#woodland shade garden

[000h-la-la]

the hellebores are out and about! the trillium and tulips are getting ready to put on a good show. 🌱

[setzabilly]

Natural Stone Pavers Patio in Chicago Large mountain style backyard stone patio photo with a fire pit and no cover

[keisukeabe]

Gravel Landscape

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 22 May 2024

In a shady border under some deciduous trees the Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana' (wood anemone, windflower) was thriving. This rhizomatous herbaceous perennial has beautiful light lavender-blue flowers with silvery backs to the petals. It thrives in a moist but well drained soil.

Jill Raggett

[vandaliatraveler]

Update on the native wildflower shade garden . . .

Since my last post about the sharp-lobed hepatica several weeks ago, the wildflowers in the shade garden have made a significant push. All of the live plants I put in the ground last fall have made it through the winter, and many of the seeds I planted have germinated and sprouted. Quick survey:

Top: the spreading Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans) is mounding beautifully and positively dripping with violet-blue, bell-shaped flowers. The plant lures many pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, moths, and beetles. And that foliage is so lush and green . . .

Next one: woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) has established itself in the nooks and crannies of one of my rock features and is getting ready to bloom.

Next two: although the sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) has nearly finished blooming, the real joy starts for me when the leathery, thrice-lobed leaves with their often deeply-variegated patterns begin to unfold. This is flat-out one of the most unique and gorgeous wildflowers of North America.

Next one: creeping woodland phlox (Phlox stolonifera) makes for an enchanting ground cover and will spread quite rapidly in the right conditions. I have strong feelings for all the native phlox species, but this one has stolen my heart. It's native to a narrow strip of the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Pennsylvania. In the spring around here, it absolutely lights up streambanks with its dainty pink to rose-colored flowers.

Next one: dwarf-crested iris (Iris cristata) is another lovely groundcover but beware - it spreads like wildfire. The lavender and yellow to orange-crested flowers are a treasure to behold from late April to early May. And its arrow-like foliage provides much-needed contrast in the garden.

Next: among the seeds I planted, the yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima) is making the strongest push. The plant produces yellow-flowered umbels similar to golden Alexanders and is a high-value nectar source for many pollinators. It's also the host plant for the black swallowtail and Ozark swallowtail butterflies.

Next two: anyone who visits this Tumblr regularly needs no introduction to heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), my unofficial poster child for Appalachian spring. I simply would not have a native wildflower garden without it. One of my foamflowers is a hybrid (sugar and spice) cultivated for its deeply dissected leaves and intense variegation.

Last (but not least): my eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) pretty much takes cares of itself - it's one of the best starter wildflowers for beginner gardeners, hardy and undemanding. But man, does it produce loads of beautiful red and yellow, bell-shaped flowers.

[pallanophblargh]

I have so many things I need to catch up on and respond to (I have severely neglected my email which is NOT good) so I apologize. I will get around to it this week I hope! 

Old followers will know that this is the norm for me this time of year as I once again rally the strength to try and make the most of my severely neglected little urban hellscape of a yard. I mean, how do you recover from the knowledge that ALL of the native milkweed species you planted over the last 4 years has died, never to return? (I can’t stop being sad about this you have no clue, I had 5+ species native to the state!) All that remains is the common milkweed volunteers that have come up wherever they feel like it, and I’m obligated to let them do as they wish. Feels bad, man. I would have killed to see that purple milkweed flower.

Have spent the last 2+ weeks getting my veggie garden and containers up and running (still need to sow beans and more kale) and I’ve got more natives/ornamentals to go into my nearly cleared side yard. I’m really really REALLY hoping my new virginia bluebells don’t die with this heat/likely drought, but I’m pretty confident everyone else will come through okay. I mean, if the cardinal flower can come back for the 3rd year like a champ, what’s their excuse? (Dear self: be thankful, the cardinal flower likes you and you know it shouldn’t and that’s rad. Also the prairie smoke plant is starting to spread and that’s really cool. So is the hepatica. And your ferns are getting big and beautiful! So remember what’s working out, ok?)

I just want my little plot to be the hopping hot spot for all the local wildlife. It’s nice to see so many critters anywhere I look but I know I can do better and that requires A LOT of work. I’ll never be anything akin to a master gardener, but I like to think I’m learning a lot every day and working WITH nature instead of against it. Battling invasives is one hell of task. (Rot in hell, creeping bellflower!)

Now if only it would rain, and I can find a way to get a rain barrel setup! (No gutters in my back yard to access for rain is a major L...)

[nncastle]

Glorious color! Every autumn I fall in love.

[craftycultivator]

Columbine (Aquilega)

Columbine is one of my favorite super-low maintenance plants. They easily self seed, but are also perennial. They are at home in a shady woodland type setting, but can handle a wide range of sun/shade conditions. The majority of my Columbine plants are from the ones I grew from seed over 10 years ago. They are mostly yellow (not my favorite) and a red/yellow mix ones. I wouldn’t go out of my way…

[fyeahimanengineer]

Garden Beds Landscape

Photo of a sizable, conventional, raised-bed stone garden in the backyard that can withstand drought and receives full sun.

[hybridefiance]

Charlotte Landscape Ideas for a summertime small craftsman shade backyard mulch landscaping.

[000h-la-la]

party in the front! 🌸

[project3x5]

Contemporary Landscape - Mulch

Inspiration for a sizable, modern, drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant mulch flower bed in the front yard in the fall.

[ericmortensen]

Garden Beds Landscape An example of a large traditional drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone raised garden bed.

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 19 April 2024

In the shade of a woodland garden the Anemone blanda (winter windflower, Balkan anemone) were flowering. The flowers are an intense blue, but the species can produce shades of pink and white. This spreading perennial here contrasts with the silver evergreen foliage of Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' (spotted deadnettle).

Jill Raggett

[mmwm]

FIELD TRIP: BEDROCK GARDENS, LEE, NH

[wolverwhore]

Waterfall in San Francisco Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard waterfall.