woodland garden
Botanical name: Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (formerly Aster lateriflorus) Common names: Calico aster, side-flowering aster Origin: Native from Minnesota to eastern Texas and all points east Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone) Water requirement: Medium; prefers slightly moist to slightly dry soil Light requirement: Full sun (in moist soil) to full shade (in medium to dry soil) Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide Benefits and tolerances: Drought-tolerant once established in loamy to clay soils Seasonal interest: Blooms in early to mid fall with white flowers When to plant: Plant potted or bare-root plants in midspring to late fall; sow seeds in late fall through midwinter
. Groundnut (Apios americana) Native from eastern Canada and Maine south to Florida and west to Texas and South Dakota Groundnut can be recognized as a thin vine with pinnate leaves consisting of five to seven narrow leaflets. It blooms in mid-to-late summer with tight clusters of mauve pea-like flowers. Use groundnut where you need a lightweight vine to climb a trellis or fence. Without a support it acts as a ground cover, where it can be used to cover the “naked legs” of some shrubs and taller perennials. It can be used at the base of a tree as a climbing vine, as it’s shade-tolerant and well-adapted to growing among the roots of other plants. Since it dies back each year, there is no concern that it will harm the host tree. In fact, because it fixes nitrogen, it may actually be a beneficial partner. Groundnut was an important food source for Native Americans and adopted by the English colonists. Although its seedpods are edible, the most nutritious parts are its tubers, which have three times the protein of potatoes. Groundnut was used as a landscaping plant in the 18th and 19th centuries, but it eventually dropped out of style. You aren’t likely to find it in a retail nurse...
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Native from the Plains east to southern New England and south to Florida It’s easy to pick out eastern redbud in early spring. The magenta flowers that line the branches are unlike anything else in the forest understory. It can be used in many ways in the landscape. I’ve seen it used in an allée, with pink blooms lining the path in early spring and heavy shade through the summer. It can also be scattered like exclamation points in a few locations throughout the garden. Eastern redbud prefers full sun to part shade in average to moist soils. As a member of the legume family, it has the ability to fix nitrogen from the air, giving it a boost in infertile or depleted soils. It can also tolerate clay soils. In addition to the species, there are many named cultivars, including red-leafed ‘Forest Pansy’ and yellow-leafed ‘The Rising Sun’ forms and a small weeping cultivar named ‘Covey’, for small gardens. There are some problems with hardiness of cultivated plants in colder climates. You should consider the climate that the plants originated from if this is an issue. The cultivar ‘Northern Strain’ comes from Minnesota and is reported to be more cold ha...
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Native from Southern Maine to northern Florida and west to Missouri and Louisiana Spicebush is an understory shrub, native to the eastern U.S., with high wildlife value. It produces attractive yellow blooms in early spring. Caterpillars of several butterfly species, particularly the spicebush swallowtail, feed on its leaves. Bright red berries that are favored by several species of birds ripen in late summer. The seeds can be used as a flavoring similar to allspice. Consider this a native alternative to forsythia — with benefits. You can recognize spicebush in the woods by the citrusy scent of the leaves or stems when crushed. It naturally grows in the understory of moist woodlands, but it will adapt to sunnier sites, given sufficient moisture. Spicebush is resistant to salt and tolerates clay soils.
Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Native to forest edges, woodlands and ledges in southern New England and south Best flowering vine. Trumpet honeysuckle, also called coral honeysuckle, is a well-behaved flowering vine that attracts hummingbirds and won’t take over your house or yard the way Asian wisteria (Wisteria sinensis or W. floribunda) or English ivy (Hedera helix) can. Trumpet honeysuckle is perfect for twining up an arbor or along a fence line.
Gillenia trifoliata Bowman’s Root Starry white flowers on deep red stems cover this NATIVE perennial in spring. Shrub-like growth habit 2-3’ tall and wide with dark green leaves that are tidy all summer and turn brilliant shades of yellow and red in the fall. Native to open woods, clearings, and roadsides from New England to Georgia and Alabama. Full-part sun. Moist to average soils. Drought tolerant once established. Takes several years to attain good form. Seldom needs dividing. Zones 4-8.
virginicum Golden Star This native groundcover blooms spring through summer making a carpet of lush green leaves with sunny, golden star-like flowers. Tolerant of soils dry to moist and even wet making it the perfect candidate for a rain garden, alongside pathways, and at the base of taller flowers, shrubs, and trees. Groundcovers stabilize the soil and provide cover for insects that are food for wildlife. Plant in full to part shade as its natural habitat is in the woods. Height 3-4”. Deer resistant. Drought tolerant. Zones 5-8.
Tricyrtis Formosana GiIt Edge Toad Lilly 2'x2', Blooms late Summer - mid Fall Native to Himalaya - E&SE Asia These do great in my Maryland shade garden, full shade though they like water so I make sure they get some every couple of days in a dry spell since my shade leans to the drier side. I planted them on the edge by my moss boarder so they would get the run off from the rest of the garden and the moss would help keep them moist.
obedient plant physostegia virginiana vivid Common name: Obedient Plant Maryland native, spread via rhizomes 1-2'x1-1.5', Bloom summer (mine in fall as well) Full sun to part shade, likes moisture but mine seem to do fine in my Maryland dry shade on the woodland edge where it gets more rain than it would farther back.
Campanula americana - Tall-Bellflower American native
Eurybia (Aster) divaricatus Common name: Woodland Aster or Easrern Star Aster Maryland native 18-24", Blooms Fall Likes dry shade, mine do great in full shade.
Aruncus dioicus
Aquilegia vulgaris Blue Barlow Common name : Columbine One of my favorite varieties. Tall 30" mounding, space 18" apart Blooms late spring to early summer Plant with forget me nots (forget me nots spread) omphalodes linifolia & cynoglossum (blue showers).
Aquilegia McKana Hybrid
I have spideewort in my garden but they stay fairly small. This is a neat addition. Bloom season: Spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 34.4 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9) Origin: Native in eastern North America; the western part of the range includes Nebraska south to Texas. Also occurs from Minnesota eastward to Maine, including Ontario in Canada (absent in Vermont) in the North; endangered in Pennsylvania Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial sun When to plant: Spring or fall; seeds and plants are available from most native-plant nurseries in the Midwest and Northeast
Polemonium reptans, commonly called creeping Jacob's ladder. Bloom season: Spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 7) Origin: Native in eastern North American woodlands, from the states bordering the Mississippi River eastward to New Hampshire in the North and to Georgia in the South. Rare in South Dakota southward to Oklahoma; absent in North Carolina and Maine and the Atlantic provinces in Canada but does occur in Ontario and Quebec in Canada Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Partial sun to full shade When to plant: Spring or fall; bare-root or potted plants are available from many native-plant nurseries
Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) Native from Maine to Mississippi Pink turtlehead is perfect for partial to full shade with consistent soil moisture. You’ll enjoy watching bumblebees fight their way in and out of the blooms. Glossy green leaves add interest all season long, and it stays around 2 feet tall and slowly spreads. ‘Hot Lips’ is the cultivar you’ll see for sale most often.
For gardeners with dry clay soil, early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum), zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis), calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) and wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) are solid choices. Sprengel’s sedge (Carex sprengelii) is a grass-like option. If you don’t want a large bed of strictly plants, weave a path of mulch or steppingstones through. Place a chair or two, a hammock, or a potting bench.
Hydrangeas like sun or shade. While happiest with some morning sun and dappled afternoon shade, hydrangeas aren’t too picky when it comes to light conditions, and can grow well in a sunny spot or a shaded porch.
American Kestrel likes both open woodlands and fields. Should be able to attract them.
Garlic mustard, invasive... weed from garden. Eddible, good for soup and salad.
Wild geranium flowers later than spring ephemerals and would be a great combination plant.
Large leaved aster
Virginia waterleaf
Clematis Virginiata is a beautiful plant that would grow well in the woodland garden.
Golden Ragwort
Virginia Bluebells are gorgeous.
Yellow trout lilly, also called dog tooth violet. Another great spring bloom.
white trout lilly, beatific spring blooms
winding walkway, great use of this in a woodland garden.
Make a transitional zone. Here, the home abuts a beautiful woodland. The landscape architects created a lovely path that negotiates the space between the architecture and the wider landscape. Local materials and native plants make the transition from house to forest almost seamless.
Another great plant for shade and moist area in the woods.
Great fern for the moist area of the woods that catches all of the run off from the house.
Zigzag Goldenrod. very nice color!
Q