GARDENING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE IN THE NORTHEAST

Woodland Groundcovers

Starting a large woodland garden does not have to be daunting. Key to success is choosing a limited set of vigorous native woodland plants that spread quickly, suppressing weeds and providing beautiful structure to the herbaceous layer. Add as much organic matter in the form of composted leaves (leaf mold) or general compost as you possibly can, and “think big” by giving each species a lot of space to cover.

Limit the choice of these massed plants to around 10 species, so that each can dominate large drifts. Interesting combinations naturally occur where the different patches meet and species intermingle. Accent plants (larger or clump-forming woodland plants) can later be added within the drifts. The possibilities to experiment with beautiful combinations are endless …

In this post, you will find our favorite 10 species of native woodland plants for massing. We are not including the incredible native ferns or native sedges here, because they deserve their own pages. Many of them can and should also be used in this massed fashion as “backbone” plants.

And our favorites are:

Celandine Poppy

Yellow blooms, reliable foliage, nice seedpods, and multiplying quickly from seed. What’s not to like from this native woodland workhorse? To top it off, this plant may bloom twice, once in spring and again in summer. In the wild, Celandine Poppy is badly out-competed by the invasive garlic mustard, but in a woodland garden it shines. Seedlings may pop up far from the mother plants, but these are easily removed or transplanted if they appear in the wrong spot

Virginia Bluebells

Is there anything more stunning than a huge drift of native Bluebells in bloom covering a floodplain? As true spring ephemerals, Virginia Bluebells complete their yearly growth cycle in a single season, so they do leave a bare spot in a garden setting in summer/fall. That’s why we either situate them under shrubs or understory trees that totally shade the area in summer, or combine them with other massed plants that take their space once the Bluebells are done blooming. The combination of Virginia Bluebells with the yellow Celandine Poppy is simply outstanding.

Creeping Phlox

This is a fast spreader that can be used as a fantastic native evergreen groundcover. In spring, beautiful flowers on long stalks top the green basal foliage. There are several varieties ranging in color from pink over blue to purple. We like the cultivars ‘Sherwood Purple’ (blue/purple) and ‘Home Fires’ (pink). Sherwood Purple is a bit more vigorous in our woodland than Home Fires.

Golden Ragwort

Very similar in habit and contrasting beautifully with Creeping Phlox, Golden Ragwort is one of our favorites. In spring, showy purple stalks appear above evergreen foliage. Long-blooming yellow flowers are followed by white puffy clouds of seeds in late spring. A simply outstanding native plant and far too seldom used. A close relative, Roundleaf Ragwort, has even showier basal foliage, but it may be a bit too aggressive for some in a garden setting, so we dead-head them after flowering to keep them in check. Try pairing Golden Ragwort with Cinnamon Fern. What a show!

Woodland Phlox

While similar in appearance to Creeping Phlox when in flower, Woodland Phlox spreads slower but reseeds more prolifically. Seedlings may pop up far from the mother plant. Bloom color of the species is blue, with cultivars such as ‘May Breeze’ available with white blooms. Woodland Phlox as well as Creeping Phlox are essential in attracting the fascinating hummingbird moths to your garden.

Mayapple

Individual plants sport very unusual umbrella-shaped leaves with white flowers blooming below the umbrellas. Pollinated flowers turn to large round green/yellow fruit (the apple) in summer, which attract turtles. Mayapple forms large colonies over time with an almost complete canopy of umbrellas where happy. The colony looks great when viewed from afar or from the side. Children love discovering the mostly hidden flowers and apples. Mayapples may start looking ragged in late summer and usually go dormant by fall.

Wild Ginger

Somewhat similar in appearance to Mayapple, Wild Ginger sports big leaves covering a well-hidden purple flower situated very low at ground level. Flies pollinate the flowers and ants disperse the seeds. Wild Ginger is slowly spreading and forms a very neat seasonal (spring to fall) groundcover. It combines well with Mayapple and other spring ephemerals, which go dormant before Wild Ginger does.

Jacob’s Ladder

A low-growing little woodland wildflower, Jacob’s Ladder has showy dissected foliage that lasts until fall and is covered by many blue flowers for a brief period in spring. We have it growing with Maidenhair Fern on a slope. It spreads slowly, but reseeds readily. Give it some time and it will cover large areas by reseeding.

Cardinal Flower

This plant is essential for providing color and nectar in a wet woodland in late summer. The showy red blooms are cherished by hummingbirds. Basal foliage is evergreen and some excellent cultivars have dark almost purple foliage. By summer the plant can be close to 3 feet tall. It mixes well with a close relative, Great Blue Lobelia, with similar habit but blue flower clusters.

White Wood Aster

Just when you thought that all woodland plants were done flowering for the year, White Wood Aster, which went almost unnoticed through most of spring and summer, bursts into bloom at the end of August. It flowers for the entire month of September and lends life-support to many late insects. Moreover, White Wood Aster grows well in difficult dry areas of your shade garden. Try mixing with Bluestem Goldenrod for a powerful combination. An excellent related species, Blue Wood Aster, is slightly taller and blooms even later reaching into October. We have seen Monarch Butterflies feeding on these asters to gain the energy for their flight to the wintering sites in Mexico. Do not cut the asters back after flowering. Non-migrating birds such as Dark-Eyed Juncos, Goldfinches, and Tufted Titmouse cherish their seed throughout winter.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Foamflower: Low spreader, creamy white flower stalks

Dwarf Crested Iris: Low groundcover, brief blue-purple blooms

Bloodroot: Spring Ephemeral, beautiful foliage lasting till late summer

Spotted Geranium: Similar in habit to woodland phlox. Self-seeds.

Round-leaf Ragwort: Similar to Golden Ragwort with larger leaves, but maybe too vigorous for a garden setting.

Blue Wood Aster: Similar to White Wood Aster but even later blooming pale blue.

Bluntleaf Waterleaf: Interesting watermarks on young leaves. White flowers beneath leaves

Wild Sarsaparilla: Native woodland species, White flowers beneath leaves

Dwarf Bluestar: Excellent for massing on dry slopes in part shade

Great Blue Lobelia: Relative of Cardinal Flower with deep blue blooms.

Lace-leaved Loostrife: Spreader with yellow flowers and purple foliage

Virginia Creeper: Vine, climbs on support, but also covers ground nicely

Moss Phlox: Very low growing and more sun loving than creeping phlox

Prickly pear: Surprise a cactus! Great for part-sun rock gardens

Beebalms: Cover ground in part-sun locations

Short-toothed Mountain Mint: Cover ground in part-sun locations. Fragrant. Bee magnet.

Carolina Phlox: Cover ground in part-sun locations