Landscape Surrounding Maple Trees

Annuals

• Annuals grow for just a single season, but most provide long-lasting color with their blooms. Shade-tolerant varieties include the vinca or Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), a drought-tolerant annual that thrives in partial shade. This small plant grows from 6 to 18 inches tall and blooms in a range of colors, from red to blue, from spring through fall. Vincas are available in a variety of cultivars. Salvia (Salvia splendens) also bloom from late spring through fall. These annuals grow from 12 to 36 inches tall and produce spikes of blue, white and red flowers. They thrive in partial shade and well-drained soil.

Perennials

• Perennials live much longer than annuals -- for at least three years -- but most die to the ground in winter and regrow in the spring. Shade-tolerant varieties include monkshood (Aconitum spp.). Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 7, these perennials grow from 3 to 4 feet tall and produce blue and purple flower spikes in midsummer. They grow well in partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. The daisy fleabane (Erigeron spp.) also tolerates partial shade and prefers well-drained, or even dry, soil. This perennial grows from 12 to 24 inches tall and blooms in summer with white, pink, orange and purple flowers with yellow centers. It is hardy in zones 2 to 8 and native to North America.

Ground Covers

• Ground covers help control weeds in landscaping around maple trees. Varieties that thrive in shady sites include creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), a fast-growing deciduous plant that forms a spreading, 6- to 12-inch-tall mat of leafy, green stems. It blooms with trumpet-shaped, white to purple flowers in spring and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Creeping phlox grows best in partial to full shade. For lightly shaded areas at the edge of maple canopies, plant Chinese sedum. This evergreen grows to 3 inches tall and forms a carpet of green, rounded leaves that turn coppery red in autumn. It produces bright yellow flowers and is hardy in zones 4 to 8. Chinese sedum prefers light shade and well-drained soil.

Shrubs

• Shrubs define areas and borders within the landscape. Choose low-growing, shade-tolerant varieties that won't compete with maple tree root systems. The three-spine barberry (Berberis triacanthophora) grows from 3 to 5 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. This evergreen provides year-round color and texture with its bright green foliage. It blooms with yellow-to-white flowers and has spined stems. The threespine barberry grows well in partial shade and tolerates a range of soils. The dwarf jasmine (Jasminum parkeri) grows to 1 foot tall with a 2 1/2-foot spread. This deciduous shrub is hardy in zones 9 to 10 and produces fragrant yellow blossoms in early summer. It prefers well-drained soil and tolerates partial shade.