Under a huge canopy of trees on five acres of forest land, host Rebecca Kolls visits a beautiful woodland garden with thousands of shade-loving perennials, bulbs and wildflowers.
Many of the plants are woodland wildflowers. Some, like the mayapple, were already growing on the property, but most of the flowers in the garden were planted. Sweet woodruff is very invasive; it blooms white for four to five weeks. Wood poppy has yellow blooms in the early spring with sparse blooms throughout the summer.
There are many bulbs, such as scilla and allium, that thrive in the shade. Perennials such as Solomon's seal, hostas, ferns pulmonaria (lungwort) and forget-me-nots are also made for the shade.
The key to gardening isn't just plant selection, though. It all begins with soil preparation. Using a roto-tiller, every inch of this garden was amended with manure and shredded pine.
When creating your own woodland paradise, experiment with plants. Buy three of the same plant and plant them in three different areas. Watch which one does the best. Then move the others to join the one that's thriving.
What about co-existing with animals that feast on flowers? One deer, once a week, you can deal with. Ten deer, twice daily, means no hostas. You can keep deer away with an eight-foot-tall plastic fence that's inexpensive and easy to install. Adding a hardware cloth to the fence protects against shrews and voles. You can plant hostas in a cage to protect them, or use castor oil to deter moles.
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