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.
clavatum—running pine—Slowly but steadily the stems creep over the woodland floor, sending up four-inch stems at lax intervals, each with several spikes packed tightly with needle-like leaves.
complanatum—ground cedar—The stems trail faster and more sturdily, the erect branches dividing and spreading out to a lacy green fan.
lucidulum—shining club moss—Trailing stems turn upright at the tips and are covered completely with glassy, dark-green “needles.”
obscurum—ground pine—Christmas trees in miniature about six inches tall and popping up from stems that creep about underground.
CARE. Rich, woodsy soil, not especially acid. Shade, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings. Division of roots at joints.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, ground cover.
Mitchella repens Rubiaceae Partridgeberry
This native creeper bears the popular partridgeberries widely used to fill “Partridge Bowls” at Christmastime. It has glassy green leaves which are close to the ground with the berries beneath them. In the springtime it has fragrant, fuzzy white flowers. (Note to those who hunt the berries in the woods: pick from the tallest plants and do not tear up the roots.)
CARE. Rich woodsy soil, not especially acid. Drainage. Shade. Cut back to encourage branching. Transplants easily.
PROPAGATION. Divide rooting stems.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, terrariums, woodland gardens.
Mitella Saxifragaceae Bishop’s Cap
For shady rock and wild gardens here is a saxifrage-like plant with mounds of heart-shaped leaves and spires of finely fringed flowers on tall stems.
breweri—Pacific Coast native with deep-green leaves and whiskery yellow-green flowers (in May and June).
caulescens—Also from the Pacific Coast. More dainty, and more difficult.
diphylla—East Coast native with eight-inch flower spikes on taller stems. White flowers (in April and May).
CARE. Rich woodsy soil. Drainage, shade.
PROPAGATION. Seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Rock and wild gardens.
Garden in the landscape in the finest tradition—it features Azalea macrantha basaminæflora, Juniperus radicans, and Calluna County Wicklow. (Atlantic Avenue Nursery, Inc.)
Podophyllum peltatum Berberidaceae May Apple
The May apple, a native of much of the country, is actually too large for most small wild gardens, but find a place for it if possible. In spring it is fascinating to watch the stumpy stems push up through the ground and the foliage slowly unfold to wide flat leaves. Then come gold-centered white flowers and finally the “apple” in chartreuse and nearly two inches long. (It is edible only when fully ripe.)
CARE. Rich woodsy soil. Shade, or partial shade.
PROPAGATION. Root division.
SPECIAL USES. Wild-garden planting.
(Additional plant listings suitable for woodland gardens can be found in Chapter 15.)
CHAPTER 14
MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS
There’s a chamaecyparis that forms a fluffy, green two-inch ball by the time it’s seven years old; a cone-shaped Norway spruce that rarely grows more than twelve inches tall; a one-foot rhododendron with deep-crimson trumpet flowers; a nonfruiting viburnum that makes a two-foot globe tightly packed with ivy-like leaves. There are junipers that form plush carpets; ericaceous evergreens with neat mounds of twinkling flowers over shiny teardrop leaves; deciduous shrubs with golden blooms, seeds in silky pea pods, and green stems that look leafy the year round.
That is just a tantalizing hint of the fantastic variety of little trees and shrubs, and how they can steal the show in the garden. We have three magnificent pines on Pine Tree Road (it may have been named for them) but our guests are more likely to comment about the starry cushions of Leiophyllum buxifolium beside the front walk. We dug and lugged tons of rock to make beds for our favorite roses, but the small edging plants draw more attention. When the rock garden is a mass of flamboyant spring color, we’ll be asked the name of a heather that’s not even in flower, or the juniper (Juniperus procumbens nana) two inches high that spreads like velvet over a rock.
There are miniatures among all types of trees and shrubs—deciduous and evergreen, broad-leaved and needle-leaved. Those described in this chapter are almost all three feet tall or less at maturity, or are so extremely slow-growing they seldom top that height in twenty years. In just a few cases, slightly taller varieties are included, which can be kept to three feet or less with a little pruning. Some low types are omitted because they spread too rambunctiously to be called miniatures or to be suitable for small gardens.
These limitations automatically exclude the small, flowering trees and shrubs, and dwarf fruit trees, that are part of the over-all landscape plan for small grounds. They’re not really miniature garden items, but background features around which miniature gardens are planned.
We’ve thought of a dozen different ways to use the really midget trees and shrubs, and I imagine there must be dozens more. We have a colony of tiny rhododendrons blooming at the base of a boulder, and another near an old stump at the edge of the woods. Several sprawly evergreens and some precious ericaceous gems adorn the rock garden and spots near the front terrace.
There are plenty of miniature shrubs of varying heights, foliage, colors and textures, and flowering times to compose a small shrubbery border, with tiny bulbs to plant along the edge. Small trees and shrubs can be used as background for mixed borders of small annuals and perennials; evergreens can make a setting for miniature rose gardens. Almost any small pool, wall, raised bed, or set of steps provides a place to plant the right tree or shrub. And, of course, these are perfect plants for sink and trough gardens, bonsai work, or even for indoor forcing in the greenhouse.
If you can’t find the varieties you want at your local nursery, you can order them by mail from reliable suppliers. Either way, plants that have been transplanted regularly by the grower develop a compact system of fibrous roots rather than a few long straggly tap-like roots, will take hold faster and transplant easier, will fit into your garden quicker. All that will make you a happier gardener.
Don’t be surprised if miniature trees and shrubs cost more than the regular varieties of the same name. The little fellows take much longer to reach that size, and require more costly care. Many of them are difficult to propagate, some even have to be grown from seed.
Your first thought in selecting a miniature tree or shrub, of course, is the decorative effect it is planned to achieve—whether it should be formally upright and symmetrical, or irregularly shaped and naturalistic; whether it is to act as an accent or specimen, or as a background or blender. Consider the texture of the foliage, the time and manner of flowering, whether the colors will fight with others in the garden. Plant deciduous types where they won’t be an eyesore in winter, or select one with an attractive winter habit and appearance. Make sure the plant and all its parts are in scale with the setting and with other plants.
Once you decide that a variety will look right in your garden, make sure it will also grow right. A plant that needs full sun will not flower in a shady spot. Acid-loving plants will not flourish in alkaline soil. Those that like their roots kept cool and moist will wither where it is hot and dry. Watch for unfavorable factors such as high walls, drip from overhanging eaves, low, muggy spots where there is little circulation of fresh air. If the plant requires a lot of pruning, training, and spraying, make sure you have the time to take care of its well-being. A healthy, easy-to-care-for barberry is infinitely more ornamental than a glamorous shrub struggling to stay alive.