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Chapter 1: Shade Gets Chic
by C. Colston Burrell
Trees, and the shade they cast, have often been seen as the bane of gardeners, but they don't have to be. Growing up I learned an important gardening lesson: If you make peace with shade, you will be rewarded with the quiet enchantment of the woodlands.
I was raised on a tree-lined street, but the trees were not in rows. They were in groves and clumps much as they had grown before houses were insinuated among them. There were no sidewalks, no paved driveways and very little lawn. This verdant setting didn't please all the neighbors, however, because where trees grow, lawns lose out. There were those who wouldn't take bare spots in their turf without a fight. They seeded, fertilized and mowed in a vain attempt to recreate the little patches of emerald lawn they found so desirable.
My mother gave up on grass without even trying. She went off to the garden club to find out what would grow in the shade; she was enough of a gardener to know that turf would not. That's how I came to woodland gardening. I came to love woodland plants because that's what we could grow. To this day, despite my love affairs with meadows, prairies and perennial rs, woodland gardens and woodland plants are still my favorites.
Immersed in trees as I was, I came to understand how the forest was structured. I became intimately acquainted with its rhythms. Over the years I watched as it changed. Meanwhile, I was gardening. I experimented with plant combinations, tried new and choice plants, checked soil pH and enjoyed myself immensely. Those lessons are irreplaceable. They have made me the gardener I am today. Some 25 years later, I have designed and cared for shaded gardens of all sizes and descriptions, from grand woodlands to shaded urban lots. The lessons are the same. Many of the problems faced by woodland gardeners are universal: the bare spots under huge lawn trees; the deadly dry shade under conifers; a desire to grow shade plants in an arid climate or in a garden with little or no shade. Some gardeners are faced with too much of a good thing. They may have an existing woodland but don't know where to start. Or, perhaps years of success in the shade have posed the daunting task of reigning in an existing garden that has gotten just a bit too wild.
If you garden under existing trees, you will soon find that massive site manipulations aren't easy. The costs in labor alone are staggering, but the greatest cost may be to the woodland itself. Woodlands and the plants they support exist due to certain conditions of light, soil and water; survival depends on the integrity of the system. Massive undertakings to alter soil pH, change water regimes or open canopies are impractical and ill advised. Instead, it's best to go with what you've got. If your soil is lime based, plant lime-loving species. If you have a xeric oak woodland, grow drought-tolerant plants. I have seen oaks destroyed by overwatering with irrigation systems and trees killed by massive soil removal and replacement.
Minor changes in your garden are okay and often necessary; after all, it is a garden. But go easy: Remove a few low-hanging branches to let in a bit more light. Add a layer of compost to increase the organic content of the soil. Selectively remove a few small trees to avoid overcrowding. Slight pH alterations may be necessary, but try to work to restore the balance rather than set up an artificial system that is bound to fail.
In the pages of this handbook we endeavor to present as complete a picture of the woodland as we can. We start from the top of the canopy and work down to introduce you to the lessons I learned many years ago as a new gardener in a world of trees. Ardent shade gardeners from around the country tell you how they tackled universal problems. Even though their solutions are specific to their regions of the country or particular sites, their methodology can be applied everywhere. You can learn from them how to approach problems and apply the specifics to your own garden.
Remember that the garden is for you as well as for your plants. Place a bench in a cool, quiet recess. This spot will become a treasured venue for learning new lessons from the forest, or just enjoying peace, quiet and a good book.
C. Colston Burrell is a designer, writer, photographer and naturalist. A lifelong gardener and advocate for native plants, he has written and taught about design and plants for over 20 years. He has edited several Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks, including Ferns: Wild Things Make a Comeback in the Garden (1994, 1995), The Natural Water Garden: Pools, Ponds, Marshes & Bogs for Backyards Everywhere (1997), Woodland Gardens: Shade Gets Chic (1995), and The Shady r: Knockout Plants That Light up the Shadows (1998). He is the author of Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right From the Start (Rodale Press, 1999) and the award-winning A Gardener's Encyclopedia of Wildflowers: An Organic Guide to Choosing and Growing Over 150 Beautiful Wildflowers (Rodale Press, 1997). He has graduate degrees in horticulture and landscape architecture. Cole recently moved his garden from Minneapolis to the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia.