Designing and Planting a Woodland Garden

October 20, 2014
Wiley, head gardener at the Garden House in Devon, U.K., explores the secrets and wonders of woodland gardening. These shade-loving magical miniature landscapes meander from one ecosystem to another, all under a protective canopy of the woods. The wonder of woodland gardening is that it looks like plants grow themselves there. After reading this book and following its guidelines, gardeners can make that happen. Wiley highlights the multilayered complexity of developing horticulture in the woods: for example, determining if the growing environment is grassy or sandy, humid or dry, sun or shady. Each of these variations has distinctive characteristics that affect the development of a sustainable understory and canopy. The helpful garden designs and diagrams (such as how to plant a tree), along with hundreds of color photographs, facilitate choosing perennials, shrubs, trees, bulbs, tubers, and ferns. Gardeners, who are dreamers, writes Wiley, can dream that, once established, this magical garden will in fact grow itself.

December 15, 2014
The challenges of gardening in a wooded or heavily shaded area are legion: little to no sunlight, poor or compromised soil, competition with tree roots for available moisture. The rewards, however, can be just as plentiful: a tapestry of textures, unexpected bursts of color, habitats for all manner of creatures. For gardeners already coping with substantial shade, the design obstacles can be daunting; for those, like Wiley, who hoped to establish a woodland where none existed before, they were nearly overwhelming. Drawing on more than 40 years' experience, Wiley developed proven techniques that can be executed by gardeners of all proficiencies. From site evaluation to soil structure, he describes the basics that must be mastered before plant selection can begin. At that point, he assures readers, the possibilities are more generous than most gardeners assume. Though much of Wiley's advice is based on gardening in the UK, the scope of practical information and wealth of plant recommendations he shares are largely applicable to U.S. gardeners as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)