Is there anything more uplifting that the delicate colours of plants that revel in the damp, humus-rich areas in which trees give way to open space?
Here we’ve chosen five that do really well and offer so much to a wildlife
Chocolate-coloured leaves with lilac flowers on dark purple stems. This biennial is very eye-catching, especially as the leaves darken when blooming approaches.
- Will self-seed
- Loved by orange-tipped butterflies
- Structurally attractive
- Cull any green-stemmed seedlings that appear
A handsome herbaceous perennial with slightly hairy nettle-like leaves with a silver stripe down the centre, and spikes of pinkish-purple flowers in April to early May. It is semi-evergreen, but new growth appears in spring.
- Called a deadnettle but it won't sting you!
- Clump-forming so not invasive like the white variety
- Prefers dappled shade but will grow in sun with lots of water
- Susceptible to damage from slugs and snails
A very attractive native evergreen fern (also known as the hart's tongue fern) with undulating strap-shaped leaves which contrast beautifully with softer feathery ferns in a dappled woodland setting.
- Hardy and easy
- Rich emerald fronds
- Perfect for shade
- The old foliage should be cut down in spring to reveal the new developing leaves
A clump-forming perennial excelling in shady, moist places. We love its intensely violet-blue flowers appearing in spring over broad green leaves. It will spread to fill a space, but not invasively so.
- Large bright flowers
- Not liked by slugs and snails - hurray!
Strong and handsome clump-forming perennial with red-green stems and striking upright maroon-red flowers. Known as wake-robin, it has marbled green and white foliage.
- Looks good long after the flowers have finished
- Most unusual flowers in April and May
- Prefers dappled shade and rich, moist, acidic to neutral soil
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