Bob, a pic could indeed be helpful as well as some additional info such as:

How big/wide is said tree?

How deeply shaded is the area under the tree?

Is this a mature tree with a large, near the surface root system or a youngun?

Under my 37 year old maple tree whose roots are close to the surface and where the grass just wouldn't grow any more I collected anything and everything that I could get my hands on - as in lasagne gardening and just piled it under that tree! I then put in a variety of things - cinnamon ferns, hostas, columbines and threw in lots of seeds of those, same with foxgloves and their seeds, some mints, Sweet Woodruf and Sweet Annie and I forget what else. Everything is thriving much to my surprise - the mints try to go mad at times but I just yank some of them out and don't worry as what is left always looks great and if the cats walk thru there it smells great to have those fragrances waft thru the air. Every fall we rake up the leaves, run the mower over them and toss that over that "garden" without worrying about a thing - they filter down and make a nice bed and everything pops back up in the spring and the stuff that was covered up (instead of cutting it all down in the fall) is just more mulch! By the snows fly the chopped up leaves are about a foot deep on that garden. If I am going out of town I will put some of my potted plants out there - just dropping them on top of the mint - and that adds some interest and my neighbor just has to water in that one spot once a week. Works for me without any work. If I were you I would just plant under your tree whatever you can get your hands on and see what happens.

We are going to have a perennial plant swap up in Byron Center, just south of Grand Rapids, on 21 May - the Michigan gardeners who come to this swap and potluck are very generous and always bring extras - drop me an email if you are interested in coming - perhaps we can get you a good variety of plants for you to try out. Let me know where you are located - perhaps you would like some small cinnamon ferns to try out - they will be easy to dig up and share in just a little while before they get too large.
I am including a link here where you can take a look at that garden - I think it is merely called "front entrance" or something - that photo was taken a couple of years ago and was a year old. Once you are at that link there will be some other plant photos in other albums that you can look at - enjoy!

Good luck on your project.
Kiwi in Kalamazoo

Here is a link that might be useful: some of my gardens are here

I hope I did this right?
2 pics on this web page.

thank for the help
bob

Here is a link that might be useful: http://community.webshots.com/user/bobharem

Is that a downspout aiming right for it? That comment reminded me of the hunting episode of South Park! If so, that may be part of your problem with excess water. I would try moving it 1st before planting anything to see if that clears up the problem. I know they can be a pain to reroute but it looks to me like it goes over your walkway as well & definately worth the effort.

Has anyone tried burying some pots in an area like this? If one could put a few pots into the ground, then mulch around, a slightly smaller potted annual could be slipped into the pots for the summer season. The pot would stay in the ground year-round, to hold the space. (Maybe a pot filled with mulch, to keep cold from reaching too far into the soil?) That's one idea anyway. (I haven't tried it.)

I do grow in large wooden crates above ground. The previous owners had limbed up the spruce trees, allowing grass to grow, but very poorly. So, I made a bed with used landscape timbers for the edges, (scrounged for free,less chemicals left to leach out as well, since they were used,) layers of newspaper to help kill off the struggling grass, free mulch from my city, topped with some purchased stuff to give it a better look. Since then, I've been collecting wooden crates (I like a rustic, farm look, and have the slightly rustic house for it.) I fill the bottom of my crates with packing peanuts and pine cones, so I don't have to buy so much potting soil, and so I can still move the crates when I want. Sometimes the spruce roots do invade the bottoms of the crates through the drainage holes, and small critters do get in there too, but that hasn't affected the plants, as far as I can tell.

I grow tender plants such as impatiens, begonias, and fuschias in those crates. The raised height does make it easy to plant, and also to take cuttings or dig up tubers again in the fall. I don't have so many crates that I'm worried about smothering the trees' roots, and I do move the crates at least once a year, just to discourage the roots from climbing in.

And some winters, when I remember, I cut some redtwig dogwood branches to stick in the crates for winter interest. Other interesting branches would work well too. Because of the heavy shade from the spruce, the crates aren't all that noticeable in winter.

I also have a couple of benches under my spruce trees, as it is a very enjoyable spot to sit and cool off when working in the yard, or to visit with neighbors. (Mine are in the front yard.) I hang interesting bird houses from the branches of the spruce trees as well. There are several birds who have taken advantage of the hospitality over the years. (I'm not much of a birder, I just hang birdhouses that go with my rustic/farm theme.)

Hope this gets your creativity going. Best of luck!
another homeowner

Saw you two photos - I wish I had that garden!

I would get all the mulch, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips (follow the sound of the machinery and ask them to dump those chips in your yard) just everything I could lay my hands on and I would pile it up in that area - like lasagna gardening - and let it all compost down. Check with the Parks Dept in your city and find out where they put all the leaves that the city gathered up last fall - you can go there and get all you can pile up by the truck load usually for free. You could put our plants in pots and sink them into that til things settle down and then transfer them to their permanent spots.

Good luck!
Kiwi in Kalamazoo

You mention that it is very wet after a rain, but does it also get very dry when there hasn't been any rain? If so, you may need to be prepared to do some watering, esp. to get plants established.

And if that is a downspout, move it!

Re: mulch - a good idea to mulch what you plant- just make sure you don't actually pile mulch directly against the tree trunk...

Tell us about the soil, too.. Is it clay? Is it easy or hard to dig?

Beth - Zone 5 MI near Traverse City

OTOH, the water from the downspout has to go somewhere. If it were me, I'd prefer to risk killing plants than to get a moldy basement. I have allergies, and really suffer when my basement gets too damp.

But, the thought of killing a tree isn't good either. Sometimes there just isn't a real great choice.

I defintely agree with Beth's advice to make sure the mulch isn't against the trunk.

Thanks to everybody for the help.
All of you gave me some good ideas.

bob