ljszone,
Try deadnettle AND sweet Woodruff for ground covers under the tree and along side the garage.
Sweet Woodruff by the garage definately.
Water regularly til established, they will be competing with a tree for water after all.
A container with beautiful flowers next the garage would also look sharp.
You don't have to have sun all day long for alot of annuals, just a couple hours a day will keep them alive and blooming.
Now, the privacy issue. Oh my goodness, you are right up on the street. I would hate that!
If you have some money (about 500.00) you could buy beautiful bamboo privacy screens and try to anchor them somehow with bricks. You could bend them so they deliver maximum privacy where needed and put them in the garage in winter. (that is what I would opt for, instant privacy)
If the budget is tight, there is always a big solid unbrella that could be positioned so the traffic would not see you and you them.
Or you could buy an inexpensive gazebo at a home center or Sam's wholesale club and drape material on the sides you want private (like the street side).
There is also container gardening. We have a forum on here with wonderful people who can grow ANYTHING in a container including big shrubs to put at the street for privacy.
Mabey a long cedar box about 3 feet high and evergreen shrubs planted in the box.
Just a few suggestions.
I understand your frustration.
Good Luck!

Thanks for the suggestions.
I especially like the long cedar box with evergreens-I have one struggling bush in a whiskey barrel. I had been thinking of some kind of concrete ones next to the garage that I can leave out year-round.
The pavement next to the patio is my driveway but the street at the end of it is busy with foot and car traffic.
Keep 'em coming!
-L

It's a big tree, and it is basically challenging you for jurisdiction over this area. It's winning.

If cutting it down is not an option, then this is your patio, leaving you no options other than to decorate, rather than design, the area.

Big trees, like big RVs, take up storage space. We often choose to own things like this for their other benefits, like the freedom to go roadtripping, or for shade. But in effect, you can't do anything else in the area where you store them.

KarinL

One thing to try and get over is that people jogging or driving by are paying much less attention to us as we garden or sit enjoying our yards than we think they are. I do think a long (and relatively deep) planter is your best immediate solution; provide something to close up some of the "open" and give you a space to plant up and enjoy looking at. And I'd be further tempted to go with some of the dazzling array of annuals on the market today rather than evergreens or shrubs. Annuals and planters just go together - and for the price of a good shrub, you can do annuals for quite a few seasons - plus you expect them to die when they've done their thing. If you're a seed saver or winter sower, you've got your stock for the next season.

As for along the garage - the old hostas from whence the multitude of thousands of new varieties sprung are still available at most of the big box stores' seasonal garden centers. Not a real hosta expert, but like them and have always had them and I believe any variety with "Sieboldiana", "Plantaginea", "Lancifolia", "Aureomarginata" in the name is what to look for in dealing with a troublesome spot. And if your soil along the garage is as bad as you say, the Hosta FAQ person says to amend with whatever you've got handy - chipped up leaves, sphagnum peat, top soil, compost, well rotted manure...

And then there are ferns; probably the easiest of which is the Ostrich Fern. Quite nice if planted in a contained spot - like against a garage and driveway.

Hello ljsZone:
Upon seeing your pictures, I had a couple of questions for you.

1. What is your patio made of? Is it big slabs of stone or concrete or bare clay or asphalt? Could you not reconfigure whatever this stuff is further over next to the fence (partially screening the area with the tree) to make more room for both the tree and a larger patio adjacent to the garage? Running a nice path to the drive or even through the old patio area, lined with hardy shrubs in planters or a vine covered fence, would further screen the area. The best opportunity for screening, however, looks like it would be on the other side of the drive.

2. What is your objection to sheet mulching the space? This would make for a much larger, less dusty look and build up the soil at the same time. The tree would undoubtedly appreciate the humus creation and water water retention that a permanent mulch layer would provide. And, in a few years, the soil conditions would be right to plant shade lovers like ferns, azaleas, etc., wherever you want them.

I'n not a designer but I would get latticed planters, where the planter has a lattice built into it, and plant vines and annuals in there, dump whatever organic matter you can get your hands on in the area next to the garage and plant hostas, ferns, epimedium, on either side of a slightly curved stone walk, preferably made with the same stone as the patio.

Thank you for the great ideas--I am so appreciative.

More information:
The patio is Goshen Stone.
Next to the garage I have tried: pachysandra, day lilies, vinca, hosta and lily of the valley; rhododendron, holly and potentilla and of course even grass. The soil is packed clay, the roots are reaching up for water and the top layer is a hard crust that shrinks and (I think) squeezes the plants. I get the feeling my whole yard is just tired-this house has been here 270 years.
A few years ago I dumped a load of mulch there and it looked cleaner but sort of empty and undefined so maybe with a path or even a few more big stones through the middle.
I am very interested in all the planter ideas for that area as well as the privacy part.
As an aside, just over the fence my neighbors rototilled the roots to shreds, added soil and planted shrubs which are doing fine. I worry about further stressing the tree though.
Any thoughts about the dirt mound under the tree?

Here are a coupled clearer photos from this morning.
Again, Thanks.

-LJS

{{gwi:37256}}

{{gwi:37257}}

Well I would definitely keep the tree for its shade, but plant some lovely lush ferns all around it to give a more relaxing feel to the space. Secondly, I would take the last row of slate (along the street) out and place a row of evergreen shrubs planted 3' on centers, along the patio area for privacy from the street. Narrow pyramidal arborvitae comes to mind, or even skypencil holly (if you can find tall enough ones). Hope this gives you some useful ideas! :)

Here's the key line from the OP:
"nothing will grow"

I have gardened under a large tree for 15 years and as a plantaholic who WILL find something to grow and ways to grow it in any situation, I can echo: "nothing will grow."

The word "lush" and this sort of situation have absolutely no point of intersection. They do no co-exist. Even ferns, of which I have some dozen or so different ones, do not thrive, they survive. It is not landscape gardening, it is plantsman gardening, where they only pleasure you get from the plant is in the possession of it; its appearance, as you water it daily only to hear something that sounds like the tree smacking its lips, does nothing, and people will wonder why such a keen gardener has such anemic-looking plants.

I wasn't sure from the OP, however, whether the property over the fence from the tree is yours or a neighbour's.

What the neighbour did, or what any soil amendments will do, is stimulate root growth from the tree into the amended areas. Your neighbour will have to redo this rototilling and planting every 2-3 years to keep those shrubs looking barely alive.

That is basically what I have done - I've totally relandscaped the yard and replanted new, vigorous plants every couple of years. Since, as a mom of small kids at the time, each relandscaping has taken me at least two years and was never quite finished by the time I gave up, the yard has looked like he** for the entire time (barring the first year the first patio went in). I've given up on patios, have just decided the forest floor look is what I have and have to live with, and made raised beds with rocks and added several containers. However, the plants have steadily decreased in size with each passing year, and I will have to move them or lose them if tree removal doesn't happen this year.

And yes, it is horrible to be in during the summer - dry, dusty, a haven for spiders, and for pests that eat my plants.

Now, the tree under which I garden belongs to the neighbour, but sits very close to my property line. The current owners have, bless them, agreed to take the tree down this year, but the wear and tear on my joints, the time spent reworking and relandscaping the space, the time spent watering, and the mental energy spent being angry about this tree and wondering how to cope will never be returned to me.

Now that I know your neighbour's story, something tells me your neighbour feels the way I do, or if not now, will by the time they have to replace those shrubs. The tree bothers you, but you make a choice to keep it. The neighbour, trust me, feels the powerlessness of the tree being on your property. If it had been my tree, I would have worked with it for the first ten years we were here. But now, it is a thug, making no allowances for co-existence with humans (it's a tree, they don't have a mechanism for that), and I would have had it down at the latest two years ago. It is very, very frustrating to have no control over something that affects your property and by extension your life and time so dramatically. I would have less trouble, almost, if he were storing an RV across the property line.

Anyway, so your first question, and one I would, in your position, work through with the neighbour, is whether the tree stays or goes.

If it goes, you can landscape fully according to your preferences, and - wonder of wonders - you can plant a new tree in a better position, and one with deeper roots.

If it stays, then it dictates the quality of your outdoor experience, the look and feel of your landscaping. Period. Well, more accurate to say, the tree IS your landscaping. There is nothing you can do, except put up some planter boxes to disguise its effect and learn to like it dusty, which is something you can figure out without the help of an international forum. No forum can help you landscape over an already existing and dominant landscape.

If the tree stays, you answered your own question in your OP: "nothing will grow."

KarinL

Wow,Karin, are you a bit bitter?

Actually, the 2nd picture posted today shows plants growing quite nicely on the left side, and a tree that size has surely sent roots out over there, too.

LJS, the area doesn't look too dark for plants to grow. You say the soil is hardpacked and compacted. So, how you deal with that is to dump as much organic matter in the area as you can. Layer newspaper or cardboard, get free used coffee grounds from Starbucks, buy some compost, pile it on, lay down some soaker hoses and mulch. Plant into this mix and and keep it watered. The organic matter and moisture will keep the soil soft enough for roots to penetrate.

Just planting into the existing soil wouldn't work; the plants would be starved for air and moisture. Enough OG would address both of those problems.

Apply the same principals to the base of the tree. Organic matter even laid on very thickly would not hurt the tree in the least (as long as you leave a few inches just around the base of the tree, as you should with any mulch) and plant something stoleniferous and shallow rooted, such as lamium, perhaps. Or epimedium, which can do very well in dry shade.

Wow reality can be harsh!
The facts are all there Karin but the order is mixed--the tree belongs to me and the neighbors love it. We have no resources to remove the tree and remains. You do seem to understand just how greedy a tree like that is.
Giboosi, how would that work to have all the surrounding ground that much higher than the tree and backyard? What happened when I mulched was that it kept spilling on to the patio area. You cannot see it in these pictures but there is a huge pine tree 15' further done that adds to the shade problem. I would have no issues with chopping that one down and leaving the stump.

You can put up a moveable fence so you can take it down in winter. They have fence post stones that will hold a 4x4 post that you can move in winter.

Organic matter isn't the same as mulch. It's much more porous and less likely to just wash down. The mulch would wash off due to the hard compact soil underneath, but if you moisten the ground and then put on the OM, and top with mulch, the water should run down through the mulch and OM, and the soil which is covered and therefore softer should absorb it more easily.

And you could always put some kind of border around it to hold it in place. Rocks, if you have them, would look nice.

I saw a nice solution for a bit of privacy in one of P. Allen Smith's books. (What's the P stand for anyway?)

He used a couple of very large planting pots, and poured concrete into the bottom 6 inches or so, using a piece of pipe or something inserted through a drainage hole in the bottom to keep it open. Stick 2x2 or so piece of wood vertically into the concrete at one side, and prop it up straight until the concrete sets up. Remove the pipe in the hole, fill the rest of the container with soil, and use the vertical wooden pieces to construct a trellis that runs between the two pots. Plant a vine in the pots.

You might want to weather the concrete a bit before planting, and I've heard of washing it down with white vinegar to neutralize the alkalinity a bit, but I have no idea if this works. An acid loving plant might need regular adjustment of the pH just to be safe until the lime leaches out of the concrete.

If you are determined to water and pamper, you should be able to grow plants that will tolerate dry shade. I don't think I'd try any shrubs, but a groundcover would keep down the dust a bit.

Have you thought about getting large pots to line the patio with along the road? How neat would it be to have plants with bamboo growing in them? You could even grown creepers out of the bottom of the pots.

Hanging ferns spiraling around tree, with a moss garden around tree.

Just throwing some ideas out there for you. Good luck, I'm sure it will be beautiful.

Let's tackle the soil compaction problem first. Purchase a generic (cheap) baby shampoo. Pour a bit in a hose end sprayer. set the dial on 3 tablespoons per gallon and spray the compacted soil area with this every week for four weeks. Then, once a month thereafter during the growing season. Only takes a few minutes and is harmless. Shortly you will notice that the soil is draining. What you are doing is using a surfactant which is a time honored method of opening up soils, even clay soils. Google the term 'surfactant' for more information. No need to get into heavy mulching to encourage draining.

In the design world frustrating little spots such as yours require some thought. Sometimes you just have to set your mind to having fun with them. You have unlimited possibilities with large pot groupings filled with shade plants. If pots do not fit your budget then raid construction sites for pieces of treated wood which are suitable for building plant boxes. Think in terms of various pot heights. Keep an eye on Big Lots type stores for pots and objects suitable for the garden which can sometimes be found. There is no reason why you can't hang interesting bric-a-brac on the shed..even a window box. A few passes through a flea market may turn up an old hay rake, bits of iron pieces, horseshoes. In your situation I would encourage you to think a bit 'funky' and enjoy the process. Sometimes it is okay in the landscaping world of deep shade and adverse conditions.

Nandina, a penny finally dropped for me after reading this, although I've seen you put out the suggestion before. I water my whole under-tree area with siphoned bathwater which obviously has soap in it, and I've often wondered whether it has any negative impact on the plants... but maybe it is is the reason why I can grow anything there at all.

Looking around the under-tree area again yesterday with this thread in mind, I have to say that I do manage to keep it looking pretty good at least this far into the year (looks really tired by August), but it is at the cost of a lot of work. Also, the other thing it provides a lot of is spider habitat - another thing that makes it not-so-ideal for outdoor living.

Finally, from the roto-tilling story it sounds as though your neighbours are not quite clear on the concept of trees. Nice shade, well yeah, but the shade comes with roots attached, and in fact requires those roots! If your tree dies, or if it survives and they have to replace those lovely new shrubs in three years, they'll begin to get it. They're just a little behind you on the learning curve. Perhaps you should encourage them to plant their own tree on their side of the fence pending the removal of this one in maybe 5-10 years - and maybe at that time they will be ready to split the cost, as we are doing with our neighbours.

KarinL

It depends on the kind of tree, and it depends on the kind of climate. Growing things under deciduous trees really isn't nearly that dire in places that it rains. The local college is doing a half way decent job of growing grass under a 200 year old silver maple hybrid. There isn't anything within about 3 ft of the tree, but about 6 ft out it doesn't look much worse than the rest of the lawn.

Evergreens that shed water all year are the truly nasty ones to deal with.

I keep checking back here and cannot believe my good fortune to have all of these creative, thoughtful ideas coming to me! It is all I think about lately. This is the year I do it.
I have some old painted window boxes, a big galvanized bucket that leaks. Lots of possibilities for planters.
Is there a type of groundcover that comes in seed form that I could try under the tree? Can I plant and try the soap treatment at the same time?
Thanks.
-LJS

Yes, you can plant and use the soap treatment at the same time. If you would like to grow moss under the tree there is a very easy method which is never mentioned in the million different methods suggested for moss growing. First, clear the area to be mossed of plant growth. Do not dig, just pull disturbing the soil as little as possible. The best moss growth occurs on the fine soil particulates that work their way to the surface over many years.

Now, collect moss (lots of it) using a flat bladed shovel so that you can scoop up the soil underneath it. I find it also easy to use a kitchen dough blade for collecting moss. When you start looking you will note that moss grows in the strangest places. Check out sidewalk cracks and parking lot drainage sections. Spread the moss out on newspaper in a warm place until very dry. An attic is a perfect spot. When dry, crumble the moss and force it through a kitchen sieve over the area to be mossed. Keep misted, then well watered, weeded and enjoy a moss garden under your tree.

Hi, Have you ever gone over to the Garden Junk forum? I'll bet you'll find ideas over there that you never considered, and if money is a problem, most of us just shop from the curb, lol. It's a great place to ask the same questions, and don't forget to post the pics. You'll find it in garden forums at the top of the page in the green area. Linda

We have a similarly large tree but have managed to plant quite a lot under it. Six years ago we put in a slightly raised bed around the tree (a huge silver maple), added good fresh soil and quickly planted some tough customers - hostas, epimediums and other dry shade recommended plants. We didn't make the bed too deep as we didn't want to suffocate the tree roots - just deep enough to put some new plants. They are all doing fine and have filled in the space beautifully. The tree roots will invade the space but if you put in some tough, decent-sized plants to start, by the time the tree roots start moving up into the new soil the other plants will be well enough established to not care.

Looking at the road/privacy issue, I like the idea of a large planter box with evergreens. Yews are good for dry, shady areas and can be easily pruned to shape and size. Just make sure the planter box is big enough for them to get through a zone 5 winter and give them lots of water before freeze-up (you might want to protect them with burlap if the road is salted or if the sun would be hitting them in winter).

And for colour - a couple of big pots of impatiens and fuschia.

Good luck - let us know what you decide to do!

Nandina, thankyou for the compacted soil tip!

LJS, I think several people here have suggested you try a planter and trellis combo and a catalogue I recently thumbed through came to mind. Thought the link would help you to visualize one of your privacy solutions, whether purchased or created, a little better.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plow and Hearth planter

LJS, I love that your home is 270 years old! How wonderful that it has survived and sheltered families for so long.

You have gotten lots of practical ideas here for the soil and for planters, I've even learned allot just reading it all too.

Now if you would like some fun ideas,go post your pics on the Garden Junk forum and see if they can give you some projects that will breathe new life and some fun into your little patio area. They all try to repurpose and reuse things so the projects are usually not expensive. Hope to see you there.

Luvs

LJS, I love that your home is 270 years old! How wonderful that it has survived and sheltered families for so long.

You have gotten lots of practical ideas here for the soil and for planters, I've even learned allot just reading it all too.

Now if you would like some fun ideas,go post your pics on the Garden Junk forum and see if they can give you some projects that will breathe new life and some fun into your little patio area. They all try to repurpose and reuse things so the projects are usually not expensive. Hope to see you there.

Luvs

LJS,
I am no landscaper by all means. I've wanted to become one...and I want to take a Master Gardening program...If it was my place (remind you I'm from over at the Garden Junk side)(oh and BTW I think it's totally cool that you have a home that's over 200+ years old)-- I'd go further and develop the land between the tree and the back of the garage--draw the eye in. Maybe extend with a few more of the stepping stones here and there perhaps filling in the back right of the tree to give it a curved feel. Maybe a couple of whiskey barrels set diagonal between the tree and the garage that serves as an entrance to the side there. Get some sort of trellis that resembles the one up by the front of the house and plant each side of it in the whiskey barrels. Plant some sort of shade loving vine to grow up the trellis. For some sort of whimsey add a tipsy pot (refer to Garden Junk) by the tree. Add some small succulants or shade loving plants there in the pots. It screams some sort of water feature by that tree and it doesn't even have to have a pump. It draws people in to the area..Add gambusia affinis (mosquito fish that resemble a plain looking guppy and a water plant. I think adding more vertical features would enhance your patio. Take a look at my album. It is unsorted but most photos in there are of something in my gardens. You could still could do all that AND put whiskey barrels every few feet bordering the street to create a more private area.

Hope I've given you some good ideas.
Love, Jules

Here is a link that might be useful: Julie's Garden Junk Unsorted Album

Here's a link to the pots-with-trellis, with directions for making it, that I mentioned earlier, right from Smith's website. I think it's very attractive, and easier (and less expensive) than building wooden planter boxes, unless you use very pricey pots.

Note: the illustration of the pieces laid out on the ground is incorrect, he describes (and shows in the finished trellis) the two pairs of longer "legs" on the outside, with four shorter verticals in the center. The photo of the layout shows two shorts in the center, and one on each end.

Here is a link that might be useful: trellis

I kinda get the impression you want a secret garden. By the garage, make yourself a walkway down the middle of the side of the garden ending in a patio for a small 2 chair sized table. There are a lot of plants that like the shade that you could plant along the fence and garage. If you are not sure, pot up 3 and put a pot next to the fence and next to the garage and at the end where the small table could be. See where that plant likes it best and put all 3 there. You can hang pots from the fence. You can put a mirror on the fence or garage to mirror the other side and make it feel greener and bigger. Put a small water feature there. Put a permanent trellis to cover the opening except for a walk way or entrance. All just suggestion to get the creative juices unblocked.

Be blessed you have a tree to give you some cooler air on your patio. We have a hot summer coming. Paul James, the Gardener Guy, made a house call a week or so ago and told the man with the same tree situation, not to put dirt on top of the roots. Some trees will sprout up new if covered. He used a black rubber border around the garden area. Then covered the area under the tree with 4" of red bark mulch. Then he put potted ferns in spots and hung some in the tree.
Tree roots do not grow deep into the earth as some people think. Deep tap roots do not keep a tree from falling over. They grow out with the size of the tree to grip the earth and get water. If the tree gets bigger around on the leaf crown, the roots grow out to the 'dew line' to capture the water. That is where you should water a tree.

If you want to have a privacy screen, you can try one out by making one of cloth. Landscape shade cloth is good cause you can see from the shade out to the sun but they do not see you. Sail cloth or umbrella cloth will work. Heck any material will work. Just may have to remake if the cheaper material fades with the years. You can use a privacy screen from say Target that has a plain linen type weave. Since they stand up in a home, they will stand in the yard unless you have a big wind. You can put up as you want privacy or move around to the area you want to cover or put up when not in use. If you want, sink rebar or pipes between the stones of the edge of the patio. Take the material you use for the screen and put hems or channels in it and put it over the pipes. when you are thru eating or sitting out, take them down and put in garage or into another area for the time being. I love portable screens. I have taken pipes and sunk in the edge of my garden and I take my umbrella here and there with me and put in the pipes as I do my weeding. I think use pots until you get the clay to soften in the garden with above suggestions. Even pots on the other side of the drive will be appreciated from the table. Your home and yard are lovely and well love. Enjoy.

LJS,
I love saypoints idea with the pots and the trellis. The only thing though I was thinking if you got vines is that they will not last through the winter. I do so love the trellis in between the pots! Could you plant cypress trees on the other side of the drive? That would definately form a privacy fence--althoughit is formal. I also love twomonthes idea with the rebar. In my album I have a recycled chain link gate that I use tocover up my AC unit. I have two pieces of rebar that the edges just slip over so it looks like it's freestaning.You could use that idea and get varied gates to use as a screen.
Just more ideas flying out my brain. Oh, also a ladder provides a great trellis for soem vertical elements and eye candy. MIne has clematis growing all over it.
Love, Jules

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:37252}}

Impatients love the shade...

There are so many colors of Impatients , that you could make a quilt pattern of the flowers...It would look like you've spread out a quilt under the tree.

I would stick to something easy like the Tex star.

patti

Hi, Thought I'd post 2 more cents worth. Some sort of picket, semi-private fence surrounding the area might look nice. You could shorten any old fence boards just tall enough to make it inconvenient to see over, maybe near 5 feet, and put them far enough apart so not to close light out from the area. There may be a certain style of wooden fence from the same time period that your great house is from. It could be a matter of cutting a certain shape around the fence boards to make it appear like it's been there all along. Once a barrier is up, there are endless types of containers to grow shade plants in. Linda

Since plants don't like the spot, why not take advantage of non-plant items there? You could block the view to the side of the garage by simply putting up another short piece of fence to match what's already there and eliminate that annoying section. In the "corner" or the 2 sections of fence you could do an old fashioned water feature to match the age of the house. Since you have a table and chairs close by, how about a couple of benches, some large rock, or other item or interest from days gone by?

It sounds to me like you have plants elsewhere, so maybe it's time to try something totally different in just this small area.

Had a long discussion with my husband this morning about his part in this. He is willing to build a bed for against the fence if I am specific. I was leaning towards big stones down the middle set in gravel or mulch. He would like to try and plant a groundcover or grass via the shampoo or cardboard methods. He said raking gravel/mulch is a nightmare with the maple leaves and helicopters so he won't support that.
I may have overstated the privacy issue-that is my own driveway. I shot the below photo from the street. It just feels very exposed with that view and with houses so tight on either side.
I would love to use that space near the garage but it does have a creepy, spidery feeling.
A couple people wanted to see more of the house so I hope it is ok to share that here. Soon I will have to post them on the remodeling or old house forum-it needs so much work.

Thanks all,
-LJS

{{gwi:37258}}

{{gwi:37259}}

I live close to the street also and have come up with a couple of solutions to make my area seem more closed and private and reduce noise. I like the plants/pots with lattice.... If that is your grass in the last pictures in front than plant some lower growing shrubs like lilas so you have screening but not so close as to close you in. This was my solution. As for noise reduction a small bubbler or above grouns pond situation. They have some that are very small but provide really great soothing sounds. You can buy or make your own...

This picture is obviously a closeup of my flower but in the background you can glimpse the lilac screening I have. My front gardens seem to be very private and I love to sit out there because they are.
{{gwi:37260}}
Another picture showing some of the front area. I also have a three foot picket fence and right on the other side of the plants and fence is the roadway.

{{gwi:37261}}

It's hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like some of the lower tree branches could be limbed up. Removing these will give a less creepy buggy feeling. I had a huge maple so I know what you mean. With the aid of a long ladder and an extendable pole saw, you might be able to cut enough of the branches to make the space feel like it has more headroom.

I've been reading a book called Moss Gardening by George Schenk. It is possible to grow moss around the base of your tree. It would take some effort, so if it is something you think you might like to try, I suggest getting the book (maybe it is available from your library) and finding out what it would take prepare the area and maintain it. I had some mossy areas under my maple, and on the exposed roots, (without even trying) so it's doable, but it would depend on a certain level of dedication from you, and a leaf blower. :-)

The tree branches should be trimmed away from the house, simply for the safety and well-being of the house.

I would build a deck in the area, raised just enough to leave the tree roots undisturbed. A deck would give you a flat and defined sitting area that would be easier to keep clean. A planter between the deck and the driveway could further define the area.