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VVV
Gardening With The Woods

I garden beneath an ancient white oak, a remnant of the forest

that once was. I bought my tiny suburban house because of that
oak. It is majestic in all seasons and I enjoy life in its shelter.
Still, it's not an ideal situation for growing most
plants. The beds under the oak are full of water-
sucking roots. It's tough competing with a giant white
oak for water.
The plants in my backyard are survivors. For each
one that has thrived, another has not.
At one time, turfgrass coexisted peacefully with the
oaks. As the shade increased, the grass disappeared
due to lack of light. Native azaleas and most other
shrubs bloom sparingly.
Despite these problems, I spend most of my leisure
time in my backyard garden under the oak. The shade
is refreshing. Even in seasons when the garden is
devoid of flower color, I can relax in the green world. I
can study the white oak, its younger 100 foot cousin
and the myriad of wildlife that call my garden home.

I've learned a lot in the process of making this garden.

• I started by laying out the beds in pleasing shapes.
Richard and I did this by raking leaves in fall to
form the bed lines. We discussed and compromised
until we were both happy with the arrangement.
We then ascended to the deck and looked down.
After seeing the layout in plan view, we changed
things again.
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• During the autumn that year, I

stockpiled leaves and filled in the
bed lines to make shapes. Believe
me there is never a shortage of
leaves when you live under a 100
foot tall white oak. The leaves
smothered any undesirable
vegetation (like the few remaining
scraggly St. Augustine sprigs) over
the winter.
• I began learning to identify the the
indigenous flora. I welcomed the
partridge berry, mist flower, hairy
sunflower, ruellia and
elephantophus (shown below). I
was happy to have inherited cast
iron plant as well.
• I planted the shrubs and small trees
during the fall in large well
amended planting holes. By digging
individual holes rather than tilling,
I disturbed the oak roots as little as
possible.
• I gradually added perennials like
ferns and shade loving wildflowers.
The perennials and other plants established slowly in the shade. It took a full three
years for most to reach their full potential.
• On the bright side, ten years later I moved away
for three years. When I came home to reclaim my
garden, the shady back yard only took a couple of
days of work. The sunny parts of the landscape
had been populated with privet and pioneer
species like blackberry and sweetgum. I am still
working to reclaim some of the sunny areas.
• I can get by without turfgrass. I've constructed
paths to substitute for grassy trails. The largest
open patch that was once lawn is now similar to a
woodland clearing. I've gradually collected rocks
and installed them as a border to define the beds.
• I use mostly organic fertilizers and fertilizers
designed for acid loving plants. I've used
cottonseed meal and manure to feed the soil. I
make a late winter application of Ironite. If I'm
feeling ambitious I follow that later in spring with
a liquid feeding of Miracid. Then I stand back and
watch the place jump!
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• The large trees suck the water

from the soil so irrigation is
important. I tried to be diligent
when the young plants were
getting established.
• I irrigate using a low volume
system. I've invested in tiny
Rainbird spinners with flow rates
measured in gallons per hour not
gallons per minute. Sudden
introduction of high volume
irrigation can kill old trees that
have endured drought for
decades.
• The birds that frequent my
backyard drop seed with wild
abandon. My hardest
maintenance task is eliminating
excessive woody plants. I pull
small seedlings with a Woody
Plant Puller. I cut larger ones to
the ground and apply a herbicide
stump treatment . I've committed
murder to have this garden. I've
killed St. Augustine grass and forests of fledgling oaks. But... I always apologize first.

I am very comfortable in this niche I've carved for myself under the white oaks. It is a
modified suburban woodland remnant that I call home.
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The Stars Of My Shade Garden

All the plants listed here are surviving in dry shade with little maintenance.

Understory Trees
• American beech (Fagus grandiflora)
• Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
• Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla)
• Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
• Professor Seargent camellia
• Ironwood(Carpinus caroliniana)

Shrubs
• Florida leucothoe (Agarista populifolia)
• Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
• Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei)
• Star bush (Illicium floridanum)
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
• Wild honeysuckle azalea and swamp azalea (Rhododendron
spp.)
• Tea camellia (Camellia sinensis)
• Native and 'Jelena' hybrid Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spp.)

Groundcovers & Perennials

• Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium)
• Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
• Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) - Shown above.
• Hawera Narcissus (Narcissus 'Hawera')
• Hardy Amaryllis (Hippeastrum johnsonii)
• Partridge berry (Mitchella repens)
• Louisiana phlox (Phlox divaricata)
• Monroe's White Liriope (Liriope 'Monroe's White')
• Pinkroot (Spigelia marilandica) - shown at right.
• Southern green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum var. australe)
• Lucifer pink (Lychnis coronaria)
• LaBuffarosa rain lily (Zephyranthes 'LaBuffarosa')
• Toad lily (Tricyrtis spp.)
• Wood Aster (Aster divariacata)
• Double Japanese Aster (Kalimeris pinnatifida)
• Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis)

VVV Gardening With The Woods VVV
Common Name
Latin Name
Arborvitae Fern
Selaginella spp.
Autumn Fern
Dryopteris erythrosora
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Cinnamon Fern
Osmunda cinnamomea
Holly Fern
Cyrtomium falcatum
Japanese Painted Fern
Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
Lady Fern
Athyrium asplenioides
Log Fern
Dryopteris celsa
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum capillus-veneris
Shaggy Wood Fern
Dryopteris cycadina
Southern Shield Fern
Thelypteris kunthii
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A Dozen of My Favorite Ferns
Deciduous or Comments
Evergreen
E Slow growing but tough; Fronds look like
arborvitae or eastern red cedar
E Glossy fronds with Copper colored new
growth; 2' to 3' tall and robust
E Native; Tolerates dry
slopes; Very hardy
D Spectacular fiddleheads
in early spring similar to
the ones shown here;
Cinnamon colored spore
stalks; Survives in dry
shade; Grows best in
shaded boggy sites; Native
E Leaflets are glossy and holly-like; Coarse
textured and showy; Looks great scattered in
with mondo grass; Leaves may burn in a hard
winter.
D Variegated fronds are marked with silver and
pink; Very tough and easy to grow
D Fine textured lacy fronds; averages 2'; Easy
native fern
E Glossy attractive fronds; Found in the wild
growing on rotted logs near swamps
D Can grow up to 5' tall if happy; Thrives in wet
shady spots; Native
D Delicate and dainty with dark wiry stems;
Likes lime; Thrives on the moist north side of
buildings in total shade where lime from the
foundation has leached into the soil; Native
E Striking black fiddleheads; Attractive stiff
leathery fronds
D Very easy to grow; Runs to form large
colonies; Lush tropical appearance; Native