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It is virtually impossible to grow a lush lawn under shade trees. However, most shade trees can coexist quite happily with a wide variety of shrubs and plants, including astilbe, hosta, azaleas, oak leaf hydrangeas and forsythia. To landscape under shade trees:
1 Remove all grass and weeds.
2. Add two to three inches of top soil and compost to the ground. A thicker layer of soil could smother some of the tree's roots.
3. Plant most of your shrubs and plants a few feet away from the tree's trunk to be sure they can get some water and nutrients.