Fern
The woodland planting trend is the perfect solution for shady corners that gardeners so often despair of. Chelsea-medal winning designer Andy Sturgeon sheds some light on how to make the most of the darker side of your garden.
Think of a woodland: full of bluebells, an enormous blue swathe in late spring, beautiful but huge and totally unsuitable for your average garden. Gardens are normally inspired by nature but it’s impossible to recreate a true woodland without plenty of space.
Natural woodland planting mimics nature and is defined by a flush of early spring bulbs and perennials before the trees start into leaf and deprive the area of light. The look then becomes a bit wild, unruly even with one plant drifting into the next and everything just getting on with it. By midsummer there's a mass of green with little interest, structure or pattern.
TopModern woodland planting can change all that and will work in the average garden under the shade of a few trees or even some large shrubs. It's more controlled, using blocks or drifts of plants with the overall effect being ordered allowing one group of plants to contrast with and stand out against its neighbours. It has no pretensions to be naturalistic and the effect is far more dramatic; but the real bonus is that the season continues on and on and it can look fantastic right through until autumn.
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Geranium 'Kashmir White' The most important element is the foliage. The deciduous shuttlecock fern Matteuccia struthiopteris throws up masses of soft green fronds and if the soil is damp it will spread fast to colonise a large area and form a stately block. Contrast this with bolder leaves. For example Arum italicum 'Marmoratum' , an exciting modern cultivar of the native Lords and Ladies with cream or pale green veined arrow-shaped leaves and drifts of Brunnera macrophylla with its rounded leaves and pretty forget me not blue flowers.
And if you thought that flowers in shade were shy, retiring and not very exciting, try Libertia grandiflora for its iris-like foliage with white flowers that shine or Geranium phaeum which makes a haze of dark purple flowers on upright stems; and for a splash of colour, Geranium nodosum produces masses of purplish pink flowers even in full shade.
Erythronium 'Pagoda' Hellebores fit perfectly with a contemporary scheme, but opt for the modern dusky purple hybrids and some of the yellow upward facing Ashdown hybrids. Jettison ordinary bulbs like snowdrops and crocus in favour of the much funkier dog’s tooth violet, Erythronium 'Pagoda' which is a clear yellow with an exotic looking broad green leaf. Arisaema consanguineum is a plant for a moist woodland with a spectacular white-striped, greenish-brown trumpet and the spidery yellow flowers of Paris polyphylla , although not dramatic, are both delicate and fascinating.
The woodland floor is then punctuated by evergreens for structure. Astelia nervosa with silvery sword-shaped leaves, which form clumps that can be repeated at random spacings to tie the scheme together. Several loose groups of the heavenly bamboo Nandina domestica provide some height and have the advantage of salmon pink young growth and white flowers followed by red berries.
Taller still are the tree ferns. These are expensive plants but worth every penny as they instantly set the mood and create atmosphere. The ideal scenario is a glade of them but a small, odd numbered group, perhaps three or even five is more realistic for the average garden. These should all be different heights and again randomly spaced. In warmer areas they will remain evergreen, but don't be tempted to cut damaged fronds off until mid-spring or the crowns will close up. Make sure to set them at angles as they would grow in the wild and it's equally important to plant them beneath the canopy of some larger trees as this is their natural setting. The trees will also give them some shade which although not essential will seriously cut down on the amount of watering they need.
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Arisaema The key to any successful design is making sure the conditions in your garden are right for the plants you choose. For a modern woodland look, if you have an area of dry shade it's essential that the soil is well prepared. All existing weeds and surface roots must be removed and then well-rotted manure or compost should be dug into the ground. You'll need about five bucket loads per square metre. Plants will take a little longer to establish in these conditions than normal so it's wise to plant them a little closer to get the effect of substantial blocks of planting. Water the plants in well and then apply a 50mm deep mulch of well-rotted compost or composted bark. This will conserve moisture and keep weeds down. Water well until the plants are established and put new mulch down annually.
TopPrint out Andy Sturgeon's planting plan to help you create a modern woodland border in your own garden.
If you're experiencing problems viewing the plan, visit the Webwise website for information on how to download Acrobat Reader for PDF files.
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