Woodland Plants to Grow | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Yellow-centered, white dog's tooth lilies beneath a tree

Discover the types of organic matter to use in your garden. As for planting, watch this video guide on planting woodland perennials.

Follow Monty Don's lead and brighten up a lightly shaded spot by planting a selection of woodland perennials in spring. Discover the conditions that best suit these charming gems to ensure they give you plentiful flowers for years to come:

We recommend 10 of the best woodland plants to grow, below.

Wood anemones

Wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) are pretty perennials native to Europe, including the UK, where they carpet woodland floors with their blooms. There are lots of cultivars to grow, including 'Vestal' and 'Bowles' Purple'. Flowers late winter to mid-spring.

How to grow anemones - wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa — White wood anemone blooms

Primroses

Common primroses, Primula vulgaris, are a familiar sight in spring. They thrive in areas of damp shade, clay soils included, and are a source of nectar and pollen for pollinators in early spring. Other primulas to grow include Primula vialii and Primula sieboldii.

Primrose, Primula vulgaris — Lemon and yellow common primrose flowers

Red campion

This beautiful perennial is often found growing wild on broadleaf woodland floors. When the flowers are finished, give the seedheads a shake where desired to help them self-seed. Try growing red campions alongside bugle and Welsh poppies. Brilliant for bees.

Red campion (Silene dioica) — Pretty pink flowers of red campion

Foxgloves

Foxgloves are an essential component of any woodland planting scheme. The tall flower spikes bring height and structure, and are especially loved by bumblebees.

Foxglove 'Suttons Apricot' — Peachy-pink foxglove 'Suttons Apricot'

Erythroniums

Erythroniums are commonly known as dog's tooth lilies, due to the fanged shape of the bulbs. The petals have a distinctive swept-back appearance, with the flowers appearing from March to May. Try combining erythroniums with snake's head fritillaries, trilliums and corydalis.

Erythronium Harvington Snowgoose — White and yellow Erythronium 'Harvington Snowgoose'

Sweet woodruff

This vigorous, robust perennial is ideal for growing in difficult, shady spots. Sweet woodruff has fragrant, white flowers that appear from April to June, and can be used to provide ground cover under shrubs and trees.

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) — Tiny, white sweet woodruff flowers

Wood sage

Wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia) grows best in well-drained, acidic soils, in a position of dappled or part shade. While not especially showy, the pale green-yellow flowers will help to brighten shady areas. Attractive to pollinators.

Wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia) — Pale yellow-green wood sage flowers

Ferns

Like foxgloves, no woodland border is complete without the rich greenness of ferns, and with so many species and cultivars, you're spoilt for choice. Shuttlecock ferns look fantastic planted en masse, while royal ferns impress with their grand size. For evergreen colour, try the hart's tongue fern or hard fern.

Asplenium Crispum Bolton's Nobile — Frilly-edged Asplenium 'Crispum Boltons Nobile'

Solomon's seal

This graceful perennial produces arching stems, with dangling white blooms in spring and early summer. Solomon's seal looks exquisite paired with ferns, Dicentra and hostas. You could also consider false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum).

How to grow Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum x hybridum) — Dangling white flowers of Solomon's seal

Ivy

Ivy is a brilliant climber for shady, woodland plantings. It'll provide a leafy backdrop for other plants and will provide nectar, pollen, berries and shelter for wildlife. Browse the cultivars to choose from in our Plant Finder.

Hedera helix Halebob — A yellow and green variegated ivy

Edgeworthia chrysantha — Yellow and white, pompom blooms of the paper bush

Trees and shrubs to consider