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Re: Woodland garden design

>>
>>To:medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>>From:nsterman@ucsd.edu (Nan Sterman)
>>Subject:Woodland garden design
>>
>>Hello all of you medit. plant lovers!  This group has been very quiet as
>>of late, and I admit that I've missed reading all the wonderful
>>postings....
>>
>>Now it's my turn with a question.
>>
>>I'm testing some new low-chill blueberries that are supposted to be suited
>>for my climate (USDA 10b or 11 and Sunset 24) and I've planted them below
>>a huge wonderful Torrey Pine tree (they are endemic to this area and
>>wonderful pines with huge high canopies).  I'd like to make that corner of
>>my garden a "secret" woodland garden and I have some native columbine to
>>plant there... but I dont' have the mental image that I need to create a
>>woodland garden....  what other plants are good companions and would
>>create that woodland feel?  The blueberries will grow to about 6 ft and
>>make good background shrubs, but what else shall I plant?  Anyone have any
>>favorite reference books (preferably with photos)?
>>
>>Thanks for your suggestions --

Nan --

For books, Ken Druse's The Natural Shade Garden comes immediately to mind.
Even better, IMHO, is George Schenck's The Complete Shade Gardener.  Witty,
wonderful, great plant descriptions -- plus, he's gardened in a wide
variety of climates and makes suggestions suited for all.  For plants, the
biggest problem might be finding species that are adapted to your climate
and yet don't make the garden feel too 'tropical.' I've noticed in my
visits to LA that a surprising array of what I tend to think of as cool- or
cold-climate plants actually do quite well there, in sheltered, cool
microclimates such as you're constructing, so I'll plunge in and offer a
few suggestions.  Ferns of course belong in woodland settings -- while I
think Nephrolepis, the sword fern used as a foundation planting all over
So. Cal., is too rigid and too bright a green to look at home in a woodsy
garden (not to mention too invasive to plant near anything small and
elegant), you might try Polystichum munitum (Western Sword fern) or
Woodwardia fimbriata (both of these, while large, remain relatively light
and airy even in maturity), Pellaea rotundifolia, or any of the
warm-climate Adiantums.  Tree ferns (my favorite is Dicksonia, but it's the
slowest-growing of the lot) are wonderful, but might be too big for your
space.  There are plenty of other ferns  that might be equally great if not
better -- prowl local nurseries and you should get a few ideas.  Douglas
iris do well in considerable shade, and make a nice foliage contrast.  I
suspect Heuchera (coralbells) would do well where you are; likewise with
astilbes and bergenia, which has a rather heavy, rounded leaf that can
offset the lighter things well.  Dicentra formosa, Dodecatheon spp (esp.
the CA native ones, such as D. hendersonii), Cynoglossum grande (in
glorious bloom right now here on the central coast), would all be worth
trying.  Corydalis spp should work well, too.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

Phil
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