A Woodland Wonderland

by Amanda

White Trillium

Many of us are fortunate enough to live in tall, shady woodland areas bursting with beautiful wildlife and ever-changing foliage. Add to your already enchanting area by planting native woodland wildflowers – All you need are the right plants and a little patience!

Choosing your Area

Woodland wildflowers and plants prefer moist soil and as much shade as possible. Choose an area that fits these criteria and is already enticing in some natural way. This could mean a few interesting rocks, a cluster of moss-covered trees, or some other naturally-beautiful landmark that could be a wonderful setting for an enchanting woodland garden.

Selecting Plants

There is a very specific group of plants that will thrive in perpetually-moist, shady conditions. Trillium will do splendidly in your shady woodland garden, adding elegance with delicate, unique blooms. We carry five colorful, early-blooming varieties of Trillium. If you are looking to create a natural carpet on your forest floor, try planting Creeping Wintergreen, Bloodroot or Hepatica. Add bright color to your shady garden with Blue Cardinal Flower or Wild Violet. Black Cohosh is a tall plant that produces whimsical candles of white flowers. There are several other woodland varieties that will add elegance and splendor to your shady garden – You can find our complete selection here.

Spiderwort

Patience

The wonderful trait of woodland wildflowers is that once established, they are very hardy and easy to care for, creating a spectacular show year after year. The key to building this type of garden is patience. Although these plants prefer a shady environment, not having the help of the sun makes them extremely slow growers. It can take Trillium 6-10 years to bloom if planted from seed. Our woodlands plants are more mature than this, but will still take some time to acclimate to your environment and bloom.

Who wouldn’t want to take a stroll through their woodland property and take in the wonder of beautiful blooms, a natural carpet of Creeping Wintergreen, and the sweet fragrance of Turk’s Cap Lilies? Although these woodland beauties take some time to establish and bloom, the result is well worth the wait.