Woodland Garden Retreat: Heirloom, Legacy & Native Plants

A delightful mix with more natives on the way.

Maidenhair Ferns

Brian Frosh says he is not really a gardener and then explains he "rescued" a then young dogwood (Cornus florida) tree from his parents' house when they were about to move thirty years ago.  That very same dogwood now graces the front door of his family's home. 

wild columbine

wild columbine

A newly planted street side garden bed filled with native perennials and shrubs in the front is just beginning to grow.  We talked about the patience we all need as new plants need a year to sleep, a year to begin to creep and then they leap. To encourage self seeding perennials like wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) to spread, don't mulch so seeds from the spring's flowers can make contact with the soil and germinate.

hay scented ferns

Virginia sweetspire in spring

The Frosh's backyard garden is a lush mix of mature Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) shrubs, native ferns, ornamental azaleas, many from Brian's parents' garden, and the most robust meadow rue (Thalictrum). The Froshes created a graceful gravel path through thriving plantings down to a lower seating area beneath the canopy of very large, mature deciduous trees.

As Brian continued to chat about how he doesn't do much gardening, all while potting up a couple of meadow rue seedlings for me to take home, it occurred to me the rear garden is the epitome of advice we often get from professional gardeners "right plant, right place." This garden glows because these plants couldn't be happier. It is especially beautiful because the view from the back of the home is filled with lush drifts of flourishing plants.  

Sometimes less is more.  When the right plants are in the right place, they thrive and require a bit less from us. Ferns, Virginia sweetspire, meadow rue and ornamental azaleas are very happy in this moist dappled shade beneath a large redbud tree and deciduous hardwoods.

Maidenhair and Sensitive Ferns

Ferns

Ferns always look good en masse and so it is here. When ferns are in the right spot you know it because they readily create carpets like this. There are so many native ferns to choose from. Native maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum), hay scented (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) and sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis) ferns are thriving and growing thickly in shady moist conditions. No weeding required. The ferns are so dense the weeds wouldn't stand a chance.

Hay Scented Ferns

Hay scented ferns will mass on their own if they like their conditions. If they don't, they will slowly fade away. Here, they are clearly getting the moist, rich soil they love.

Shrubs

Virginia sweetspire in spring

Virginia sweetspire in fall

Virginia sweetspire is a year round shrub. While not evergreen, even in winter, the thicket of stems create a reddish brown hue - a bit of color when it’s most needed. In late spring, flowers grace the tips of arched branches. In fall, leaves turn to oranges, dark maroons and reds.  This shrub is versatile. In nature, it grows in moist woods, the edges of wetlands and along stream banks. In gardens, it grows in a range of soil types and moisture levels and in shade or full sun. The more sun the shrub gets, the more flowers and fall color it has. Virginia sweetspire is widely available at native plant nurseries and garden centers. It grows to about 8 feet high and 4 feet wide. Established shrubs will spread by suckers. To me, it looks best when planted as an informal hedge as it is in the Frosh garden.

Meadow Rue

Meadow rue, reaching 7 or 8 feet in height, is the highlight of this garden in summer. Brian says they get really tall! The plants grow along the path and tower above everything else. This meadow rue is living its best life in rich moist soil with a bit of shade and a bit of sun.

Japanese Meadow Rue at Chanticleer Garden in June

There are 130 species of rue across the world ranging from a few inches tall to 10 feet tall. Many grow best in rich moist soil in part shade to sun. In garden settings, tall meadow rue, with light green lobed foliage and airy flower stems create a sort of magical feel. Many of the meadow rue used in gardens are Japanese in origin like this meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebruneanum) at Chanticleer Garden. Confusingly, almost all go by the common name "meadow rue."

There are at least seven meadow rues native to the U.S. Finding native meadow rue can be challenging. Tall meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens) is available by mail from Amanda's Native Garden. For a deep dive on meadow rues, check out this report from the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The Right Plants

rescued dogwood

ferns and trillium

garden path

Sometimes the best thing a gardener can do is recognize when nature is doing its own thing and all is required is editing a plant out here or there. When you have the right plants for a space, you have the right plants! Experts often suggest we get the right plants by observing how they grow in the wild. Are they mostly in sun or shade? Are they growing in a ditch where water might frequently run or on a stream bank where flooding may occur? These are signs it may be a moisture loving plant. Is it a plant growing in gravelly conditions? This may indicate it is a plant that needs good drainage. Is the plant growing in deep shade or baking in the sun out in nature? These are all clues as to what it will take for a plant to thrive in your garden.

We can also learn a lot from our fellow gardeners. The plants in the Frosh woodland garden may not require a lot of gardening because they are so well suited to their locations. Achieving that is actually a higher level of gardening.

If you are a Marylander, you likely recognize Brian's name as a former Maryland Attorney General, long serving Maryland Senator and tireless environmental champion. We are definitely adding gardener to that list of titles!  Adding native plants to your garden is a whole lot of fun and a public service too. No surprise the Froshes are all in!

Happy Gardening.