I have a silver maple in the back yard that's probably 50+ years old. When we moved here in 1997, the previous owner had camellias planted to the west of the garage. They were nicely shaded from May to October, but were in too much sun from November to April (and I love camellias, having grown up in Pasadena). So I removed them. I have clivia and hydrangeas planted in the raised bed between the fence and the tree, and those are fine. But I really wouldn't plant anything in the ground even 10 feet away from the tree, because the roots are very vigorous. A raised bed could work. But the gorgeous cobblestone path the previous owner installed has become totally scary to walk on over the past 25+ years, due to the tree roots. Now I have two 6 foot tall baker's racks up against the garage, and change what I put on them depending on the season. I'm in 9b Santa Barbara.

Thanks! I am considering to plant hydrangeas in raised beds as well. Don’t really know how old our tree is. It’s probably pretty old as well. Our cobble stone patio which is more than 15 feet away has become hard to walk on. So unfortunately we might have to get rid of it eventually.