Garden design technique: Under-planting
by Yvonne Cunnington
(Ontario, Canada)
Shade garden under-planting on slope with walnut tree
My big rule of gardening is to leave no bare soil. I do use woodchip mulches, but better than mulch is the technique of under-planting. The idea is to cover the ground by planting in layers the way nature does in a woodland or meadow.
In a shade garden, for example, like the one in my picture, you can plant perennials such as ferns, hosta, or perennial geraniums under groupings of shrubs or the canopy of trees. Do use mulch, of course, to keep the ground covered until your plants establish and start being "ground covers" for you.
We have a country property, and my picture shows the garden underneath a big walnut tree behind our house. The area under the tree is a slope that was covered with a weedy lawn. The slope was so steep that it was dangerous to mow. (In fact, I almost overturned my big walk-behind mower there a couple of times.)
To get the garden established on the slope, we killed off the grass one summer. The plants we chose had to be walnut-tolerant , so the shrubs are mostly viburnums, and the perennials include daylilies, hosta divisions from another shade garden, Solomon's seal (the plain green version and the variegated one), and sweet woodruff, also moved from the shade garden.
In spring, we have color from snowdrops, daffodils and grape hyacinths. We used to have crocus and tulips there as well, but an infestation of chipmunks stole them all. Aside from that, however, the slope is filling in nicely, and the gaps that are left will be filled with more hosta divisions next spring.
I have lots more garden design tips here Doug says check it out. :-)
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