It has been an intense spring. I put in four new gardens for clients, planting over eight hundred plants. In the middle of all this work my wife decided to tackle a long neglected area at the top of our driveway which up to now has always been choked with brambles, raspberry canes and bishop’s weed. After spending two days pulling out hundreds of canes and getting very scratched up we exposed a beautiful ancient fallen down apple tree. As luck would have it in the middle of this project a gardening friend sent me a link to a sale at Eastern Plant Specialists based in Maine where they had a special for one hundred Ostrich ferns. What could be better. I placed an order and two days later a large box appeared with 100 plants about 3” high and a root ball plugs about the same size. After planting the ferns all around the apple tree we received two good spring soakings and the bright green fronds leapt about 10” inches in three days. A few weeks later a friend wanted several beds of ostrich ferns removed from her courtyard garden. It was a good deal – If I dug them out I could have them. About 8 years ago I had taken this same friend to a fern nursery on Long Island and she bought maybe 25-30 of these ostrich ferns and there were now about 400 -500 ferns. After digging up over 100 ferns I planted them on the opposite side of the driveway among some Spanish Bluebells. Now I have the beginnings of a small woodland garden at the top of the drive and I plan to research other woodland plants to plant amongst the ferns. I will also add more Spanish bluebells in the fall. I welcome any suggestions for additional woodland plants to add to the new area and/or how to heal my aching bones!
Exposed apple tree after clearing hundreds of brambles
Ostrich ferns from friend transplanted to left side of driveway with Spanish Bluebells
New woodland planting in driveway.
Rooting for Ideas 
Welsh poppies?
Deirdre I had Welch poppy seed from when I gardened in Scotland and had them at one time in the garden, but I think they have disappeared. Thanks for reminding me. Don
I could send you seed from my yellow poppies.
Most of my garden in Roxbury is shaded next to a brook. Here’s some woodland natives that I have planted that do well:
Stylophorum diphyllum Celandine Poppy,
Various trilliums (erectum, grandiflorum, luteum)
Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
Jeffersonia diphylla (Twin Leaf)
Other ferns-I especially like these three
Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas Fern (evergreen is a plus)
Adiantum pedatum northern maidenhair
Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern
Erythronium pagoda Trout lily
Polygonatum biflorum Solomon’s- Seal-
Asarum canadense Wild Ginger
Caulophyllum thalictoides Blue Cohosh
Cimicifuga (actaea) racemosa Bugbane
Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in the Pulpit
Solidago flexicaulis Zigzag Goldenrod
Spiranthes cernua Nodding lady’s tresses
I use plenty of non-natives too
If you intend to plant more plants, I don’t have a cure for your aching bones!
Brian- Wow you do have your shade plants at hand! I would love to transplant some Mayapple in the area. I have plenty of trout lily pretty much everywhere. Will definitely check out some of these others. Many thanks Don
Hello Don,
Brian gives an excellent list.
To which I might add kirengeshoma palmata, Japanese yellow wax-bells, which likes the Catskills, or the Drybrook Valley at least. To continue the yellow theme, I’d add the old fashioned lemon yellow daylily, which is tough as nails and fragrant, to boot. It gives a full month of bloom to my garden. Ross
Yes that would make a nice color palette for a shady border! Thanks Ross
Sounds lovely! I love tiarella and sweet woodruff in the shade. Also plumbago and astilbe.
Two of my favorites too- Tiarella and woodruff! Plumbago would be an annual for me. Thanks
You two do nice work!
If you want to add a large-leafed plant, try diphlleia cymosa. Big leaves, small white flowers. The Japanese version of mayapple also has fabulous leaves. I saw it recently in a garden in Hanover, New Hampshire and fell in love!
Thanks Pat – will check these out.