Plants for a Woodland Garden

The dappled shade of a woodland floor can be filled with plants that will create interest throughout the year. Early on, before the overhead canopy has become established, flowering plants such as hellebores, primulas and pulmonarias predominate, while later in the year foliage plants like ferns and hostas play a crucial role.

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Planting combinations

Acid shade plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Digitalis plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Dryopteris plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Geranium plant combination (1)
Attracting wildlife seed combination (1)
Blue and silver plant combination (1)
Bold foliage for shade plant combination (2)
Cool tones plant combination (1)
Damp shade plant combination (2)
Drought tolerant plant combination (1)
Dry shade plant combination (2)
Evergreen groundcover plant combination (2)
Green and gold for damp shade plant combination (1)
Green and white plant combination (2)
Less is more plant combination (1)
Low maintenance gems plant combination (1)
Low maintenance plant combination (summer) (1)
Pink and purple long-flowering plant combination (1)
Pinks and purple dry shade plant combination (1)
Pinks and purples plant combination (3)
Pulmonaria and Athyrium plant combination (1)
Rich tones slug resistant plant combination (1)
Shade lovers plant combination (3)
Shady clay plant combination (1)
Shady lady plant combination (3)
Slug resistant plant combination for shade (2)
Slug resistant plant combination (2)
Structured shade plant combination (1)
Thalictrum and Astrantia plant combination (1)
The Highgrove Hosta Collection (3)
The Highgrove Kitchen Garden Collection (3)
The Highgrove Mediterranean Garden Collection (1)
Tiarella and Brunnera plant combination (3)
Year round groundcover plant combination (2)

Flowering month

January (84)
February (146)
March (211)
April (296)
May (293)
June (191)
July (200)
August (165)
September (120)
October (44)
November (14)
December (31)

Flower colour

Colourful collections / bicolours (30)
Black (6)
Blue (70)
Green (31)
Orange (12)
Pink (196)
Purple (79)
Red (54)
White (328)
Yellow (70)

Evergreen / deciduous

Deciduous (554)
Evergreen (182)
Semi-evergreen (124)

Fragrance

All scented flowers (110)
Aromatic foliage (54)
Evening scent (14)
Highly scented (28)

Attractive to wildlife

Attractive to bees (335)
Attractive to birds (171)
Attractive to butterflies and moths (45)
Attractive to pollinators (309)
Attractive to wildlife (345)

Quick growing

No (74)
Quite (647)
Yes (214)

Eventual size

Large (142)
Medium (385)
Small (393)

Special features

Architectural silhouettes (130)
Attractive bark (5)
Attractive seedheads (81)
Autumn foliage colour (132)
Berries or fruit (243)
Coloured leaves (75)
Colourful bark or stems (24)
Columnar (2)
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Easy to grow (136)
Evergreen / semi evergreen (270)
Fast growing (88)
Flower spires (25)
Flowering (711)
Large leaved (16)
Long flowering (66)
Low maintenance (375)
Makes a good hedge or screen (86)
Plants that are native (44)
Plants that don't need pruning (31)
Plants that help filter noise (33)
Plants that show resistance to deer and rabbits (284)
Plants that will cope with the odd football (268)
Plants to deter vandals and burglars (17)
Resistant to diseases (127)
Scented Leaves (1)
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Small leaved (15)
Stylish in the border (56)
Sublime umbelliferas (2)
Suitable for containers (314)
Suitable for hanging baskets (40)
Tough plants that are harder to kill (106)
Weeping (10)
Winter colour (226)

Indoor plants by room

Bathrooms (2)
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Home office (2)
Living spaces (1)
Offices (2)

Bulb planting time

Autumn planting (56)
Spring planting (8)

Bulb divisions

Dahlia (Division 1) Single-flowered (1)
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Narcissus (Division 12) Miscellaneous (2)
Narcissus (Division 5) Triandrus (1)
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Narcissus (Division 8) Tazetta (1)

Chelsea plant of year

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Fruit pollination group

Apple pollination group 2 (6)
Apple pollination group 3 (40)
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Apple pollination group 5 (1)
Pear pollination group 2 (1)
Pear pollination group 3 (1)
Self-fertile (13)

Sowing month inside or protected

January (1)
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March (12)
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November (2)

Sowing month outside

January (1)
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Hardy

No (1)
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Yes (761)

Leaf colour

Blue (22)
Bronze (22)
Green (743)
Purple (31)
Red (14)
Silver (9)
Variegated (64)
Yellow (16)

Ground cover

No (374)
Yes (255)

Position

Arches & pergolas (5)
Back of border (198)
Bottom of hedges (104)
Conservatories (1)
Covering eyesores (24)
Front of border (311)
Middle of border (224)
Next to a patio (33)
Next to a pond (48)
Next to an entrance (117)
Next to seating areas (121)
Steep banks (116)
Through hedges (21)
Walls & fences (70)

Shape

Ball (1)
Bushy (49)
Columnar (2)
Hummock (5)
Pyramid (3)
Spiral (1)
Spreading (12)
Weeping (2)

Soil moisture

Damp (84)
Dry/Sandy (135)
Normal (814)

Used at Chelsea

2001 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (2)
2002 - HRH The Prince of Wales - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2003 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (12)
2004 - Sir Terrance Conran - Laurent-Perrier (4)
2005 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2006 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2007 - Jinny Blom - Laurent-Perrier (9)
2008 - Arabella Lennox-Boyd - Daily Telegraph (7)
2008 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2009 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (1)
2009 - Ulf Nordfjell - Daily Telegraph (4)
2010 - Andy Sturgeon - Daily Telegraph (2)
2010 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2011 - Cleve West - Daily Telegraph (4)
2011 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (6)
2012 - Arne Maynard - Laurent-Perrier (8)
2012 - Sarah Price - Daily Telegraph (7)
2013 - Christopher Bradley-Hole - Daily Telegraph (11)
2013 - Ulf Nordfjell - Laurent-Perrier (2)
2014 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (5)
2014 - Tommaso del Buono - Daily Telegraph (3)
2015 - Dan Pearson - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2015 - Marcus Barnett - Daily Telegraph (4)
2016 - Andy Sturgeon - Daily Telegraph (1)
2016 - Jekka McVicar - St John's Hospice (1)
2018 Tom Stuart-Smith - Garfield Weston Foundation (14)
2019 - Andy Sturgeon - M & G (9)
2019 - Sarah Eberley - Forestry Commission (10)
2022 - Andy Sturgeon - Mind Garden / Crocus (17)
2023 - Sarah Price - Nurture Garden (9)

Kitchen garden planting guidelines

Propagate in green house (6)
Suitable for compact container gardening (1)
Suitable for grow beds (7)
Suitable for large container gardening (42)
Use cloche (6)

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838 items

60% off selected

Convallaria majalis 'Prolificans'

~~£6.99~~ £2.80

bare root plant In stock (shipped within 1-2 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 1

sweet cicely

£2.29

approx 5 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Primula vulgaris

£2.24 - £26.24

approx 30 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot available to order from late spring

3 × 9cm pots available to order from late spring

6 × 9cm pots available to order from late spring

9 × 9cm pots available to order from late spring

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 8

25% off

Prunella vulgaris

£2.99 - £26.24

approx 100 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Digitalis × mertonensis

£3.49 - £18.00

approx 1000 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.25 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.3 5 4

25% off

Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot'

£1.89 - £27.00

approx 150 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 3.7 5 6

Digitalis purpurea 'Pam's Choice'

£3.49

approx 200 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora

£1.89 - £17.25

approx 250 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.7 5 6

Campanula trachelium

£2.99

approx 150 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

comfrey - common

£2.99

approx 40 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

Aquilegia vulgaris 'William Guiness'

£3.99

approx 40 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Digitalis purpurea Excelsior Group

£3.49 - £18.00

approx 1000 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.0 5 4

25% off

Digitalis purpurea

£1.89 - £26.24

approx 1000 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 2

Allium ursinum

£2.99 - £6.99

approx 40 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Lythrum salicaria

£2.24 - £29.99

approx 250 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 litre aquatic pot shipped within 1 Week

3 × 9cm pots shipped within 1 Week

3 litre aquatic pot shipped within 1 Week

3 × 1 litre aquatic pots shipped within 1 Week

5 litre aquatic pot shipped within 1 Week

New

Myosotis sylvatica 'Ultramarine'

£2.99

approx 175 seeds In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Hydrangea Runaway Bride Snow White ('USHYD0405') (PBR)

£29.24 - £59.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

7 litre pot | 40cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 2

Hydrangea arborescens Incrediball ('Abetwo') (PBR)

25% off

Hydrangea arborescens Strong Annabelle ('Abetwo') (PBR)

£29.99 - £82.49

3 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

12 litre pot | 80 - 100cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.6 5 33

Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'

£44.99 - £149.99

3 litre pot | 40cm tall | grafted In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

12 litre pot | 1.0m tall | grafted In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

£64.99

3 litre pot | 40cm tall | grafted In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

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