Reasons to Install a Woodland Garden



It's much easier to grow woodland plants in shady areas than it is to grow grass. You save time by not fertilizing, over seeding and  mowing weekly. 


The maintenance required for this type of garden is generally easy.  Mulching in the spring and again in the fall, should keep weeds to a minimum.  Many woodland plants are natives, which are naturally acclimated to our environment, making them easier to grow.  Additionally, once your native woodland plants are established, they will not require extensive watering or any special maintenance.

It's an environmentally sound way to garden since you're not adding  lawn chemicals (which often wash into the Chesapeake).  Woodland gardens also provide a great habitat for wildlife.

Woodland plants look best when planted in masses, making the designing of a woodland garden relatively easy.  

When designing a garden make sure to take into consideration when each plant shines.  Consider planting something that blooms in early spring with something that has interesting foliage during the summer and perhaps something that blooms in the fall.  The great part about this is they don't have to be at the same level.  You can have an understory tree that blooms in spring, a ground cover that blooms in summer, a herbaceous plant that blooms in fall with a shrub that has great winter structure.