Natural planting in your garden

Natural Planting
A woodland edge provides the ideal habitat for shade-loving perennials, including geraniums, ferns and those foxgloves.

The next time you take a country walk, or go on holiday, look at the plants around you. Notice how those that grow in exposed places usually have tiny, closely packed leaves, how those in hot, dry areas have a tendency to grey foliage or succulent leaves, and how woodland plants are often evergreen or dormant in the summer.

All these are adaptations plants have evolved over millions of years to enable them to grow successfully in different environments. It makes sense to take advantage of this, and select plants for our gardens that are naturally adapted to our particular type of soil and climate, whatever it is.

Gardeners often complain of bad drainage, or of dry, or clay, or limestone soil. They never seem satisfied, and are prone to label anything that is not a perfect loam as a 'problem garden'. However, that fact is that nature has developed a wonderful and beautiful flora for every 'problem', at least those that are of natural origin.

A good start is to consider growing more wild plants native to your region. They are often very beautiful, but underrated for being wild, and at least they are perfectly adapted and will not have difficulty growing. If there are no local nurseries selling local wild plants, you can collect seed (but NEVER dig up the plants) and propogate them yourself.

Dry or Damp Shade?
A number of plants enjoy shady conditions, but some prefer it dry, others damp. The shade created by walls, for example, is often dry as a rain shadow area is formed as a result. Damp shade is likely in a naturally damp garden, overshadowed by a few large trees.

Plants for damp shade:
Brunnera macrophylla
Dicentra formosa
Geranium phaeum
Hosta sieboldiana
Pachysandra terminalis
Trillum spp

Plants for dry shade
Alchemilla conjuncta
Anemone nemorosa
Epimedium spp
Euphorbia Amygdaloides
Hedera spp
Lonicera
Pulmonaria
Symphytum