Stumpery

Palustris

A while back I posted this image and asked if this was a good place for a Stumpery. Lots of good advice.

This is what is there now.

I cut back some of the overhanging branches to let in more rain and light. I cannot remove any from the Beech on the right as it had a TPO on it

Filled it with probably the best soil in the garden, leafy top soil. So now the question is what to plant in it? Ideas?

josusa47

Ferns, Solomon's seal, butcher's broom.

purplerallim

Sedums. Maybe plant woodland spring bulbs. Hostas. Depends what look you are after.

Palustris

Not enough sun for Sedums.

Ferns, but which ones? It is in the rain shadow of the tree so it is fairly dry in there.

dave125

I have a similar area in my garden. After buying it we cleared it except for the major trees, ca 18 or so. Stumps and log piles all over. This year it's flourished naturally with Red Campion, it's literally everywhere. Other stuff that does well is Garlic Mustard, Pulmonaria, Ferns, Foxglove, Bramble, Thistle, Celandine etc, etc. It depends if you want the wild look or the cultivated.
Luv Dave

Palustris

To be honest, we have enough wild areas already so we were looking for something a little more 'cultivated'. Our previous garden was mostly well drained and sunny so no experience of a tree covered plot which to a certain extent is what the whole of this garden is. Certainly it is tree lined with deciduous very large trees. It did have Leylandii hedges until we removed them.

Thanks anyway.

Valley Gardener

Are those stumps from the cut down Leylandii? Mine are now rotting down after nearly three years,I have Ferns,just the wild ones,lots of moss has grown. I like the suggestions and my addition would be snowdrops,I think I would tend toward white or pale colours under that big shady tree.

Loxley

Geranium nodosum is good for dry shade, I have the white one, 'Silverwood' - looks very 'woodlandy'. Dryopteris affinis and Polystichum setiferum are tough ferns that should cope. Harts tongue fern is potentially OK too, I have some in very dry soil (they even get half a day of sun). Eurybia (formerly Aster) divaricata would probably be OK in the bits that are less shady. You'll need to make sure the planting is well watered for the first season 

Palustris

Lovely, thanks. Already have G, nodosum so could transfer some across.

The whole of the rest of that area is going to be filled with Snowdrops, primroses, cyclamen, Anemone nemorosa, A. blanda and such like so I was looking for something slightly different for the raised bit in the stumps.
Have already put in some Epimedium, Polygonatum, Pulmonaria, Cornus canadnesis and one tiny fern from elsewhere in the garden.