help identify these trees

SMP21

I want to put a circle of flowers around the base of my front & backyard trees.

1. what kind of trees are these?
2. will flowers thrive under them?
3. what kind of flowers? I prefer perennials
4. should I add dirt to the bases where the exposed roots are, or plant the flowers around the roots & let them grow around the roots?

This is my backyard tree, and gets a ton of sunlight all day long. The sun rises behind it.  Here's a closeup of the leaves, hopefully that'd help identify it?

 

Here's my front yard tree along the parkway.  It gets afternoon sunshine.

 

 

~NB~

1. what kind of trees are these? Can't really tell from photos, but it doesn't change the rest of my answers. Post more pics showing bark, fruit (looks like a nut tree of some type, with some type of fruit dangling) and close up of entire leaf from it's point of attachment (looks like a compound leaf).
2. will flowers thrive under them? No.
3. what kind of flowers? I prefer perennials No.
4. should I add dirt to the bases where the exposed roots are, or plant the flowers around the roots & let them grow around the roots? No, no, no.

SMP21

~NB~:

1. what kind of trees are these? Can't really tell from photos, but it doesn't change the rest of my answers. Post more pics showing bark, fruit (looks like a nut tree of some type, with some type of fruit dangling) and close up of entire leaf from it's point of attachment (looks like a compound leaf).
2. will flowers thrive under them? No.
3. what kind of flowers? I prefer perennials No.
4. should I add dirt to the bases where the exposed roots are, or plant the flowers around the roots & let them grow around the roots? No, no, no.

I tried to crop & zoom in. Does this help?
Back tree:

Front tree:

~NB~

SMP21:

I tried to crop & zoom in. Does this help?

No. But it still has no bearing on my answers to the other questions.

SMP21

~NB~:

SMP21:

I tried to crop & zoom in. Does this help?

No. But it still has no bearing on my answers to the other questions.

Why don't you think flowers will grow under my trees? Not that I know what types of trees other neighbors have, but lots of them have flowers growing underneath.

 

Hey Jellisy

It looks like under the tree is fairly shady.  You would do well with some spring flowering bulbs (they will get plenty of light before your tree leafs out and some shade loving perennials.  Look at Hostas, Bleeding Heart, ferns and if there is dapply light area columbine.  You can fill in with impatients (annual( if you want some more color.  If the tree is a black walnut, it might poison the soil underneath it, but I don't believe your tree is one so you should not have to worry.  You will likely have to add some soil for the plants to take if it is particularly rooted underneath, but otherwise you should be fine. 

~NB~

SMP21:

Why don't you think flowers will grow under my trees? Not that I know what types of trees other neighbors have, but lots of them have flowers growing underneath.

That wasn't the question. You asked if flowers would thrive under the tree, and my opinion is no, flowers won't thrive under the tree. You may get them to grow with some effort, but the conditions are far from ideal.

To elaborate on this opinion, other plants, including grass, seldom thrive in the root zone of shade trees or under canopy coverage. Sure, you can plant there. But you're introducing competition for the water and nutrients your tree currently has all to itself. Second, you must disturb and manipulate the root zone. If you dig, you are cutting and injuring tree roots. If you add fill soil, you are suffocating the tree roots.

It's a competition, and usually there is a winner. The winner is usually the big plant that has been there the longest. As an Arborist I'm against underplantings of established trees. I know lots of people do it and will continue. The only way I'd give it an okay is if everything is planted at the same time, so no roots are disturbed or hurt. If I can't talk you out of it, then add some fill soil in areas where there seem to be natural depressions without big surface roots, and pop your plants in. Of course the placements will be random, instead of in a strict circle. And as another person offered, early blooming bulbs are a good solution because they bloom when the tree is dormant, and then the bulbs go dormant when the tree needs the soil resources. Another option would be plants that need very little soil or spread along the surface, such as Iris or Saxifrage.

By far, the best groundcover that you can put under a tree is MULCH. It should be 3-4" deep and extend all the way to the dripline. For a mature tree, that's a huge mulch field. I understand this represents a lot of wasted space in most peoples yards. If you want to use that space, you can create an above ground garden by nesting containers in the mulch field, and adding some decorative touches (like a birdfeeder, a bench, a glass globe, etc. I have even used old wheelbarrows and bicycles with vines growing over them in that space).

HTH.

~NB~

I never explained this:

~NB~:

... looks like a nut tree of some type, with some type of fruit dangling ...

It looks like someting in the genus Carya. Like a Carya alba or Carya tomentosa. I'm just not completely sure, but it looks like some kind of nut tree. And if it is, getting something to grow underneath it will be quite difficult.