Our 5 favourite plants for a woodland sanctuary garden, inspired by RHS Chelsea
Written by: Plant Doctor Helen
While woodland gardens may not be as colourful as some, if the emphasis is placed on form and texture, they can be incredibly stylish, soothing and immersive. To create something really beautiful, as Tom Stuart-Smith did in his gold medal-winning Chelsea garden this year, the trick is to form layers of rich green planting, and use a mix of plants that have contrasting foliage shapes, flower heads or silhouettes.
Also, be mindful that you don’t actually need a woodland to grow these plants, as although they originate from wilder, rural regions, many woodland species will happily make the transition to a domestic garden, where they’ll easily settle into those shadier spots (under a tree, next to the house or at the base of a fence etc) where sun-loving plants will usually flounder.
Award-winning inspiration
If you've been inspired by Tom's woodland-themed Chelsea garden, and you’ve got a shady patch that needs a bit of a rejig, then here’s our top 5 shade-tolerant plants for a domestic garden. Pick a few of your favourites to add complexity and interest to an existing scheme, or use all of them together to create a whole new look in an untouched border.
Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora
Tailor-made to add definition and height, these white foxgloves draw the eye with their elegant spears of luminous, bell-shaped flowers. Weave them through the border in loose clusters, and (when in flower), they’ll instantly change the dynamic of the planting scheme by breaking up all those mounding and billowing shapes. Then, when the first flush of flowers has started to fade, cut the stems back and chances are you’ll get a repeat performance. And, don’t be put off by the fact that they are short-lived, because they’ll self-seed freely if you let the second batch of flowers die back naturally.
Geranium pratense 'Mrs Kendall Clark'
This hardy, award-winning cranesbill is one of the best. Quickly forming rich green mounds of pleasingly serrated, lobed leaves, it intermingles happily with its neighbours without becoming thuggish, while also helping to keep the weeds at bay. The flowers however are the main attraction. Appearing generously in loose clusters from late spring, and looking luminous in dappled light, their silver-threaded, lavender-blue petals create a slightly ethereal effect, which belies the plants resilience. Fuss-free and easy to grow, once settled in, they’ll come back reliably year after year.
Hosta ‘Devon Green’
Forming neat, low(ish) mounds of chunky, lustrous leaves, this hosta looks wonderful and adds solidity, when placed amidst plants with filigree foliage, or those that have a softly structured framework. It’s not all about the foliage though, as the sprays of lavender flowers are also lovely, rising up in midsummer to bring a soft splash of colour. Perfect for border or path edges, it has thicker leaves than many other hostas, which makes it less palatable to hungry slugs and snails.
Polystichum munitum
The meat and potatoes of a woodland garden, and doing equally well in shady urban settings, ferns are indispensable where textural foliage is called for. Forming a generous, splaying clump of gently arching and slightly ruffled fishbone fronds, the foliage of this first-rate fern is both lush and lovely. In narrow borders, this can be shoehorned in to soften hard edges, but where there’s room, plant it in generous drifts to create a naturalised effect. Healthy and easy to grow, the fronds will also last well if cut for the vase.
Thalictrum Splendide White
Rising from generous clumps of finely divided, fresh green foliage, the tall, slender stems of this thalictrum are topped with a haze of countless pea-sized buds, each opening umbrella-like to reveal a perky bristle of greenish anthers. This beautiful meadow rue adds a diaphanous feel to the mix, so use it as you would Verbena bonariensis, and it will add a delicate lightness where height and colour is needed - but without the bulk. Well-behaved in the border, and reliably coming back year after year, it's worth growing for the foliage alone, but the mid- to late summer flowers transcend expectations, placing it firmly in the ‘must-have’ category.
