Woodland Garden Plants | Shade-Loving Perennials

Woodland Garden Plants

Shade-tolerant ground cover for the difficult parts of a garden — under mature trees, along north-facing walls, and on the dry, root-filled soil where grass gives up. These are the species Irish and European landscapers reach for when an area needs to be covered reliably and then largely left alone.

The collection is built around evergreen carpeting perennials: Vinca minor and Vinca major (periwinkle), Pachysandra terminalis, Waldsteinia ternata and Leptinella squalida. Alongside them sit shade-tolerant grasses and sedges — Carex, Hakonechloa macra, Luzula and Liriope — plus Bergenia, Heuchera, hardy Geranium, Ajuga, Cornus canadensis and Helleborus for foliage contrast and seasonal flower.

Growing conditions

Most species here take partial to full shade and cope with the dappled light beneath a deciduous canopy. Periwinkle, Pachysandra and Waldsteinia hold their leaves through an Irish winter, so beds stay covered rather than going bare from November onward. Once established they ask very little: moisture through the first season, and almost nothing after that.

Prepare shaded ground with leaf mould or composted bark before planting to mimic a woodland floor. Space according to mature spread and allow a season or two for plants to knit together into a continuous carpet.

Buying in quantity

Ground cover only works when it is planted densely, so this range is supplied in landscaping trays rather than single pots — packs of 12, 20, 24, 40, 48 and 60 plants in 9cm pots. That is enough to cover a bank, a border edge or an entire shaded bed in one order. Free delivery to Ireland and 24 more EU countries.