This Woodland Garden Design Overflows with Shade-Loving Plants

If you have a wooded area in your yard, or even just a tree or two, you've got the perfect place to install this lush woodland garden plan. It layers together a selection of soft-textured, shade-loving plants, including three species of native ferns, to create a naturalistic bed of blooms and foliage. Because all of the plants in this design are low-maintenance perennials, they will grow back each year after the winter without requiring much of you other than a little mulch and water. At most, your woodland garden will benefit from a quick clean-up in the spring to remove dead foliage and deadheading after blooming to keep everything looking tidy.

Plants for Creating the Lush Woodland Garden Plan

• 1 Giant wood fern (Dryopteris goldieana): Zones 5-8
• 1 Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina): Zones 4-9
• 3 Fern-leaf bleeding heart (Dicentra ‘Luxuriant’): Zones 4-8
• 3 Corydalis lutea: Zones 5-8
• 2 Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia): Zones 3-7
• 3 Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum): Zones 3-8
• 3 Spiderwort (Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate'): Zones 4-9

If you aren't able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others that have similar colors, shapes, and sizes. And because some plants can become overly aggressive and spread out of control in certain climates, always check which species are considered invasive in your area before planting.

Get the Free Lush Woodland Garden Plan

The garden plan for this design includes an illustrated version of the planted garden, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Free, one-time registration allows unlimited access to all garden plans, available as printable PDFs.

More Shade Garden Plans to Try

• Bold Shade Garden Plan
• Small-Space Shade Garden Plan
• No-Fuss Perennial Shade Garden Plan
• Hosta-Filled Shade Garden Plan