depends on how close you cut the roots back. pines usually have a pretty good tap root (the center root that goes straight down for water) so trimming part of the horizontal roots won't be too back. just try not to cut the roots closer than 2-3 feet from the trunk, and if possible, even leave them to the "drip line" of the tree.

It certainly will affect everything growing there as the pine tree will absorb much of the water and nutrients from the soil where the roots are. Your plants will be competing with the tree for needed nutrients and water. Tree roots extend out as much as three times farther then the diameter of the tree's dripline. They really don't have a "taproot". Most plants don't. Their root systems are located mostly in the top couple feet of soil where most of the water and nutrients come from. You really won't hurt a mature tree by taking out some of the roots, but the tree will relentlessly continue to send roots out into your planting bed. When a root is cut, say with a shovel, it will begin to branch out at the cut.

This is not to say that your plants cannot sustain themselves in the shadow of a large tree. The tree will not take ALL nutrients, but you can make it easier on them by making up for the lack of nutrients with more fertilizer or compost.

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John - Zone 6

quote:

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upper 18 inches or so of soil for the flowers.

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That's more then enough "free" soil... I don't plan to dig that deep, only 8-10 inches.
I'll just wind up cutting the roots that are spreading a bit past the dripline back. No major roots-I hope!

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"I don't want no more of army life, gee mom, I wanna go, but they won't let me go, gee mom, I wanna go home!" My PB!

I know that my evergreen sport has a taproot. One that is deeper than the bush is tall, but it doesn't do the small feeder roots just really fat sideways roots that it sends out to start more plants. I love that little guy.

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