Planting a woodland garden

glen.m.parish

i really need some advice on which trees I should plant in my long and narrow garden. I really want to match the nearby woodland as much as I can. I want a garden i can walk through feeling enclosed and surrounded by trees and ferns. I need some advice on which trees to plant that will grow tall and fast. Does anyone know which trees to plant and things to consider when I do.

DampGardenMan

How big is your garden and what's the soil like? How close to your house will you be going? Big trees and house foundations are not always happy bedfellows.

It's often recommended to plant fast-growing shrubs to give the necessary shade for woodland plants, with slower-growing trees coming up behind for the long term. Hazels can be useful for fast early cover. I've used buddleias and then chopped 'em down once more permanent plantings (e.g. birch, bird cherry, field maple) have matured.

DampGardenMan

For a book on woodland gardening, try Gardening with Woodland Plants by Karan Junker. Excellent in my opinion.

glen.m.parish

Hi there. Thank you for all the tips! Have added a couple of old pictures to give you an idea. I haven’t measured it to be honest. 

glen.m.parish

In terms of the soil I would guess it’s a silt soil as it’s not overly cloggy and heavy and not overly sandy. Again need to test it really:

glen.m.parish

DampGardenMan said:

For a book on woodland gardening, try Gardening with Woodland Plants by Karan Junker. Excellent in my opinion.

Thank you DampGardenMan will have a look at this book. Thanks so much for your help.

Loxley

Birches are reasonably quick growing, if you can find multi-stem ones so much the better as they look so natural and attractive with bark that gives winter interest. Prunus serrula is another one good for that, again best as a multi-stem.

Loxley

Multi-stem birches planted as a grove, with ferns

DampGardenMan

With a narrow, though long, garden you'll need to be careful to avoid overshadowing the neighbours too much, so smaller trees might be the order of the day. Ornamental cherries, hawthorns, amalanchier etc. Which way is the garden facing?

It will be a nice garden when you've filled it with ferns and other woodlandy things, though it looks like you're letting yourself in for a lot of work removing gravel and slabs and the like! If it was me the path would have to go and be replaced by something a bit more sinuous ... and of course I'd cover the fences with climbers.

You seem to have a gate at the bottom - is the space behind yours also? Or is there a passageway hiding behind the fence?

glen.m.parish

WillDB said:

Multi-stem birches planted as a grove, with ferns

Thanks WillDB. I’m keen to keep to uk native species. The birches look great. Thanks for the inspiration. Prunus is a stunning alternative.