17 Oak Tree Landscaping Ideas: Improve the Aesthetic

Oak tree landscaping is an excellent idea for your backyard to make it come alive. Live Oak adds elegance and character to the landscape because of its sturdy bark and wide canopies.

There are numerous methods to incorporate Oak trees into your landscaping plans without compromising the trees. In this article, we have compiled several tips you can adopt to get the picturesque landscape you desire, let’s get started.

List of 17 Tips for Oak Tree Landscaping

Here’s a list of tips to improve your Oak tree landscaping project:

1. Mimic Nature

Fully grown Oak trees take up a lot of space. They cast such a wide shade, leaving you wondering if anything can grow underneath them. One sure way to get the best out of the environment is to imitate it in your backyard to its distinction. In this case, you want to look for plants and flowers that are naturally adherent to a little meadow.

2. Grow Around and Under Oak Trees

There are various species of Oaks, each of which is native to different regions. As a result, it’s best to know the type of Oak tree you have or want to plant to determine the best plants to grow around it. Identifying and Incorporating these plants into your landscaping plans ensures that the plants and the Oak trees thrive together without competing.

3. Growth of Big Roots

The roots of trees, like the white Oak trees, typically spread out away from the trunk, with the thinner parts furthest from the tree’s body, this is very aesthetically pleasing when it comes to your landscape.

As you can imagine, the roots are a vital part of the tree because they are responsible for absorbing nutrients from the soil and storing food. Hence, it’s essential to take extra care when planting around the trees.

When it comes to your landscape, be careful not to cut the roots or compress the soil around the tree when landscaping. If possible, add new soil to the area around the tree to grow other plants. Doing this ensures that the roots of your tree as well as your plants have room to breathe, resulting in an overall beautiful landscape.

4. Mulching

The significance of proper mulching can’t be overstated. It’s an excellent way to keep the soil around your Oak trees moist and for the earth to retain its structure and nutrients. Mulching can also add some aesthetic effects to the bottom of your tree as well as to your landscape. To elaborate further, it adds a pop of color to the landscape, depending on the type of mulch you use.

One thing you shouldn’t do is pile up so much mulch against the tree trunk. There should be a gap of at least eight inches when adding mulch to the base of your Oak. Also, ensure that the mulch is loosely packed on the soil’s surface.

5. Plant Various Flowers Surrounding

Your Oak trees shouldn’t have to stand alone in the garden. What better way to add beauty to your landscape than to plant flowers?

Planting different colors of flowers is a fun way to bring your Oak tree landscape to life. Of course, the flowers would have to be plants that thrive in shades. Make sure the flowers ar in the same soil, to receive the same nutrients.

Plants like Coral bells, purple needlegrass, and wild Lilacs would be a perfect addition to the scenery. Brightly colored flowers will give a sharp contrast with trees like the black Oak tree.

6. Build a Retaining Wall

The idea is to raise a stone or brick wall around your Oak trees. While adding a retaining wall to the base of the trees adds a unique uniform look to your garden, it can serve many other purposes. You could use it as the base for a flower bed.

This way, the unsightly bare roots of the tree are hidden away, leaving only pretty flowers for all to see, or maybe even the vibrant color of the mulch that you have placed.

7. Build a Structure Around the Tree

Have you ever seen a tree growing in the middle of a wooden patio type of structure? It didn’t just show up there. The tree is present amid the structure as a result of careful planning, either building the structure around the tree or planting a tree with Oak tree seeds in the middle of the structure. Either way, the effect of seeing a growing tree in a living space adds some dramatic effect.

An example of an outdoor structure that you can build around an Oak tree is a deck. Not only does the tree provide some shade from the sun, but it also adds some excitement to your outdoor living space. Imagine relaxing on your deck after a long day’s work, a few feet away from a giant tree.

While there are some disadvantages to building around a big tree like the Oak tree, the pros outweigh the cons if considered carefully.

8. Cover it With Lights

Lighting is very important in keeping the view. During the day, you can enjoy all the hard work you’ve done to have the perfect Oak tree landscaping without stress. However, what happens when it becomes dark? Proper lighting keeps the scenery alive long after the sky has gone dark.

With your outdoor space well-lit, you can choose to keep enjoying the scenery with family and friends long after dark. You can enjoy the lights which will make the landscape look like a fairytale story, as you have placed them on the tree branches.

9. Place a Playground

Oak trees grow quite large and spread out large canopies. This means that they have large, sturdy trunks and branches. Whether you want a quiet, relaxing area to read and write or an outdoor playground area for your kids, You can attach several things to the trunks on the trees to create your desired effect.

10. Place Hammocks

You can build things like hammocks, chairs, and swings under your tree’s canopy. The canopy provides shade on a sunny day while you relax and observe some quiet time. On the other hand, your kids would be thrilled if you decide to build a tree house or swings for them to play on.

11. Incorporate Edging

Edging is a beautiful way to highlight the features of your Oak tree landscaping.

You can use it to separate flower beds, mulched areas, and even single Oak trees. Consider outlining a space around the base of your Oak tree to give it a unique look. Have fun with it by outlining any shape you want.

Edging can also act as a deterrent to keep people, lawnmowers, and small pets away from the roots of your trees.

12. Weed Control

Weeds are a problem for gardeners and landscapers alike. They pop up everywhere and can be very difficult to get rid of. One thing that you might be tempted to use for the prevention of weed growth is plastic landscape sheeting.

While this would serve to prevent weed growth, it’s not the best option as it creates problems for your Oak trees and other valuable surrounding plants.

An alternative to plastic landscape sheeting is a piece of porous landscape fabric. An absorbent landscape fabric gets the job done, and if any stubborn weed pops up, it can easily be removed by hand.

13. Minimalistic Route Surrounding

Don’t get carried away with planting flowers that you forget the needs of your Oak trees. The roots need room to breathe, and because of this, it is not advisable to overcrowd the base area of the tree with plants or flowers in a bid to beautify your garden. Plant sparingly and space your flowers well.

You should have in the back of your mind the fact that Oak trees and small plants require water and nutrients from the soil. Therefore planting sparingly will eliminate excessive competition for nourishment.

Additionally, attempting to grow so many plants underneath your Oak tree can cause some damage to the roots. This results from all the digging that would need to be done for planting.

14. Consider the Root Protection

The root protection zone is any area between the trunk of your tree and the canopy’s edge. For Oak trees, their roots can spread as wide as three times the length of their branches. As a result, it is essential to note the root protection area because you need to take extra care when landscaping.

Walkways that go through the critical area would need to be redirected, so the root network does not become damaged over time. You can mark the area where the root is out of the soil and differentiated by the rest of the surface of the land.

15. Irrigate Properly Surrounding it

Oak trees don’t need a lot of water to survive. However, if you plan to have a garden around your Oak, you’ll need a proper irrigation and drainage system, as those plants will require more water than your tree.

Excess water can cause weeds and dangerous fungi to grow on and around your tree. Once this happens, they can be challenging to get rid of, and that won’t be an overall good look for your landscape. As a result, good drainage around your Oak tree is necessary to prevent waterlogging and the eventual growth of dangerous fungi.

16. Use Small Pots or Containers

Pots and DIY plant containers are a great way to add beauty to your Oak landscape while ensuring that the roots of your trees have enough space to breathe. Several plants can be grown in small pots around an Oak tree as long as they have shallow roots.

Additionally, since large plants can’t be grown underneath Oaks because of the shade, pots can be a great way to elevate the smaller plants to give them an elegant look. Keep in mind that anything that is too heavy risks compacting the ground beneath it.

Use lightweight pots and small containers to reduce the compacting of the soil. Alternatively, you can suspend the pots to make it look like you have a floating garden of flowers around your tree. That’ll definitely be a show-stopper.

17. Place Wooden Bird Houses

If you’re a bird lover or love bird-watching, you should consider building birdhouses on your Oaks and around the landscape.

It is possible to revive an old Oak tree by attracting birds to it. If you don’t mind a little bird noise and chirping, birdhouses and fountains are an excellent idea to include in your landscaping plans.

Select your preferred bird species and gather information on the type of nests they prefer, so you’re well equipped to provide the right bird house size to attract them. It’s a win-win for you and the birds. You get a picturesque landscape, and the birds get tree service.

Conclusion

Oaks grow to become very big, so if you have a large backyard, they’re an excellent tree option to have. Oak tree landscaping doesn’t require very much work. 

All you need to do is pay close attention to the details, and you’ll have a healthy Oak landscape for a long time. With the tips from this article, you can have the perfect Oak landscaping.