10 Woodland garden flowers – flowers for woodland shade

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​Mimicking landscapes of the ancient past woodland gardens provide us a peak of nature at its finest. The seasonal drama of sprouting foliage and decaying vegetation creates spaces of transitional wonder.

Woodland garden flowers have a very important role to play within woodland gardens. Their colourful flowers provide dazzle and interest to the shade of the forest floor.

​Woodland flowers become a particular focal point during the growing season offering nectar and pollen for wildlife. In this article I list and summarise 10 flowering plants perfect for woodland gardens

1. ​Cranesbill Geranium 

​Cranesbill Geranium is an exquisite flowering plant which is loved for its interesting foliage and colourful flowers. This robust perennial can tolerate a range of soil types and growing conditions including partial shade. The Cranesbill Geranium has a spreading habit making an effective groundcover plant. It has an extremely long flowering season from spring all the way to late fall! This plant has delicate, five lobed, flowers ranging from pink to purple. 

​2. Foxglove

​Also known by its Latin name ‘Digitalis’ Foxglove is a dramatic flowering plant favoured for its height and colour. During summertime it sprouts a tall flowering stem adorned with tubular bell shaped flowers. The flowers range in colour from white, to bright pink and purple This Biennial plant is naturally adapted to woodlands and can be seen growing wild throughout forests within Europe. This makes it the perfect flowering plant for temperate climate woodland gardens. 

​3. Primrose

​Also known as Primula this small woodland wildflower is loved for its early yellow flowers and broad leaves. This flower has become hybridised with blooms now available in a variety of colours. The plants foliage has a low growing rosette formation with flowers raised up upon tall stems. Flowering in February primrose take advantage of the early season sunlight before woodland trees leaf out. These attractive perennials are perfect for block planting in the front of woodland borders. 

​4. Hellebore 

​Sometimes called the ‘Christmas Rose’ Hellebores are perennial plants favoured for their early season Flowers. During winter these delightful plants produce striking five loped flowers which seem to nod in the breeze. The flowers range from black, deep purple to pink, white and green. They have large serrated leaves giving them a slightly exotic and mysterious look. They make a fantastic winter woodland specimen adding interest when there is seasonally not much else to appreciate. 

5. ​Fuchsias

​Fuchias are famous for their intoxicating pendulous and colourful bell shaped flowers and delicate foliage. These plants now come in a broad range of different cultivars and flower colours including; red, purple, pink and white. Fuchias have long arching stems and have a natural tendency to weep and hang. This makes them perfect for hanging baskets or raised planters. In woodland gardens they form an attractive small shrub or groundcover in some cases. Much favoured for their long flowering period they are tolerant of the shady conditions woodland gardens provide. 

6. ​Bleeding heart 

​Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) is an exceptionally beautiful and intriguing perennial flowering plant. It is particularly famous for its distinctive flowers that are both shaped and coloured like love hearts. This charming and romantic display makes it a real novelty adjacent to woodland garden paths and seating areas. The flowers bloom from spring to early summer capturing the most exciting part of the flowering season. Bleeding heart prefers moist but well draining soil and will happily grow underneath trees, perfect for woodland gardens.  

7. ​Astilbe 

​Astilbe is a perennial flowering plant with a native range spanning Asia and North America. Much favoured for its plumes of feathery flowers it blooms in tones of white, pink, red and purple. The flower spikes appear in midsummer adding drama and impact to shady woodland borders.  Preferring a moist and well drained soil this plant is more than happy growing in dappled shade. This plant also has good deer resistance and is generally easy to maintain. 

8. ​Daylilies

​Daylilies are hardy flowering perennials well known for their classic lily flowers. The flowers typically only live for one day but produce a series of blooms over late spring and summer. Daylilies come in a range of colours including; yellow, orange, red, pink and purple with various flower shapes and colour combinations. They have a good adaptability to different soil and growing conditions including partial shade. This makes them suitable for woodland borders or woodland edge planting schemes. 

9. ​Lupins

​Lupins are herbaceous perennials famous for their dramatic, vertical flowering spikes in early summer. With pea like flowers and palmate foliage they have a distinctive look and provide some seasonal drama. The flowers come in a diverse array of bright colours including;  white, yellow, pink, red, purple and blue. Although Lupins prefere full sun they will tolerate 50% shade as the grow happily on the edge of my own woodland garden. Lupins also are also a magnet for bees and other pollinators such as butterflies and moths. 

10. ​Crocosmia  

​Crocosmia are a type of perennial flowering plant loved for its arching stems and brightly coloured, tubular, flowers. The flowers emerge in linear clusters during mid summer and are loved by bumble bees in particular. Having an almost tropical look they spread to form dense ground cover through bulb division. Being extremely adaptable to varying soil and growing conditions they are easy to establish. Crocosmia are perfect candidates to lighten up woodland borders as they can tolerate partial shade. 

Thank you for reading our article on woodland garden flowers! Below I will link to some other woodland garden articles you may find helpful. 

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