Woodland Scheme in a Shade Garden, Kent

Brief: the client wanted a new planting scheme under a group of oak trees in an area that had been contaminated by years of building waste and rubble where little more than ivy would grow.

Solution: the removal of the waste, improvements to the soil, tree work and recreating the boundaries with trellis and hedging. Thereafter, the introduction of plants that cope with dry shade conditions – ferns, foxgloves and epimediums to name a few, placed among tree stumps to help support the existing stag beetle population.

As this project shows, there is a great opportunity to reclaim (even small) areas of a shady plot with a beautiful planting scheme – designing with trees can really open your garden to new possibilities!