I often talk about our woodland garden. It sounds a bit grand to have a woodland garden, but mine is nothing like that. It's just an attempt at a little woodland space. There's only one tree in it, a massive lime, but there are other trees around in neighbours' gardens which all help to create the shade.
The woodland garden was created a few years ago when my husband had the idea of doing something with a small, unused and very rough area at the top end of the garden. The area is elevated looking down onto the drive and garage. There had been a compost bin beyond the tree, a very rickety fence and a sloping boggy path leading to the compost bin, all a bit treacherous at times.We decided to move the compost bin and have a new composting area in another part of the garden. This provided us with lots of lovely compost to use to improve the soil in the woodland area. Richard made a new fence, and because it is a sloping site, a stepped wooden boardwalk type of path running alongside it.
I loved planting up the border, which was surprisingly quite large. I planted shade loving plants taken from cuttings in other parts of the garden and I looked around the garden centres for woodland plants. The area gets some sunshine for part of the day. Early in the year spring bulbs do very well, snowdrops, crocus, daffodils followed by primroses and bluebells. Later on dicentras, hardy geraniums, Solomon's seal and aquilegia bring in some colour. From about July onwards, when the trees are in full leaf the woodland garden becomes less colourful and more shady and the ferns take over the show.
As the garden has developed it has become not just a woodland garden but a secret garden. It's hidden away at the top of the main garden, accessed through a little gate. We put the gate there to stop the grandchildren from getting in when they were younger as we were worried they would try to climb over the fence onto the garage roof. They can now open the gate themselves and there's no stopping them, they love going down into that secret place.
I often visit other gardens and if there is a woodland area I like to get ideas for planting. But I've noticed that 'proper' woodland gardens are very shady and are often left to nature. Mine is very full of shade loving garden plants. I wonder if I have gone overboard with the planting. One day I might redo the border, if I ever have the time. But for now I quite like it as it is.
