How to give your garden the feeling of a woodland haven

Woodland gardens come to the fore at this time of year with foliage turning a myriad of hues and berries glistening with dew. Take a wander around some of Hampshire’s stunning offerings to inspire your own woodland area at home

The most inspiring woodland gardens on any scale have fine trees with multi-season interest which create canopies for layering a tapestry of shrubs and infill plants right down to groundcovers. With just a few trees and considered layering underneath you can give an area of your garden the feeling of a woodland haven. It’s all about creating the layers, the density of the planting and the use of deciduous and or evergreen plants to create the effect. Choose carefully the types of trees to provide the canopy, climbers to scramble through the trees, shrubs to provide the middle layer and herbaceous, ferns and bulbs for the ground cover. Even a few metres of a woodland edge can establish a dynamic, bio-diverse habitat.

Inspiring layering at Exbury (Image: Leigh Clapp) Woodland areas are ideal for east or north-facing aspects and grow plants that suit your soil, as this is not a garden style to mollycoddle plants, they need to do really well. It’s all in the layers; the more natural-looking layered order, with plants of varied heights, the more biodiversity and success. Consider all year round interest and don’t forget flower colour and scent. In the layout and planting plan, think about paths, views, vignettes of plant groupings, seating and a decorative touch to draw the eye. Identify the area that will work best and think through how you would like it to look. Having highlights in each season is important, from the first of the spring bulbs, flowering trees and shrubs, the lushness of the green canopy in summer, through autumnal hues, to deciduous tracery.

Our forests have been managed for centuries, coppiced for wood and fodder, and this lightens the canopy allowing layers of vegetation to develop. Visit as many nearby woodlands and gardens with mini-woodlands as you can to hone your ideas. Observe what plants do best in the shade and others at the periphery. From the expansive woodland treasure that is Exbury Gardens, ablaze now with its autumn cloak, strolls through layered planting at Furzey Gardens and the stunning national collections at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, through to the ornamental treatment at West Green and being able to see the mature plants to then buy at Mac Pennys’ nursery, there is plenty to inspire ideas to translate to your own patch. Look not only at the layered planting but also consider how the paths and routes interweave in the space, where seating is placed and also any decorative touches.

Inspiring planting at Sir Harold Hillier (Image: Leigh Clapp) Trees are the backbone and which trees you choose is a personal decision, however you are after a fairly light or high canopy so that a wide range of plants will grow underneath. As a guide, consider both deciduous and evergreens, along with ones with seasonal interest, such as flowers, berries, fruits, and attractive bark. Aim for as many native species as possible. Broad-leaved native species support more biodiversity and wildlife species than conifers and introduced plants. Hawthorns, hazel, rowans, holly, crab apples, cherries, acers and birch, are just some of the attractive options to form a canopy. If you don’t have room for large trees, use smaller garden trees. Your soil and climatic conditions will also inform your choice so do your research.

You are aiming for a natural eco-system with shrubs to form the layer beneath the tree canopy. Research the size and spread of shrubs as well as their soil and climatic needs. To help with your plant choices you need to understand how shade is measured. Part or semi-shaded refers to a spot with three to six hours of sun, dappled is an area where sunlight filters through the branches of a deciduous tree, deep shade is where there is very heavy shadow with less than two hours of sunlight and dry shade is when large trees take the moisture from the soil. Research equals success, as you don’t want to waste money on temperamental, unsuitable plants. Keep in mind that the soil under trees can be very dry so it’s a good idea to add plenty or well-rotted organic matter at planting to give shrubs a head start, and to apply a mulch in spring.

The decorative path at West Green takes you through the woodland area (Image: Leigh Clapp)

Plants growing in the shade under trees also have to deal with root competition so extra care may be needed to get them established, such as watering and feeding in the initial stages. Within these conditions many shrubs are selected for their foliage form, texture and colour, as it’s these combinations that give the sense of layering a real impact. Medium-sized deciduous shrubs are ideal, such as witch hazels, azaleas, viburnum and philadelphus. If you don’t have space for trees, shrubs can also be used as the top canopy. Woodlands give you a unique chance to encourage a range of wildlife as in a real wood. They are wonderful for wildlife conservation. Whether you have existing trees in a corner where you can add a wider palette of plants or are planting from scratch, try to incorporate as many appropriate local native plants as you can.

Many of the stars of the show are at your feet, a tapestry of massed colours, scents and shapes forming a woven carpet. For the understorey try some perennial woodland plants, not only in shades of green but with variegated foliage and a range of flowers. A community of diverse compatible shade-tolerant herbaceous plants, ferns and bulbs will thrive in the dappled light. Work with the conditions and choose varieties that will attract bees, butterflies and other insects with a succession of interest. Plants with coloured and variegated foliage, along with ones with white or pale flowers, are tried and tested ways to add light in the shadows. Include lots of our native woodland plants, such as foxgloves, bluebells and primroses. You can plant right up to the stems of shrubs once they are established. Keep the planting looking natural, nothing too regimented, with large drifts to give impact.

Bright blue Symplocus paniculata berries (Image: Leigh Clapp) GARDENS TO VISIT