It's funny -- at first, I was really frustrated by how much shade there is in my front yard, and had plans to get the village to trim back the parkway trees as much as possible, to maximize sun. Sun = flowers, right? But I'm a bit torn now, because I'm realizing that I really do love the woodland garden look, and I want a lovely large patch of it. So it shouldn't get
too sunny in front.
This is just a quick list of what I'd like in the woodland shade garden, to remind myself:
Have already (though need more):
- hostas
- Jacob's ladder
- Christmas fern
- meadow rue
- bleeding heart
- astilbe
- lungwort
- columbine
To add this fall:
- pansies
- small bulbs: lily of the valley, bluebells, wood anemone, snowdrop, scilla, squill
- irises (possibly my favorite flower)
- helleborus (will they have this in the garden stores in fall, or will I need to wait for spring?)
To add in spring:
- maidenhair fern
- heuchera?
- bloodroot?
- trillium?
- spring beauties?
I do have some small bulbs in that area already, but I'm not at all sure where. Sigh. Need to keep better garden notes!
When I remember (which is not as often as I should), I take pictures of each major planted area during each major blooming season with a measuring line.
The problem with spring bulb plants is that all signs of them have disappeared by fall when you are planting. It helps to be able to measure to say “2 yards from path most of the tulips have mysteriously disappeared. Replant.”
That being said, I still have an area which is persistently crocus-free even though I think I replant it every fall.
You need early daffodils too. They’ll grow before the leaves form on the the tree and the more traditional ones naturalize beautifully.