long, between our city house and the property line, shaded not only
by a few straggling pines but also by the house next door. There was
a path, a pool, and a little bench. This was the last place I visited
before I left for work in the morning, and the first when I came home
at night. Somehow, the flower face of a bloodroot with a shawl of
unrolling leaf around its shoulders had added piquancy in the city,
where building banished the wild flowers a hundred years ago. The bloom
of the first lady-slipper was a noteworthy triumph; the green of the
ferns seemed specially fresh and mossy; the blue of the bottle gentians
was almost unbelievable.
CLEARING THE SITE
Even when we planned that metropolitan oasis, there were a few
existing features we carefully kept--a valiant, five-leaved woodbine
to train over the rail fence that kept out the trampling feet of the
neighborhood small fry; a scrubby shrub I never managed to identify,
which had voluntarily masked an ugly cellar window; a few precious
patches of moss.
[Illustration:
A wild garden in New York City]
In Connecticut, of course, the area was almost completely overgrown,
mostly by poison ivy. After that was cleared away, undesirable
undergrowth was removed, leaving a rock here, a dogwood or azalea
there. Baring the ground let us see more clearly what we had to work
with.
[Illustration:
A wild flower grows in New York City: bloodroot]
When the ground is cleared, the designer makes a final decision about
permanent features such as steps, path, pool, bog, bench. You might
make a mental note of the place where an old tree stump might be
artfully installed, when you find one, or where a dead branch might
fall and make a background for some small plants. Of course, these
are all kept carefully in scale and harmony. A path should be narrow
and not sharply defined, perhaps just a series of barely matched flat
stones. Steps are not conspicuous, but made to look as natural as
possible.
SOIL
The next is the most laborious but most vitally important part of the
procedure--supplying suitable soil. Woods plants grow naturally in soil
so rich in humus that it will hold many times its weight in water.
Season after season the trees drop leaves, needles, twigs, and branches
that decay and maintain the high level of humus, which contains
micro-organisms that help sustain the plants. In our area and in most
other woodsy sections, forest soil is very acid. But the loam in a
cleared area adjoining the forest may contain little or no humus, and
may not be nearly acid enough for the native plants growing a hundred
feet away.
When a miniature woodland garden is planted in a wild, woodsy spot,
the soil is probably suitable, and the trees will probably keep it
that way. Then, you simply use plants that thrive naturally where the
amount of available light, and the composition of the soil, are the
same or similar. Otherwise, you need to prepare the soil thoroughly and
deeply--a minimum of eight inches, and up to eighteen inches for small
native shrubs.
You’ll need incredible quantities of leaf mold, very old manure, or
composted leaves and grass. Over humus-poor soil, spread a layer of
at least six inches, and mix it in by digging the soil and turning it
over several times. At the same time, remove matted roots, stones, and
other unwanted obstructions to planting. For a very small garden, you
may find it simpler to remove all the soil to a depth of twelve to
eighteen inches, and replace it completely with humus and leaf mold
brought in from the woods or purchased for the purpose. Leaf mold, by
the way, is the layer of partially decayed leaves immediately under
the top layer of whole leaves; humus, in the next layer down, is more
completely decayed. Don’t buy humus from door-to-door salesmen offering
“big bargains.” This is a racket the police and Better Business Bureau
are trying to extinguish. Buy only from a nurseryman you can trust.
While you’re conditioning soil, make sure there is good drainage. Only
bog plants will grow with their roots in muck or standing water. You
may need an initial layer of fine gravel or course sand. Raising the
surface of the garden will also help.
If you think that the importance of suitable humus-rich soil is either
exaggerated or overrated, think also of this: With the type of light
and humus (usually acid) in which they grow naturally, woodland plants
will settle down contentedly in your garden and establish families and
colonies that increase every year. If you don’t provide it, they’ll get
homesick and pine away. Not only that, but once they’ve made themselves
at home, they’ll require practically no care. They don’t want to be
cultivated, fertilized, weeded, watered, mulched, or given special
protection in winter, as long as there are trees that drop leaves. The
most you might have to do will be making sure the leaves aren’t blown
away, or, if there are no trees, lugging in leaves from somewhere else.
PLANTING
Although plants are chosen for any garden according to light, soil,
moisture, and other cultural requirements, woodland plants permit less
leeway than most others. This is a matter of ecology, defined as “the
total impact of the environment and the plant’s accommodation to it.”
Some delicate plants are, of course, less adaptable than other more
rugged species. Check catalogues, reference books, and other sources to
learn all you can about each plant before you plant it.
A quick word about shade. There is full shade, or deep shade, created
all year by evergreens, walls, or buildings. And there is woodland
shade created only in summer by deciduous trees. The hill near our
house where rattlesnake plantain, pipsissewa, and pink lady-slippers
grow is dark and cool in summer, but bright in spring, fall, and winter
when the trees are bare of leaves. This is an important distinction.
In the interest of conservation--American wild flowers are threatened
not only by bulldozers but also by thoughtless, criminally careless
humans--private woodland gardens often become the home for plants dug
from the wild. Last fall, one of my dearest friends methodically moved
dozens of maidenhair ferns into a tiny bit of woods on her property
to save them from extinction when their fronds were being picked in
bunches to fill out bouquets. But this is conservation only when the
plants are transplantable (a number of the most precious species are
not) and are moved to quarters with growing conditions to their liking.
Otherwise, they might as well die where they are.
In digging woodland plants, always dig deep and take as much of the
surrounding soil as possible, and disturb the roots as little as you
can. Protect the transplants against drying sun and wind until they are
set in their new homes. If you can dig them with the roots intact, you
can take most plants at any time during the growing season. The safest
times are immediately after flowering or during fall dormancy.
Unless it is a matter of conservation, I never dig woodland plants.
I buy them (they’re surprisingly inexpensive) from a local nursery
or from several mail-order specialists. The nursery plants are
pot-grown, and even fussy types transplant without loss. By mail they
arrive bare-rooted--in early fall for all but the summer and fall
varieties--but crisp and lively in their packing of moist sphagnum
moss. Sometimes they even start to send out new roots and sprouts en
route. If I can, I get mail-order plants into the ground before dusk on
the day they arrive. Soil around transplants is kept moist and mulched
with leaves until they take hold.
Years ago some suppliers collected the plants they sold, and some
sources of slow-spreading types were completely devastated. Today, I
believe, specialists grow their stocks of woodland plants, either under
glass or in woodsy nurseries. They’re doing more to preserve these
native treasures than to annihilate them.
The best of all sources is by propagation--seeds, cuttings, division
of wild plants--because you’re not only increasing the population, but
you’re also starting with plants that from babyhood are accustomed to
your growing conditions and don’t have to make difficult adjustments.
Even though it may be slow, this is the only method for a number of
nontransplantable species.
If the garden contains shrubs that will serve as background for small,
shy woodland plants, that’s fine. If it doesn’t, you may want to plant
some (these, too, are available by mail), because few native woods
plants are spectacular enough to make a big display of their own. And
because woods plants are modest, they’re best planted in colonies a
half dozen or more of one species, not in mixed colors or varieties.
Set the groups in the foreground, where they’re easy to see. Allow
plenty of space between groups for natural increase without crowding.
Arrange more striking, tall, spiky plants here and there to add the
interest of accent, just as you would in a conventional flower bed.
Care after planting includes the expected careful watering, and keeping
the plants moist and shielded from heat and wind until they are growing
on their own. For their first winter, you may want to supplement the
natural mulch of leaves with salt hay or something similarly light and
airy, held in place by chicken wire or branches. This mulch must be
removed extra early for early-flowering species. By their second season
the plants should be ready to be watered by rain, and fed and protected
by trees, without your help. Don’t fiddle with them, pull off leaves or
seed pods, or move them about unless you must.
PROPAGATING WOODLAND PLANTS
These are, of course, hardy perennials. Except for seeds, propagating
methods are much the same as for cultivated types. It is important only
that, if possible, you find out what is the most effective (often, the
only) way each plant can be reproduced. If you can’t track down this
information, try several ways at once. In general, those with masses of
fibrous roots can be divided immediately after flowering. For upright
and branching types, you can usually root stem cuttings in a frame or
propagating box. If everything else fails, try layering. You can’t lose
anything by it.
Seeds are planted the minute they are ripe, in a cold frame--or in
flats that can be set in the cold frame--in a finely sifted mixture of
equal parts of loam, woods leaf mold, and coarse sand. For varieties
adapted to extremely acid soil, use half as much coarse sand as
Michigan peat, without soil. For added insurance, acidify the planting
mix with leaf mold or peat, or neutralize it with lime, until the
_p_H is somewhere near that of the soil the plant grows naturally
in.
Set the flats in shade and keep the soil moist, and leave the seeds
to their own devices, summer and winter, until they germinate. Some
species take two months, some take two years. After germination they
are handled exactly like other perennial seedlings, except that the
only safe fertilizer is very weak liquid manure at very infrequent
intervals. Tender types should be grown in pots until they are fully
mature, before they’re set out in the garden.
PLANTS FOR WOODLAND GARDENS
=Aquilegia canadensis= _Ranunculaceae_ Columbine
Although the native Eastern columbine can grow two feet tall, it
seems to stay closer to six inches in my woodland garden and on the
banks that line our Pine Tree Road. The clover-like leaves, and
characteristic columbine flowers with yellow sepals and knobbed red
spurs, are scaled down proportionately.
CARE. Poor, dry soil, acid (strong to neutral). Fertilizer promotes
growth that is too rank. Full sun to three-quarter shade.
PROPAGATION. Seed.
SPECIAL USES. Woodland planting, bank planting.
=Arisaema triphyllum= _Araceae_ Jack-in-the-Pulpit
The pulpit stands eight inches tall or more, curving up and over the
stiff preacher-like spadix in late spring. The divided leaves also
exceed true miniature size. But prim Jack spreads himself slowly enough
to allow him entry to all but the very tiniest woodland garden; and his
comical dignity is not to be dispensed with.
CARE. Humus-rich soil, moist. Shade or light shade.
PROPAGATION. Tuberous roots.
SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens.
=Asarum= _Aristolochiaceae_ Wild Ginger
In the Northern part of the country this is a deciduous plant, while
in much of the South it retains its kidney-shaped leaves. Its purplish
flowers are somewhat hidden under the foliage. There are three general
types.
_canadense_--Eastern wild ginger.
_caudatum_--Western wild ginger.
_shuttleworthi_--Mottled wild ginger (native of Virginia
and South).
CARE. Rich soil, moist. Shade or partial shade.
PROPAGATION. Division.
SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, ground cover.
=Asplenium= _Polypodiaceae_ Spleenwort (Fern)
Lilliputian, native evergreen fern with deeply cut fronds.
_platyneuron_--ebony sweetheart--Eight-inch feathery fronds
with brownish-purple stems in tidy circles. (Needs acid soil.)
_trichomanes_--maidenhair spleenwort--Thick, closely
clustered three-to five-inch fronds with crowds of little
one-inch leaflets on black ribs. Plant it sideways, its roots in
a rock crevice, with leaf mold and a touch of lime.
CARE. Soil acid or neutral according to variety. Leaf mold. Shade.
PROPAGATION. Division.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.
=Camptosorus rhizophyllus= _Polypodiaceae_ Walking Fern
Small native evergreen fern, hardy from Canada to Georgia. Its name
comes from the fact that the fronds are pointed on the ends and root on
contact with the soil. It prefers to creep around limy rocks.
CARE. Lime-bearing soil, shade, dry. Hardy.
PROPAGATION. Root division.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.
=Claytonia virginica= _Portulacaceae_ Spring Beauty
When the leaves of the forest trees are barely ready to break out in
early spring, this lovely little plant is already in full bloom down on
the ground. It makes colonies and even mats of precious white flowers
which are tinged and streaked with pink and scarcely a half-inch
across. But before the trees are in full leaf the spring beauty has
gone back to sleep and disappeared, flowers, five-inch grass-like
leaves, and all.
CARE. Woodsy soil, moist, shady or semishady.
PROPAGATION. Tubers.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, bog gardens, swamp planting.
=Clintonia= _Liliaceae_
Woodsy plants spreading out into colonies by underground rhizomes. The
leaves are rather broad, and thin and glassy. The little lily-like
flowers are held atop stems above. The berries that follow are blue,
blue-black, or black.
_borealis_--broadlily--Nodding, greenish-yellow flowers on
seven-inch stems in May. Berries are blue, a half-inch long.
_umbellata_--Leaves lightly fuzzy; purple-spotted white
flowers in clusters; shiny black berries.
_uniflora_--Western native with one precious flower per
stem (one and a half inches across), berries bright blue.
CARE. Rich, humusy, acid soil. Shade or partial shade. Moist.
PROPAGATION. Division of roots in spring.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, bog planting.
=Convallaria majalis= _Liliaceae_ Lily of the Valley
This fragrant ground cover is a favorite for under trees and other
shady spots. Perhaps it spreads too fast for very small gardens. The
oval, lily-like leaves are lasting, but not evergreen. The dangling
flowers, all on the same side of the stem, are like scalloped
petticoats. Unless you need a ground cover, try one of the fancier and
less robust varieties, such as rosea, with light-pink flowers that
fade to near-white in the sun. Or try flore plens with double white
hoop-skirts.
CARE. Garden soil, shade, moist, hardy. Persists for years and doesn’t
have to be touched. If you want to increase your planting, dig and thin
every three years.
PROPAGATION. Division of small bulbs.
SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, forcing in February and March.
=Coptis trifolia= _Ranunculaceae_ Goldthread
This tiny bog plant, only four inches high, has three-way clover-like
leaves and tiny white waxy flowers. It creeps and spreads by means of
thready yellow roots.
CARE. Humusy, peaty, sandy, and decidedly acid soil. Plant needs a
cool, moist location and will not survive warmth and dryness.
SPECIAL USES. Bog planting.
=Cornus canadensis= _Cornaceae_ Bunchberry, Creeping Dogwood
This is a real dogwood, but a very miniature one. The stems standing
about six inches high are encircled by a whorl of rich green leaves.
Above are the up-facing flowers (in May), like elves wearing white
ruffs. The clusters of red berries are as gay as Christmas, in August.
After taking a year or so to get settled, the plants spread out into
colonies or clumps.
CARE. Rich woods soil, highly acid, damp, but with drainage. Shade,
cool location. Takes several years to get established. Needn’t be
disturbed once settled. Can be transplanted if large chunks of sod are
lifted with it.
PROPAGATION. Separate clumps when dormant. Seeds from ripe berries will
germinate the following spring.
SPECIAL USES. Bog planting, ground cover.
=Cryptogramma crispa= _Polypodiaceae_ Parsley Fern
This is a small alpine fern with clusters of six-inch evergreen fronds
so finely cut and frilled they could garnish a standing rib roast
in place of parsley. Don’t overlook this one when next planning a
terrarium.
CARE. Peaty, dry soil. Hardy.
PROPAGATION. Division.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, terrariums.
=Cypripedium= _Orchidaceae_ Lady-slipper, Moccasin Flower
This is the fabulous earth-growing orchid that is native to many parts
of the country, with culture varying accordingly. The broad, long
fresh leaves fold around the stem at the base. The flowers have a lip
inflated into a pouch and are in various colors.
_acaule_--Northeastern native with dusty-pink flowers.
Requires dry, sandy, woodsy, intensely acid soil, full shade.
Difficult to transplant unless taken with a large amount of
soil. Attempt it only after flowering, or in October. Don’t
cover crown more than a half-inch. No good method of propagation
is known.
_calceolus pubescens_--Fuzzy yellow lady-slipper from
moist, wooded hillsides of the North and mid-South. Not
difficult to transplant and easy to grow. Likes dappled shade
and slightly acid, humusy soil.
_candidum_--Small white flowers marked and veined with
brown and purple. From limy, marly bogs. Needs moisture and
shade.
CARE. Soil, moisture, and shade as described above.
PROPAGATION. Division when dormant.
SPECIAL USES. Rock and wild gardens. Can force.
=Dalibarda repens= _Rosaceae_ Dewdrop, False Violet
Precious little creeper, pretending to be a violet, with two-inch
heart-shaped leaves on long stems and five-petaled, half-inch white
flowers in July. A native of the Northeastern section.
CARE. A sheltered spot. Rich woodsy soil.
PROPAGATION. Seeds and division.
SPECIAL USES. Woodland and rock gardens.
=Epigaea repens= _Ericaceae_ Trailing Arbutus
Flat evergreen creeper with overlapping hairy stems and bright-green
oval leaves. In early spring it has white or pink phlox-like flowers,
not very large but interestingly fragrant. Although it is usually
cultivated in shady, protected spots, it can thrive in hot dry areas.
CARE. Humusy and very acid soil, sandy, with leaf mold. Good drainage.
Moist. Don’t dig wild plants which are difficult to transplant. Use
pot-grown plants.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings. Seed if strictly fresh.
SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, rock planting.
=Erythronium= _Liliaceae_ Adder’s-Tongue, Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet
A very large clan of bulbous wild flowers native to many parts of the
country. All species have the marks of family resemblance--two leathery
basal leaves, often beautifully marbled, and miniature lily flowers
nodding from the tops of central stems in spring. Height, usually six
inches.
_albidum_--Leaves may be matted or not. In the East flowers
are white, in April.
_americanum_--Best-known Yankee with marbled leaves and
bright-yellow flowers in April.
_californicum_--fawn lily--Mottled leaves, creamy or
pale-yellow flowers. (From California, of course.)
_dens-canis_--dogtooth violet--European emigrant with green
leaves splotched with brick red; flowers are rosy purple. Also
available in white and other colors.
_grandiflorum_--Giant of the family, plain leaves, golden
flowers in clusters. The variety parviflorum has the most midget
flowers. Western.
_hendersoni_--Mottled leaves, dark-centered purple flowers.
Western.
_revolutum_--Western with brown-blotched leaves,
purple-tinged white or lavender flowers. The variety johnsoni
has rosy-lilac flowers, white in the center.
_tuolumnense_--California with unmarked chartreuse leaves,
large deep-yellow flowers.
CARE. Woodsy soil, not especially acid, with leaf mold. Drainage.
Moist, never hot and dry. Winter mulch.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, offsets (from underground stolons).
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, woodland gardens, forcing.
=Goodyera pubescens= _Orchidaceae_ Rattlesnake Plantain
This terrestrial herb is a close relative of the most glamorous of
orchids and bears no resemblance to a reptile or the weed that is part
of its common name. On the woodland floor you will come upon it as a
flat cluster of durable, oval, deep-green leaves with gleaming-white
veins that cross and recross in a delicate pattern. Perhaps you will
find it in bloom with tiny whitish flowers on tall spikes.
CARE. Woodsy acid soil, with humus. Slightly damp. Cool. Shade. North
side of a glacial ridge is ideal.
PROPAGATION. If possible, buy section of root from dealer who
specializes in woodland plants and seeds. Pick sparingly in the woods,
by breaking off section of rhizome with rootlets and plant. New plant
will appear in about one month.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, woodland gardens.
=Hepatica= _Ranunculaceae_ Liverleaf
Six-inch evergreen plants that shed their old leathery leaves for new
after the blue-lavender (or pinkish-white) flowers fade and fall in May.
_acutiloba_--Sharp-lobed hepatica, distinguished by the
points on the lobes of its leaves. (Needs alkaline soil.)
_americana (triloba)_--Round-leaved hepatica with dainty
flowers on stems upholstered with silky hairs. Leaves maroon in
winter
CARE. Not too acid soil. Full shade. Drainage. Not difficult to
transplant but needs time to get established. Plants in the woods best
dug in the fall.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, division of roots.
SPECIAL USES. Woodland gardens, colonies.
=Houstonia= _Rubiaceae_ Bluets, Quaker Lady
This is an enchanting wildling with grass-like leaves and flowers less
than a half-inch across in the shape of four-pointed stars. It is a
very profuse bloomer throughout the spring and early summer.
_caerulea_--Northeastern favorite with leaves in tufts
about an inch high. Flowers are blue or lilac, often fading to
white in the sun. Seeds itself willingly.
_purpurea_--Larger than miniature, and native from Maryland
to Georgia. It makes a soft evergreen foliage mat, and in July
has purple flowers, several per stem.
_serpyllifolia_--creeping bluets--The stems stretch out
to ten inches or more with little half-inch teardrop leaves.
Sky-blue flowers.
CARE. Loamy, acid soil with peat. Moist. Part shade.
PROPAGATION. Division. Some varieties are self-seeding.
SPECIAL USES. Rock and woodland gardens.
=Lemna minor= _Lemnaceae_ Duckweed
This tiny one is often called the “smallest known flowering plant.”
A floating plant that has quarter-inch leaves (actually the body or
“thallus”), it has hair-like rootlets and flowers so small one needs a
magnifying glass to see them. In the fall the plants sink to the bottom
of the pond, to rise again in the spring.
CARE. No attention is needed.
PROPAGATION. None necessary. Increases naturally.
SPECIAL USES. Dish-garden pools, rock-garden pools, fish food.
=Lycopodium= _Lycopodiaceae_ Club Moss
In prehistoric times this was a towering tree; now it is a moss-like
poor relation of the ferns, bearing needle-like leaves and spores
instead of flowers.