What to plant around sycamore - climbers and others

I've just cleared the bed at the base of a mature sycamore (well, done the first pass, anyway - will need a bit more work.) Bit of a shame as I've pulled out some lovely bluebells but they were heavily outnumbered by dandelions and nettles so I've decided to start from scratch.

Picture below for info. The fence you can see faces about north-north-east.

I like the idea of a climber. Presumably it'll be too dark for wisteria or roses? Does that leave much other than clematis or honeysuckle? I've just put a hydrangea petiolaris in elsewhere and am not so keen with having one in the tree.

If I go for clematis, would it be feasible to put in two, an early and a late, and would they be happy being left to their own devices or do the late varieties really need pruning back every spring?

Any ideas regarding some nice ground cover plants under whatever I go for would also be welcome.

Also, in the gap between the fence and the tree, I put a couple of sarcococcus confusas earlier this year (visible in the pictures). They aren't looking very happy; should I worry/do anything, or do they just take some time to settle? Should they grow to act as reasonable ground cover, or is there something else very shade-tolerant that I could put around them - was perhaps thinking of vinca minor but wouldn't want them to spread beyond the railing into the adjacent bed, and I understand they're rather invasive.

All and any ideas welcome (I'm an almost complete novice.)

Thanks

 

Sycamore are greedy feeders ... I think you may struggle to get much to grow at their feet.

 

Sorry to have to agree with Kristen but to be honest apart from perhaps some Spring bulbs I honestly don't think you will have much success growing anything around such a big specimen. I have a fair few Sycamore of similar size to yours and even the weeds struggle to compete with them! From the photo it does look as tho the grass isn't exactly lush near the tree because the tree will be taking all the moisture and nutriants on offer and leaving anything else to starve. If the fence continues well beyond the tree then maybe you could plant some Clematis a good distance from the tree and train the growth towards it.

 

We have a big old sycamore, even bigger it would seem at the base than yours. There are plants such as epimedium that do very well and look lush despite the poor conditions.

 

OK, thanks, appreciated. I'll shelve the climber idea and research a few more plants that can cope with the shade and poor soil. Epimedium looks like a good place to start (not heard of them before.)

 

Might it be a feasible idea to build up the stone circle a bit more and fill it with some decent soil, and then bung a montana or two along with some ground cover in what would effectively be a raised bed - or would the sycamore just leach all the goodness out anyway?

 

You say it faces NNE, sorry, that is also going to limit what will do well. I think you would probably have to bring the level up at least two feet, to establish anything there, but it's worth a try.

 

Its not good for the tree to bring soil level up the trunk.

There are plants that will grow is shady dry conditions, just not many.

 

Ferns ...thats what you want...they'll grow like good uns....

 

Dryopteris would be a good place to start

 

I've just planted a wisteria in between two mature sycamore trees... Doh