I hear you Becky and maple is just as bad. I tried planting some annuals under the our 6 year old maple where Frans Hals are growing and the roots are already there so it was hard to dig and i finally gave up. The daylilys under there are established so not too worried about them. The pear tree out front does not seem to present the same problem and i have many different plants growing under it.
I wonder if weeping willows would be as bad as far as roots? I think they might provide some dappled shade.
My brother in law is into hostas but again tree roots are his problem also and he needs more shade.
