Garden/woodland ideas

[Mudball]

at the bottom of the garden, we have some very overgrown section. It has canopy cover from neighbor's trees. It is full of tall laurels and some holly. There used to be a bit of sunlight but not much. It feels like a 'forest', if it raining outside, it is brilliant to hear the rain on the canopy (but not get wet at the same time - pure bliss). We recently cut back some laurels and now we get some more light to the ground (but not much). It is also on a slope (on the right hand side of the pic)

It is a rare thing to have such a (small patch) of woodlands in the backgarden, so i dont want to cut it down. But I would like to have some more diversity rather than just laurels. But given the high level of shade, what would the greenfingers on the forum recommend. This is a long term project. I just sowed some wild garlic bulbs this week.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Not much grows in the shade. You might find that cutting back the canopy a little will bring out lots of plants, flowers etc without you actually doing anything else.

 

[RichA]

We've got a few varieties of nice ferns and some white and purple hellebores for spring colour in our shady spot. Snowdrops and bluebells do very well in the shade too.

 

[Rlburnside]

You just have to plant the right things in a shady area plenty will grow.

Bluebells and snowdrops will give you a great show in spring, ferns are another good shout, I would also plant Hostas.

We have a woodland area and all these plants give a good show and are very low maintenance.

 

[Taz]

We put our Hostas in pots with copper rings to protect. They are a snail/slug 5* dining experience.
Pretty much as above, ferns/ hellebores and bulbs for the spring (bluebells and snowdrops).
Nerrines do well in our woodland area and give a bit of late autum colour
We also have Fatsia Japonica which show around this time of year

 

[Mudball]

Not much grows in the shade. You might find that cutting back the canopy a little will bring out lots of plants, flowers etc without you actually doing anything else.

Partially agree … but u do see things growing on the forest bed with not much sunlight

 

[Voyager EMH]

Our grass gets sparse under our big sycamore and towards neighbour-over-the-back 6ft wooden fence.
Cyclamen seem to thrive in almost permanent shade. Sun can hit this spot, if it is out, for a couple of hours in the morning only. The less grass - the more cyclamen.
Took this photo moments ago. Doesn't do them justice - they are much deeper pink.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Pinched a much better photo off internet - more like the colour of ours.
They seem to flower a few times during the year - as and when they feel like it.

 

[jim8flog]

Plants for under trees / RHS Gardening

It can be a challenge to establish plant cover under the canopy of large trees. Shade and lack of moisture are both problems in these conditions, but there are a number of plants that will tolerate these situations.

www.rhs.org.uk

 

[Oops!]

You might want to give Google's AI a try !

I just searched for “plants that grow in less sunlight outdoors” and was surprised by the variety and number of plants Google came up with—and they weren't just ferns (which I personally think are beautiful), but also flowering plants!

 

[nickjdavis]

at the bottom of the garden, we have some very overgrown section. It has canopy cover from neighbor's trees. It is full of tall laurels and some holly. There used to be a bit of sunlight but not much. It feels like a 'forest', if it raining outside, it is brilliant to hear the rain on the canopy (but not get wet at the same time - pure bliss). We recently cut back some laurels and now we get some more light to the ground (but not much). It is also on a slope (on the right hand side of the pic)

It is a rare thing to have such a (small patch) of woodlands in the backgarden, so i dont want to cut it down. But I would like to have some more diversity rather than just laurels. But given the high level of shade, what would the greenfingers on the forum recommend. This is a long term project. I just sowed some wild garlic bulbs this week.

What proportion of your entire garden is it?

I've got a similar section at the bottom of my garden...well overgrown with self seeded fruit trees, blackberry bushes etc....there are a couple of small ponds in there somewhere as well. I keep meaning to rip it all out back to bare bones and start again....but its an absolute haven for wildlife....if its not a huge part of your garden I'd consider leaving it as is.

 

[Neilds]

People replying to this thread should realise that it was started in 2023 - anything that was planted at this time will now be 6 foot tall

 

[Oops!]

Sorry !

It appeared on top of the list, so I assumed it was an actual thread !

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Sorry !

It appeared on top of the list, so I assumed it was an actual thread !

A spammer resurrected it, you then posted just before they were removed / banned. I didn't remove your post, sending the thread back to oblivion, as there is no harm in any comments made. If it doesn't get traction, it will disappear down the list again.

 

[Mudball]

What proportion of your entire garden is it?

I've got a similar section at the bottom of my garden...well overgrown with self seeded fruit trees, blackberry bushes etc....there are a couple of small ponds in there somewhere as well. I keep meaning to rip it all out back to bare bones and start again....but its an absolute haven for wildlife....if its not a huge part of your garden I'd consider leaving it as is.

Full traction mate... I havent not done much with that part.. we did clear some of that area. It is not massive. I would say about 15 m wide and about 6-7m deep. Massively sloping. Due the the tree cover, not much sunlight. Though during the clearout and the thinning managed to get some sunlight to the ground. Mostly mulched because of all the leaves from over the years.

I did put some wild garlic. A few of them sprung up too.

 

[patricks148]

Full traction mate... I havent not done much with that part.. we did clear some of that area. It is not massive. I would say about 15 m wide and about 6-7m deep. Massively sloping. Due the the tree cover, not much sunlight. Though during the clearout and the thinning managed to get some sunlight to the ground. Mostly mulched because of all the leaves from over the years.

I did put some wild garlic. A few of them sprung up too.

id leave it just for biodiversity. leaf mulch is great for Birds and other creatures. i work for a nature organisation and at one point the grounds were manicured, now they have all been left on the advice of a number of the scientists who work here

 

[Mudball]

id leave it just for biodiversity. leaf mulch is great for Birds and other creatures. i work for a nature organisation and at one point the grounds were manicured, now they have all been left on the advice of a number of the scientists who work here

i would love to see some plants grow there too... some flowers, shrubs etc.. currently not much going on... too many laurels..

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Clear back ground shrubs.
Build a half circle laurel or willow hedge at rear
Place/build a rustic half circle bench seat at rear
Cover front ground with bark and/or leaf mulch
Nice wee cheap shaded den