Bringing Color & Life to a Woodland Garden

Many of our East TN landscapes have mature trees that create filtered/dappled light, bright shade, or morning sun only. These gardens can feel difficult to brighten but shade gardens don’t have to be green and boring. By using color, blooms, & texture – you can bring life to a less than sunny area.

Whether you’re planning a new landscape from the start or updating a currently landscape, understanding your area’s sun exposure is key! Typically, we would classify a woodland/shady garden as filtered morning light only and/or less than 4 hours of early day direct sunlight with protection from afternoon rays. This article will discuss landscape areas that fall into that category. One key to understanding is that shade doesn’t mean “darknesss” and deeply shaded areas would be a separate topic) Spend a day studying your landscape and take note of when and how strong the sunlight is through the day – start with early morning, pre-lunch, lunch, mid-afternoon, late afternoon, & evening and you will quickly figure out which areas get which kind of light.

• Dappled/Filtered Shade: Beneath tree canopies where sunlight comes through the branches throughout the day
• Bright, Indirect Light: May get very little direct sun but there is plenty of overall ambient light
• Part Shade: 4 or less hours of sunlight and typically shaded in the intense afternoon sun
• Deep Shade: very little ambient light or no direct sunlight (Read more about deep shade gardens here)

Your goal is the layer by keeping taller plants towards the back and bringing varying plant sizes in front of them. You want a mix of texture, color, & blooms to bring life to your shady areas.Can you m

Note: We only recommend trees, shrubs, & perennials that are hardy to Zone 6 despite our classification being a Zone 7. (We are of the opinion that Zone 7 will always be tricky in our area)

Plants for Shady / Woodland Gardens

Evergreens (shrubs or perennials that do not lose their foliage during Winter) should make the foundation of your landscape. During Winter, when all other plants are dormant – Evergreens will keep some green in the garden. Some Evergreens to consider are:

• Boxwoods
• Mountain Laurel
• False Cypress
• Magnolia

Trees can make a great statement plant in the garden. Some trees to consider are:

• Serviceberry – Fall Color
• Kousa Dogwood – Flowering
• Japanese Maple

Shrubs Texture and/or Color:

• Hydrangeas (Oakleaf, Bigleaf, Mountain)
• Kousa Dogwood
• Chokeberry
• Hypericum/St Johns Wort
• Azaleas
• Rhododendrons
• Virginia Sweetspire

Perennials for Texture and/or Color:

• Hosta
• Heuchera/Coral Bells
• Carex
• Astilbe
• Bleeding Heart
• Ferns
• Foamflower
• Lenten Rose
• Columbine
• Foamy Bells
• Brunnera

That difference matters when you are trying to make a garden look finished. A bed filled only with slow-growing plants may eventually become beautiful, but in the first few years, it can look thin, sparse, and underplanted. A bed designed with faster-spreading perennials in addition, can soften bare spots, connect plant groupings, and create a sense of fullness much earlier.

Building Your Layers

One of the things that makes a natural woodland so beautiful is that plants don’t all grow at the same height. Instead, the landscape is layered.

Start with existing mature trees or small understory trees, then add shrubs beneath them, followed by perennials and groundcovers closer to the ground. Small trees such as Japanese maples and flowering Kousa dogwoods can bring beautiful form & foliage color to areas protected from intense afternoon sun. Below them, shade-tolerant shrubs can add structure and help the garden look intentional even when perennials aren’t blooming.

Don’t Depend Only on Color

This may be the most important trick to creating a beautiful shade garden.

In sunny gardens, flowers often provide most of the color. In shade gardens, foliage can do just as much work—or more.

Look for plants with leaves that are:

• Chartreuse or golden
• Burgundy or bronze
• Silver
• Blue-green
• Variegated with white or cream

Heuchera alone can introduce shades of lime green, caramel, purple, burgundy, silver, and nearly black into a shady garden. Hostas come in everything from deep blue-green to bright gold and creamy variegation and from 3″ tall up to 5′ tall. Brunnera can provide beautiful silver foliage, while ferns and grasses add delicate texture and movement. Mixing foliage colors keeps the garden interesting long after flowers fade.

Avoid Perfectly Manicuring

This bonus of shady/woodland gardens is that it’s ok if it doesn’t feel perfectly manicured. You can still keep a cohesive look by planting the same plant in groups (odd numbers always look best) instead of just planting one thing here and there. Use groundcovers to soften borders, weave plants together, & repeat color patterns throughout to keep the eye flowing.

Need help figuring out what will grow in your particular shady spot? Bring us a few photos of the area along with an idea of how much sun it receives throughout the day. We can help you choose the right plants for the right place and turn that overlooked corner into something beautiful.