Home » Gardening Information » Garden Design

A Shady Woodland Corner—Turning an Eyesore into an Enchantment

Plants & Gardens News Volume 17, Number 1 | Spring 2002

by Joan McDonald

Do you have a moist, shady corner in your yard—perhaps under the canopy of a neighbor's mature tree—where you think nothing will grow? Well, take heart! It's the perfect place to plant an enchanting woodland garden using compact native shrubs, ferns, and early-blooming wildflowers. All the plants in the design below thrive in humus-rich, moist, well-drained neutral to acidic soil and partial shade. They are nursery propagated, which is particularly important for wildflower conservation. Plant them after the last frost, give them ample water until established, top dress with compost, and mulch every season with pine needles, leaf mulch, or shredded bark.

The flower colors are light in tone—a mix of whites and yellows, with a hint of violet and pink. Some of the wildflowers, like Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells), go dormant in the summer. Ferns and persistent wildflowers are used to hide any dieback. An evergreen groundcover, such as Galax urceolata (wandflower), can be added to ensure that there will be no bare ground. The centerpiece shrub, Hamamelis vernalis (vernal witch-hazel) grows up to 15 feet tall and can be "limbed up" to look like a small tree.

three shrubs

Key to the Plants: Each of the three shrubs is individually numbered. Adjacent wildflowers or ferns are listed underneath.

1. Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee' (Oakleaf hydrangea)

2. Hamamelis vernalis (Vernal witch-hazel)

3. Mahonia aquifolium 'Compactum' (Oregon grapeholly)

Joan McDonald is former manager of BBG's Gardener's Resource Center and current owner of Gardens by Design, a private garden design, installation, and maintenance business, which can be contacted at gardensbyjoan@aol.com.

Illustration: Steve Buchanan