Key Concepts for Designing a Garden Within the Woods

The garden pockets in this landscape were carved out from the surrounding woods and built to bridge over the spread between the crop spaces and the baseless area . Your native surroundings may not be woodland , but the same basic rule can be apply . Three independent layer make this planting approach possible . See the entire garden here .

Layers and Plants for a Garden in the Woods

|Layer 1|

Using a native backdrop

The native surroundings are always the jump - off spot in developing this type of planting plan . Here , the Western red cedar , which was already present , provides the dark unripened background . A native rhododendron was added to meet the candid space below the tree diagram canopy , while the genus Mahonia , a nativar , does the same and offer textural contrast .

Key Plants

1 . Western ruby-red cedar(Thuja plicata , Zones 5–8 )

2 . Rhododendron(Rhododendroncv . , Zones 5–9 )

3 . ’ subdued Caress ’ mahonia(Mahonia‘Soft Caress ’ , Zones 7–11 )

|Layer 2|

Add unusual fillers from a similar habitat

count for middle - capture decorative plant that come from similar conditions , but perhaps a dissimilar native range , to find suited companions for the native plants . extremely textured sweet fern , an easterly U.S. native , get it on partially shaded woodland edges , so it ’s a perfect match for this space . likewise , the lustrous favourable knotweed is aboriginal to woodland edges in the Himalaya realm , so it ’s naturally right at home plate in this emplacement .

4 . Sweet fern(Comptonia peregrina , Zones 2–8 )

5 . ‘ Golden Arrow ’ knotweed(Bistorta amplexicaulis‘Golden Arrow ’ , Zones 4–9 )

|Layer 3|

Finalize with understory ground covers that mimic the natural floor

Finally , postulate yourself , “ What does the floor of my native milieu count like ? ” Is it fill with an occasional creeping succulent , or perhaps a cockle mass of prairie grasses ? Then that is what the soil level of your garden should mimic . In the Pacific Northwest , broad - leaved , moisture - loving perennials cover the native timber story , so we planted mayapples and a serial of current orchid to cover the ground in a similar fashion .

6 . Formosan mayapple(Podophyllum pleianthum , Zones 5–9 )

7 . Stream orchid(Epipactis‘Sabine ’ , Zones 5–9 )

Susan Calhoun is the owner of Plantswoman Design in Bainbridge Island , Washington .

Fine Gardening commend product

The Regenerative Landscaper : Design and Build Landscapes That Repair the environs

Niteangel Natural Wooden Insect Hotel , Garden Insect House for Ladybugs , lacewings , Butterfly , Bee , hemipteran

Gardener ’s Log Book from NYBG

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos send to your inbox .

Signing you up …

3 Strategies for Designing a Garden That Will Make an Impact for Years

Why Native Plants Are Key to Saving Our Ecosystems: An Interview with Doug Tallamy

Designing a Garden in the Woods

Learning to Embrace Shade in the Garden

get together hunky-dory horticulture for a free mesh hot webinar feature Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned flora pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical managing director …

When I spotted a particular guts dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delicious color pattern …

When we only prioritise plants we want over plants our landscape needs , each season is replete with a never - ending lean of chores : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

With proper plant choice, natives and nonnatives can mix seamlessly. Sedges, hardy begonia, and conifers along the side of the house mingle with native evergreens to create a tapestry of color and texture.

With proper plant choice, natives and nonnatives can mix seamlessly. Sedges, hardy begonias, and conifers along the side of the house mingle with native evergreens to create a tapestry of color and texture.Photo: doreenwynja.com

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be thrifty when you enter the backyard of garden house decorator Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …