The Best Woodland Garden Plants

By Rose Rodriguez Published May 21, 2018 Updated June 21, 2022

There is something special about woodland garden plants. Woodland gardens can be a refuge from the sun in the middle of summer, be transformed into an array of colors during the fall, show interesting plant architecture in the winter, and have wonderful blooms in the spring. Finding the right shade loving plants will make the woodlands garden even more interesting and appreciated throughout the year.

When looking for shade tolerant perennials, it is important to remember not all shade is the same - while some shade loving plants can thrive in dense forest, others need filtered sunlight throughout the day, and still others will enjoy a few hours of direct morning sun. Soil conditions are also important to consider in the woodlands garden. Certain shade tolerant perennials will need evenly moist soils and others will do better in dry shade.

If the floor of the woodlands garden feels bare, there are groundcovers for shade that can add texture and height. Selaginella uncinata and Selaginella moellendorffii are two easy to grow examples that can flourish in shade. Other groundcovers for shade include Carex, which has the appearance of an ornamental grass. There are also plenty of flowering shade tolerant perennials to spotlight in the woodlands garden in the fall, Rabdosia longituba 'Tube Socks' will show off its white blooms, while Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' will send up pink blossoms in spring.

There are just so many opportunities to work with shade loving plants in the woodlands garden. Soon the yard will feel like a private forest that will be enjoyed from season to season.

Welcome to Plant Delights Nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens. We are a private research and display botanic garden located near Raleigh, North Carolina (USDA Hardiness Zone 7b). Our retail mail order division allows us to make the best perennials from our trials available to gardeners around the world, some of which were developed here, some from our plant explorations, and others from breeders around the world. Between 1988 and 2010, Plant Delights Nursery introduced over 500 new perennial plants to US horticulture. In 2002, we were honored to be recognized by the American Horticulture Society for our lifetime of work in commercial horticulture. This image gallery is but a sampling of the great perennial plants available for gardeners around the world. We do not carry all plants pictured at any one time, but since our mission is to educate and inspire, we hope these images and the linked articles below will expand your garden horizons and interest. You will find an array of other interesting information and fascinating perennials throughout our website...thank you for taking time to visit.

Back to articles