Avoid bedding that has been treated with a deoderizer. Good morning, Adrian. As spring is here in full and I notice how nice my neighbors' yards are I'm determined to fix a problem with mine but don't know how. It's also shady. The tree roots naturally rise to the soil line and break above it, tripping people and preventing anything from getting established.
Maples are notorious for tearing up sidewalks.
If you don't like either or these choices, encourage moss to grow under it, because grass never will. I have seen vinca survuve under maples, though it was heavily mulched too, so I'm guessing that the roots were primarily in the mulch, not in the ground. Maples are a lovely tree far off where it can be admired, but not necessarily landscaped around. I have a ring of hostas planted beneath a tree. I noticed the ring has some gaps and in other places multiple stems are coming up.