Driving around town, I see a lot of tree rings in suburban front yards. Little metal circles surrounding trees large and small, filled with mulch or flowers. I’ve seen some done well and with a purpose, while others seem to lack significance in both form and function. What makes the difference?
Tree rings are usually installed to protect young trees from the hazards of the weed-whacker or mower. As the tree grows, it doesn’t really need that protection, and the initially installed teensy tree ring has grown to look ridiculous and perfunctory. Here are some guidelines to consider:
- Material: Use a mortared rock or simple steel edging, but please, for the love of God, don’t use the concrete scallops (above) or the black plastic edging.
- Size: Make sure the size of the tree ring is proportionate to the size of the tree and tree trunk. A too-small tree ring looks like size 5 shoes on Bozo the Clown.
- Transition: As the tree grows, monitor the need for the tree ring. If you feel like the tree is big enough to go it alone, remove the ring and resod up to the tree trunk. If you want to keep it, expand the circle. If you have multiple trees, begin to connect the tree rings into an understory bed, otherwise your lawn will begin to look like a giant checkers game.
- Fill: Fill the tree ring with either mulch or flowering plants. Don’t do a groundcover–it usually requires a weed-whacker to keep it in place, and then you’ve defeated the purpose. Keep the weeds out.
I”m not really a fan of the tree ring–I just find it’s usually unnecessary and can look fussy. Don’t be afraid to buck the system and forego it–just be careful when you mow and edge! Whatever your decision, this one’s more an issue of personal taste, but if you keep general principles of proportion in mind, you’ll be fine.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree! It should also be noted that mulch should not be piled up around the tree trunk, as this is detrimental to the health of the tree.
I agree wtih the tree rings… having said that… I still have the stone ring (oval) where my trees once were but since I have my sculpture there I have left them alone. If you really want to go crazy check out the house on the corner near Manchaca and Lansing the next time you are out. He has big white rings all over the yard! It really does looks like a checkerboard.
To reinforce what Cheryl has already said: never raise the soil (or mulch) level above the bark callus at the base of the trunk. Moisture can damage the thin layers of tissue where the water goes up from the roots and the food comes down from the leaves, effectively choking off the tree’s metabolism. One of the most common ways to kill a tree! If your tree trunk seems to go straight up and down out of the soil, rather than flaring outward slightly at the base, it’s likely that the soil/mulch level is too high.
I thought the open ring was there to make it easier to water the tree while young.
In Europe I’ve even seen newly planted street trees with a semi-permeable pipe sticking up out of the ground. The pipe was used to water the tree and make sure the water actually got to the roots, rather than run into the gutter.
Here are do-it-yourself instructions for watering trees with a pipe, and a scholarly paper.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5107487_water-roots-using-pvc-pipe.html
http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Deep%20pipe%20irrigation.pdf
Helen & Cheryl: Totally agree! Piling soil or mulch around a tree trunk is never a good idea. We’re always very careful when landscaping around trees.
Terri: I’ve seen that yard a gazillion times! It cracks me up–obviously, they are people who are really into their yard, but it’s definitely a study in excess!
Apel, that’s really cool! I’ve never seen the pipe feature before, but it makes sense. It may be that it was done because the tree was in a public place by the curb–meaning, there is a lack of a larger landscape bed to irrigate. The smaller area by the street where the trees are planted may need a little more help with irrigation. I’ll check out the paper you provided a link for–thank you! Tack!