Woodland gardens are beautiful in every season. Snowdrops, daffodils and other early bloomers give way to lush green ferns and hosta, followed by toadlilies and hardy cyclamen. And finally, in winter, the trees themselves provide the beauty. Paths lead forward through the trees to an unseen destination – perhaps a shady bench to rest upon, read a book, listen to the birds or just to sit; a pool with a natural-looking fountain; or an open, sunny patch of grass, perfect for a picnic. Perhaps there are garden sculptures and other creative art along the way. As in life, you want to make the journey through your woodland garden more important than the destination. So, how do you do that? It's mostly in the choice of plants.
Woodland gardens are by their very nature created among trees. If your trees are conifers, the shade will be very dense and your plant choices will be limited. The best trees for a woodland garden are deciduous (trees that drop their leaves in the winter), though from late spring through fall, Norway maples and some other deciduous trees can block out as much light as conifers. To make your plant choices broader, thin the shade by opting to take down one or more trees, or limb them up (prune off the lower branches) and thin their crowns to allow more light to come through. You may be able to do pruning of lower branches yourself, but it is best to engage a certified arborist to thin their crowns or take down large trees. It's smart to bring in a well-recommended certified arborist before you begin, as they are trained to judge the health of trees. They will feed them properly to preserve their overall vigor and often can treat problems before it is too late.
If you are starting from scratch, choose a mix of smaller, ornamental trees such as dogwood, mountain ash, stewartia or Japanese maple, among many others. To make your garden look as natural as possible, mix native species with exotic trees and use a few conifers as accents. Planting mostly deciduous trees opens up the possibilities for successfully under-planting them with bulbs and perennials.
Prepare your soil by adding organic matter, such as compost, shredded leaves and well-rotted manure to improve drainage and promote good health. Dig it in well – being careful to avoid existing tree roots. In the first summer, you may want to put down a light organic mulch to help conserve moisture while the plants settle in and become established. As your trees drop their leaves and needles at their proper seasons, that is probably all the mulch you will need in the future.
Paths are important elements in your woodland garden; whether you will have more than one depends on your garden's size and its design. If you will often travel your paths with others, consider making them wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The paths can be constructed of concrete, stone, brick, gravel, pine straw, bark mulch or other materials as you prefer. Paved surfaces are more formal, but you can easily push baby strollers, wheelchairs or wheelbarrows along them. Paths are most natural looking when they curve among the trees and meander – you don't want to arrive too quickly at your destination. Creating a narrow path is another way to slow “traffic” so you and your visitors have time to see and appreciate the treasures you have planted along the way.
Because deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter and usually don't fully leaf out again until mid-spring, early spring-blooming bulbs usually do very well in woodland gardens. They get plenty of sunshine through the bare tree limbs in early spring and are finished flowering and ready to go dormant by the time the trees put forth their new leaves. In some areas, snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, bloom as early as January. They are hardy in zones 3-9 and are charming woodland plants that naturalize well. Their dainty white bell-shaped flowers are suspended from sturdy 6-8 inches tall stems that are capable of pushing up gallantly through snow. For an even more charming display, combine these dainty flowers with double snowdrops, G. n. 'Flore Pleno', whose small, green-striped flowers each look as though a white rose is trapped inside.
Another early bloomer, glory-in-the-snow, Chionodoxa forbesii, chimes in as early as February with lovely lilac-blue flowers with white eye-zones and yellow centers. It grows 4-6 inches tall in zones 3-8 and naturalizes well. For extra charm, try a mix of blue, white and pink flowers.
Daffodils are “naturals” for a woodland garden, but guard against planting them in straight lines like soldiers (this goes for any bulb, including snowdrops and glory-in-the-snow). Instead, plant them in “bouquets” – dig a hole deep enough to accommodate the bulbs and wide enough to hold several. Randomly place the bulbs in the holes, so that when they bloom next spring, they will look as natural as though they “just happened”. Dwarf daffodils are perfect for woodland gardens, though taller ones will work well too. Try putting the smaller ones close to the path and the taller ones behind them, again, trying to plant them in natural-looking bouquets. Most daffodils will naturalize over several seasons. One charming dwarf that would look perfect in a woodland garden is 'Tête-à-Tête'. At only 6 inches tall, it is just right for edging the path in bouquets of springtime yellow. Each bulb produces multiple stems and the tiny yellow flowers actually look as if they are having a conversation as they nod to each other in the breeze. Other daffodils that would look right in a woodland setting include the fragrant Poet's daffodil, Narcissus poeticus recurvus, an old-fashioned 12-14 inches tall beauty with white petals and a short yellow cup rimmed with red. For even more fragrance, try a mix of several jonquils that includes many different shapes and colors. Unlike crocus and hybrid tulips, squirrels leave daffodil bulbs undisturbed (they are poisonous!) and deer rarely eat the flowers.
Many tulips look too formal for a woodland setting, but there are some that would work very well for this kind of garden. Small, species tulips are big on color and will often naturalize as well as the other bulbs. At about 6 inches tall and in striking yellows, reds, whites and bicolors try a mixture of species tulips called the Peacock Mix. Or, fall in love with 4 inches tall 'Little Beauty', with magenta petals with violet-blue centers edged in white. At 14-18 inches tall, Tulipa fosteriana 'Orange Emperor' is an outstanding tulip with bright orange outer petals and deeper orange inside. Though it is not a perennial tulip (new bulbs will need to be replanted each year), its size and color make it a good companion for daffodils and other bulbs that bloom in April. The flowers can last up to three weeks.
Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginiana, are absolutely essential in a spring woodland scene. They are so pretty, so right. Growing 24-30 inches tall in zones 3-9, this charming plant produces delightful clusters of dainty pink buds that open to exquisitely colored blue bell-shaped flowers in April. English bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, added to your spring bloom palette, create an image of a British woodland, carpeted in nodding blue bells. You can duplicate that picture in a portion of your woodland garden or simply mix them in with other spring bulbs. They grow 15-18 inches tall in zones 3-9 and are lightly scented. Bell wort, Uvularia grandiflora, grows 20 inches tall and sports dainty yellow tubular flowers suspended from hardy yellow-green foliage. It needs moist, well-drained soil.
Beyond bulbs, there are perennials that can take you through the entire season. Oriental hellebores, Helleborus orientalis, and H. niger, the Christmas rose, are almost evergreen in zones 4-8. Depending on your location within those zones, these shy flowers can bloom at any time from November-May! Recently, hybridizers have worked to improve the flower colors and sizes and have created beautiful double flowered forms. They are absolutely gorgeous.
Nothing lights up a shady spot like white flowers. White bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba', is very like the traditional pink bleeding heart, but is even lovelier. Dangling, delicate white heart-shaped flowers adorn long stems in spring on 24-36 inches tall plants in zones 3-9. The flowers remind me of a string of pearls. D. 'Aurora' holds its dainty white flowers above its greyish-green fern-like foliage when it blooms in May-June and again in the fall in zones 3-9. It grows 10-12 inches tall. Variegated Solomon seal, Polygonatum 'Variegatum', has 20 inches tall gracefully arching stems with pendant white bell-shaped flowers blooming in late spring in zones 4-9, followed by black berries in the fall. The foliage is the star, however, with green leaves edged with yellow.
What could be more at home in a woodland garden than Lords and Ladies, Arum maculatum? Common in Europe, especially Britain where it's also known as cuckoo pint, Lords and Ladies looks somewhat similar to Jack-in-the-pulpit. The stalks emerge very early, followed by attractive green foliage and, in late spring, the spathes (hoods). They are often pale with brown speckles and the spadixes (flowers) are dark (the Lords) or pale (the Ladies). After the hoods decay, bright red berries are formed in clusters on the stems, providing three seasons of interest. Jack-in-the-pulpit, once a rather overlooked native woodland plant now has some recently discovered handsome Asian cousins that have become the “must have'” plants of the shady garden. Arisema candidissimum, from western China, is highly scented with a cream and pink striped spathe (hood). A. griffithii is from the Himalayas and has a large, deep purple-violet spathe reticulated (with a network of veins) in green and white. A. speciosum, also from the Himalayas, has a deep reddish-brown spathe striped with white. All of these plants are stunning with hosta and ferns.
A new variegated Jacob's ladder, Polemonium reptans 'Stairway to Heaven', has been selected by the New England Wildflower Society. Long-lived and adaptable, it should do well in your woodland garden in a spot that gets a little sun as well as dappled shade. It has greyish-green leaves with uneven margins of creamy pink and small, light-blue funnel-shaped flowers in May-July. It grows 15-20 inches tall and is hardy in zones 5-8.
Away from your paths, far behind your smaller plants, find some room for ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris. At up to five feet tall in zones 3-8, this stately fern with its feather-like green fronds is the perfect backdrop for smaller ferns, hosta and flowering plants. Give its vase-shaped clumps plenty of room. Slightly shorter at 3-4 feet tall is the attractive royal fern, Osmunda regalis, with long, smooth edged leaves in dark forest green. Coming in at 2-3 feet tall are several, each with differently shaped green leaves: Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides; cinnamon fern, O. cinnamomea; hay-scented fern, Dennstaedtia punctiloba; lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina; and leatherwood fern, Dryopteris marginalis. At 1-2 feet tall, try maiden hair fern, Adiantum pedatum; or the toothed wood fern, also called spinulose fern, Dryopteris carthusiana. Slightly smaller, growing up to 1-1/2 feet tall, is the sensitive fern, Onoclea sensibilis; but one of the smallest, at 12-20 inches tall, and most decorative is the Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'. The lovely fronds are greyish-green with a lighter center and purple-pink veins. It is hardy in zones 3-8.
An excellent complement for ferns is hosta. They form clumps that rarely need dividing and are hardy to zones 3-9. Their variations in color make them fabulous accents in the woodland garden. One of the largest is 'Sum and Substance'. It was named Hosta of the Year for 2004 and has large chartreuse leaves and lavender flowers. 'Bressingham Blue' has green leaves with a waxy deep blue cast and white flowers in July. H. x tokudama 'Flavocircinals' has heart-shaped leaves with grey-blue centers edged in yellow with lavender flowers in June and July. 'Striptease' is Hosta of the Year for 2005. Its grayish-green leaves have light green to yellow centers edged with a white line that fades away toward the outsides. 'Twilight' has tapered dark green leaves with narrow gold borders and lavender flowers. 'Patriot' was named Hosta of the Year in 1997 and has remained one of the most popular hostas. Its leaves are dark green in the centers with a wide, uneven white margin. 'Liberty' is a slow grower with large, thick leaves that are green in the center with a creamy white margin.
'Thunderbolt' has wide green margins with a narrow gold center, but as the plant matures, the leaves change to vibrant blue-green while the centers fade to creamy white. White flowers bloom in early summer.
Hardy cyclamen, C. cilicium, is a lovely autumn bloomer – September-October in zones 5-9. The sweetly scented flowers are rose pink edged in lighter pink and are held above the leaves, which are heart shaped with interesting patterns in green and silver or cream. This is a small, 8-12 inches tall plant that should do well in dry shade. Give it several spots close to your paths. C. hederefolium, has similar flowers, but the foliage is evergreen all winter and then goes dormant, re-emerging in late October after the flowers are finished.
Toad lilies, Tricyrtis sp., are not as well-known as they should be, which is too bad because they are great plants for a woodland garden or any shady place that could use some fall flowers. T. hirta, grows 24-36 inches tall and features exotic-looking white flowers densely speckled with purple with mottled, chartreuse green foliage. 'Blue Wonder' grows 25-30 inches tall and produces numerous 1-inch-wide, star-shaped flowers that are heavily speckled with purple-blue. Both plants flower from September-frost.
Your beautiful woodland garden will look as though it was planted by nature. It's our secret that it had just a little help from you!
