Woodland Gardens With Native Plants

Woodland gardens come in many shapes and sizes.  They are a peaceful place to sit in dappled shade during the hot summer and under bare branches in the winter.  Here are some things to think about when designing your woodland garden. 

Paths 

Woodland soil is easily compacted and damaged.  Fragile plants cannot handle traffic without being crushed and killed.  When designing your garden, include paths so you can get around the garden without harming it.  A path of hardwood chips doesn’t change the pH of the soil and is easily removed if you want to make changes to the layout of your garden.  Hardwood chips are inexpensive and add organic content to the garden as they decompose. 

Seating 

A bench or even a stump gives you a nice place to enjoy your woodland garden.  Design your garden to include a quiet place to sit and dream, work, or watch the squirrels.  Garden centers carry benches and chairs for use outdoors.  You can even find just the right chair at estate sales or thrift stores. 

Water Source 

Water is life to wildlife.  Including a stream or fountain in your woodland garden is easy.  There are solar pumps and low voltage pumps that can circulate water to form whatever water feature you design.  It is important that the water moves so mosquitoes cannot lay eggs on it.  It won’t take long until the water is used by frogs, toads, birds, pollinators, and small animals, giving you endless hours of enjoyment watching them. 

Prepare Soil 

Preparing the soil is very important to the success of your woodland garden.  Dig to loosen the soil down to about six inches, being careful not to damage the roots of existing trees.  Mix in three inches of compost into the soil.  This aerates the soil and makes it able to absorb more water when it rains. 

Irrigation 

You will need to irrigate your woodland garden.  The soil in woodlands is moist and cool.  Be sure not to overwater the trees in the garden such as oaks, which prefer less water.  Don’t irrigate closer to fifteen feet of an oak tree or the roots can get fungal diseases. 

Layers of Plants 

Woodland gardens are composed of layers of plants.  These layers start tall and go right down to ground covers. 

Tall Trees 

First, look at your property.  Do you have large, mature trees?  They can serve as the top layer of a woodland garden.  If you do not have any trees, plan to pick a tall tree to be the top layer of the garden.  Oak trees such as white oaks or live oaks will grow to shade an entire yard.  

Medium and Small Trees 

Next are the understory trees.  These trees tend to top out at 25-50 feet.  There are a host of lovely understory trees, but my favorite is the white dogwood.  It can grow 15-25 feet tall and spread 20-25 feet.  Dogwoods like acidic soil.   

Shrubs 

Choose shrubs that will grow in partial shade.  Elderberry is a nice shrub that produces fruit that animals, birds, and humans enjoy.   

Perennials and Ferns 

Perennials and ferns make the next story.  The maidenhead fern is a beautiful fern that is native to North America.  The lacy fronds add elegance to a space.  Perennials such as painted trillium have vibrant white flowers with red accents look wonderful in a woodland garden. 

Ground Covers 

The floor of a woodland is covered with small plants like periwinkle plants.  They have pretty pale violet and blue flowers.  Wild geranium is another pretty flower that will cover the ground.  Lily of the valley is another nice ground cover, with delicate white bells.  Ground covers help keep the ground cool and moist for other plants.   

Spring Ephemerals 

Spring ephemerals are a special category of plants that grow and have their flowers before the deciduous trees put out leaves.  The flowers fade fast and the plants are low and sometimes unremarkable the rest of the year.  Virginia bluebells are an example of this type of plant. 

We Can Help 

The plants mentioned in this article are examples.  The native plants where you are may be different.  If you want to design and install a woodland garden, our staff at TN Nursery can help you find plants from your area to fill all the layers of your garden.  Just call us at 931.692.7325 to start your woodland garden.