Plants for a Woodland Garden

The dappled shade of a woodland floor can be filled with plants that will create interest throughout the year. Early on, before the overhead canopy has become established, flowering plants such as hellebores, primulas and pulmonarias predominate, while later in the year foliage plants like ferns and hostas play a crucial role.

By type

Shrubs (276)
Perennials (231)
Trees (133)
Large plants for instant impact (103)
Connoisseurs collection (85)
Fruit (81)
Bulbs (56)
Alpines & rockeries (48)
Bedding plants (45)
Climbers (43)
Hedging (31)
Ferns garden (27)
Seeds (18)
Wildflowers (11)
Grasses (6)
Plants & pots (6)
Conifers (5)
Plants for gifts (5)
Herbs (4)
Exotics (1)
Pond plants (1)
Vegetables (1)

Facing

East (687)
Into the wind (1)
North (405)
South (617)
West (756)

How much sun

Light shade (651)
Shade (76)
Sun (616)

Soil type

Acid (439)
Aquatic (1)
Chalky (556)
Haven't a clue (452)
Heavy clay (736)
Light sandy (662)
Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, or peat-free general purpose compost (74)
Normal (825)
Peat-free general-purpose compost (39)
Prefers acid soil (45)

Special conditions

Boggy or damp shade (62)
Coastal conditions (26)
Dry shade (128)
Dry sun (54)
Exposed positions (52)
Tolerate air pollution (210)
Tolerates drought (49)

Ready made borders

Ready-made border Autumn colour (4)
Ready-made border Blending purples (1)
Ready-made border Blue and silver (1)
Ready-made border Budget (2)
Ready-made border Chalky soil (1)
Ready-made border Clay soil (2)
Ready-made border Cool grasses and hot exotics (2)
Ready-made border Cool shade (2)
Ready-made border Cottage garden scheme (2)
Ready-made border Dark and light (1)
Ready-made border Early colour (2)
Ready-made border Good bedfellows (1)
Ready-made border Gravel garden (1)
Ready-made border Keep it cool (1)
Ready-made border Lush shade (1)
Ready-made border Planting the woodland edge (1)
Ready-made border Sandy soil (1)
Ready-made border Scented garden (3)
Ready-made border Shady pink (3)
Ready-made border Shady sanctuary (3)
Ready-made border Soft Summer (2)
Ready-made border Soothing green and white (2)
Ready-made border Spring colour (8)
Ready-made border Stars of high summer (1)
Ready-made border Steamy jungle (3)
Ready-made border Sun lovers (1)
Ready-made border Woodland (4)

Planting combinations

Acid shade plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Digitalis plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Dryopteris plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Geranium plant combination (1)
Attracting wildlife seed combination (1)
Blue and silver plant combination (1)
Bold foliage for shade plant combination (2)
Cool tones plant combination (1)
Damp shade plant combination (2)
Drought tolerant plant combination (1)
Dry shade plant combination (2)
Evergreen groundcover plant combination (2)
Green and gold for damp shade plant combination (1)
Green and white plant combination (2)
Less is more plant combination (1)
Low maintenance gems plant combination (1)
Low maintenance plant combination (summer) (1)
Pink and purple long-flowering plant combination (1)
Pinks and purple dry shade plant combination (1)
Pinks and purples plant combination (3)
Pulmonaria and Athyrium plant combination (1)
Rich tones slug resistant plant combination (1)
Shade lovers plant combination (3)
Shady clay plant combination (1)
Shady lady plant combination (3)
Slug resistant plant combination for shade (2)
Slug resistant plant combination (2)
Structured shade plant combination (1)
Thalictrum and Astrantia plant combination (1)
The Highgrove Hosta Collection (3)
The Highgrove Kitchen Garden Collection (3)
The Highgrove Mediterranean Garden Collection (1)
Tiarella and Brunnera plant combination (3)
Year round groundcover plant combination (2)

Flowering month

January (87)
February (149)
March (214)
April (296)
May (293)
June (191)
July (200)
August (165)
September (120)
October (47)
November (17)
December (34)

Flower colour

Colourful collections / bicolours (33)
Black (6)
Blue (70)
Green (31)
Orange (12)
Pink (196)
Purple (79)
Red (54)
White (328)
Yellow (70)

Evergreen / deciduous

Deciduous (554)
Evergreen (185)
Semi-evergreen (124)

Fragrance

All scented flowers (110)
Aromatic foliage (54)
Evening scent (14)
Highly scented (28)

Attractive to wildlife

Attractive to bees (335)
Attractive to birds (171)
Attractive to butterflies and moths (45)
Attractive to pollinators (309)
Attractive to wildlife (345)

Quick growing

No (74)
Quite (650)
Yes (219)

Eventual size

Large (142)
Medium (385)
Small (396)

Special features

Architectural silhouettes (130)
Attractive bark (5)
Attractive seedheads (81)
Autumn foliage colour (132)
Berries or fruit (243)
Coloured leaves (75)
Colourful bark or stems (24)
Columnar (2)
Deciduous (98)
Easy to grow (136)
Evergreen / semi evergreen (273)
Fast growing (88)
Flower spires (25)
Flowering (714)
Large leaved (16)
Long flowering (69)
Low maintenance (375)
Makes a good hedge or screen (86)
Plants that are native (44)
Plants that don't need pruning (31)
Plants that help filter noise (33)
Plants that show resistance to deer and rabbits (284)
Plants that will cope with the odd football (268)
Plants to deter vandals and burglars (17)
Resistant to diseases (127)
Scented Leaves (1)
Scented flowers (9)
Small leaved (15)
Stylish in the border (56)
Sublime umbelliferas (2)
Suitable for containers (317)
Suitable for hanging baskets (43)
Tough plants that are harder to kill (106)
Weeping (10)
Winter colour (229)

Indoor plants by room

Bathrooms (2)
Hallways and landings (2)
Home office (2)
Living spaces (1)
Offices (2)

Bulb planting time

Autumn planting (56)
Spring planting (8)

Bulb divisions

Dahlia (Division 1) Single-flowered (1)
Lilium (Division 2) Martagon (1)
Narcissus (Division 12) Miscellaneous (2)
Narcissus (Division 5) Triandrus (1)
Narcissus (Division 6) Cyclamineus (1)
Narcissus (Division 7) Jonquilla (3)
Narcissus (Division 8) Tazetta (1)

Chelsea plant of year

2011 (1)
2013 (1)
2014 (1)
2015 (1)
2018 (1)
2021 (1)
Centenary (2)
Plant of the Decade (1)

Fruit pollination group

Apple pollination group 2 (6)
Apple pollination group 3 (40)
Apple pollination group 4 (8)
Apple pollination group 5 (1)
Pear pollination group 2 (1)
Pear pollination group 3 (1)
Self-fertile (13)

Sowing month inside or protected

January (1)
February (3)
March (12)
April (10)
May (7)
June (1)
September (2)
October (3)
November (2)

Sowing month outside

January (1)
February (1)
March (5)
April (6)
May (5)
June (3)
July (2)
August (3)
September (8)
October (4)
November (1)
December (1)

Multibuy packs

6 packs (5)
Multibuy offers (181)
Selected offers (24)

Pot size

30cm - 39cm (1)
60cm - 69cm (1)

Pot colour

Grey (1)
Terracotta (1)

Pot material

Metal (1)
Terracotta (1)

Hardy

No (1)
Semi (62)
Yes (764)

Leaf colour

Blue (22)
Bronze (22)
Green (746)
Purple (31)
Red (14)
Silver (9)
Variegated (64)
Yellow (16)

Ground cover

No (374)
Yes (255)

Position

Arches & pergolas (5)
Back of border (198)
Bottom of hedges (104)
Conservatories (1)
Covering eyesores (24)
Front of border (311)
Middle of border (224)
Next to a patio (33)
Next to a pond (48)
Next to an entrance (117)
Next to seating areas (121)
Steep banks (116)
Through hedges (21)
Walls & fences (70)

Shape

Ball (1)
Bushy (49)
Columnar (2)
Hummock (5)
Pyramid (3)
Spiral (1)
Spreading (12)
Weeping (2)

Soil moisture

Damp (84)
Dry/Sandy (135)
Normal (817)

Used at Chelsea

2001 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (2)
2002 - HRH The Prince of Wales - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2003 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (12)
2004 - Sir Terrance Conran - Laurent-Perrier (4)
2005 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2006 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2007 - Jinny Blom - Laurent-Perrier (9)
2008 - Arabella Lennox-Boyd - Daily Telegraph (7)
2008 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2009 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (1)
2009 - Ulf Nordfjell - Daily Telegraph (4)
2010 - Andy Sturgeon - Daily Telegraph (2)
2010 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2011 - Cleve West - Daily Telegraph (4)
2011 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (6)
2012 - Arne Maynard - Laurent-Perrier (8)
2012 - Sarah Price - Daily Telegraph (7)
2013 - Christopher Bradley-Hole - Daily Telegraph (11)
2013 - Ulf Nordfjell - Laurent-Perrier (2)
2014 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (5)
2014 - Tommaso del Buono - Daily Telegraph (3)
2015 - Dan Pearson - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2015 - Marcus Barnett - Daily Telegraph (4)
2016 - Andy Sturgeon - Daily Telegraph (1)
2016 - Jekka McVicar - St John's Hospice (1)
2018 Tom Stuart-Smith - Garfield Weston Foundation (14)
2019 - Andy Sturgeon - M & G (9)
2019 - Sarah Eberley - Forestry Commission (10)
2022 - Andy Sturgeon - Mind Garden / Crocus (17)
2023 - Sarah Price - Nurture Garden (9)

Kitchen garden planting guidelines

Propagate in green house (6)
Suitable for compact container gardening (1)
Suitable for grow beds (7)
Suitable for large container gardening (42)
Use cloche (6)

Sort by popularity

Sort by popularity
Sort by availability
Sort by lowest price
Sort by highest price
Sort by name

All items

All items
Available items

841 items

25% off

Primula veris

£2.24 - £27.00

approx 50 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 8

25% off

Primula denticulata

£4.49 - £18.75

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 2

25% off

Helleborus × hybridus Harvington lime

£14.99 - £39.00

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 2 litre pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Anemone Wild Swan ('Macane001') (PBR)

£8.24 - £31.50

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.7 5 26

25% off

Primula pulverulenta

£5.24 - £20.25

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Primula japonica 'Miller's Crimson'

£5.24 - £22.49

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot available to order from late spring

0.5 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.5 5 6

apple 'Cox's Orange Pippin' self fertile

£34.99 - £149.99

12 litre pot | MM106 root stock | 1.5m In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

11.5 litre pot | M27 root stock | 1.2m In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

bare root | M26 root stock | 1.2m available to order from autumn 2024

9 litre pot | M26 root stock | 1.2m available to order from late spring

bare root | MM106 root stock | 1.2m available to order from autumn 2024

12 litre pot | M26 root stock | 1.5m available to order from late spring

Lonicera henryi 'Copper Beauty' (PBR)

£27.99

3 litre pot | 60cm cane In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.8 5 4

Hydrangea macrophylla Hot Red ('Agrihydradrie') (PBR)

Hydrangea machrophylla Hot Red ('Agrihydradrie') (PBR)

£17.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 3.7 5 3

40% off selected

Helleborus × hybridus Harvington double white speckled

~~£25.99~~ £15.59

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Helleborus × hybridus Harvington double pink speckled

£15.59 - £41.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 2 litre pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.0 5 2

25% off

Digitalis parviflora Jacq.

£5.24 - £22.49

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 0 star 0 star 1 star 1 star 2.0 5 2

25% off

Geranium wallichianum Havana Blues ('Noorthava') (PBR)

£7.49 - £20.25

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.7 5 3

25% off

Helleborus niger

£6.74 - £22.49

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.5 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.6 5 11

Acer palmatum 'Katsura'

£59.99

3 litre pot | 40cm tall | grafted In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.0 5 2

Hydrangea paniculata Diamant Rouge ('Rendia') (PBR)

£24.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.8 5 6

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sheila' (Dutch Ladies Series)

£17.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 3

25% off selected

Pieris japonica 'Passion' (PBR)

~~£24.99~~ £18.74

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 1

Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress' (PBR)

£49.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.8 5 9

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blushing Bride'

£17.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 6

< Prev 1 ... 7 8 9 ... 43 Next >

Plants by type

Seasonal plants

Flowering month

Offers

Perennials

4 litre pot peonies

Indoor plants by type

By room

By size

By light

Pots & accessories

Foliage

Mind, body & soil

Outdoor pots

By type

By material

By shape

Inspiration

By size

Indoor pots

Garden equipment

Plant protection

Garden tools

Potting & propagating

Plant support

Landscaping

Crocus collection

Bulb planting kit

Outdoor living

Furniture

Lighting

Birdcare & wildlife

Ornaments

Outdoor lighting

Birdcare & wildlife

Furniture sets

Furniture accessories

Garden seating

By material

Number of seats

Outdoor living

Furniture sets

The summer social collection

Gifts by recipient

By type

By price

Indoor flowering gifts

Plants & wellbeing delivered

Plant offers

Product offers

Perennials

4 litre pot peonies

April

Garden Style Inspiration

Planting kits

Flowering in April

Spring shrubs

Seasonal plant advice

Indoor plant advice

Lessons in Gardening

Lesson 3: Laying out a border

Shop

Plants

By type

Seasonal plants

Flowering month

Offers

Bulbs

Bulbs by type

Flower colour

Indoor plants

Indoor plants by type

By room

By size

By light

Pots & accessories

Pots

Outdoor pots

By material

By shape