beds are separated by a staircase
> and have a decent slope!
>
> Any ideas are much appreciated!!!!
>
> Thanks!
> bridget
> seattle, wa (yes, it's raining right now)
>
> Hi again, Bridget.

 

Your transition won't have the grey, spiny look, but there are plenty of pine forests around the Mediterranean and a wide range of forest plants that keep your geographic theme.

 

I can close my eyes now and see openings in the pine forests [P. nigra] around Col de Bavella in Corsica, in a climate very close to that of the maritime Northwest US..  Carpets of anemones [A. apennina] and cyclamen [C. repandum], overtopped later by bracken. Elsewhere on the island, upland forests would have Corsican hellebore [Helleborus argutifolius]. You could grow these in Seattle, substituting Anemone blanda [easier to find], and add Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium, as well as any of the other hellebores.  All of these cohabit nicely with woodland ferns, perhaps male fern (Dryopteris felis-mas) or our native sword fern.  You wouldn't need to add the bracken if you don't have it! Euphorbias, certainly, with caution, and perhaps Daphne laureola, though the latter is beginning to get an invasive tag in western Oregon.

 

loren russell

corvallis, oregon