"Re-wilding" a shady area

[Namechangeforthis88]

I tried to post this with photos but 1 hour later they still hadn't uploaded and they weren't that good.

The previous owners did a land grab of railway property. It's been covered in tarps or membrane for at least a couple of years. It's about 4m by 10m and quite shaded.

We can't leave it as it is and don't want to cultivate it properly.

I'm thinking of getting wildflower seed mix for shady areas and spreading it liberally and hoping for the best.

Any tips?

I'll try with one photo in another post.

This is it!

I would add violets and wild garlic.

Is that buddleia?
You'll end up with a nice thicket of the stuff.
I'd create a hiberbaculum, a pile of stones, logs etc for hibernating mammals & reptiles. Then chuck over the wildflower seed - you can buy 'shady/woodland glade' mixes - and then over the next few years be diligent about getting rid of buddleia.
Maybe stick some ferns in?

Bluebells, vinca, wood anemone, primrose, lilyturf have been recommended to me for a shady spot in my garden.

I would get actual plants rather than seeds but that's just my experience.

There is a big overhanging buddleia. I had never thought of planting wild garlic.

I've been trying to get scented violet seeds that I can just sow outdoors. I love the smell of violets. I could just go for unscented though!

Ferns sounds good.

Don't know where I'd get logs from.

Thanks for these ideas.

I have a much smaller slither with similar issues

I have a pyracantha which looks incredible. This year I added a forsythia and a berberis which are thinking about it (they’re very small) but aren’t quite sure if they want to be there.

At the other end I’ve put digitalis and ferns, all seem very happy. Then we let the grass just do it’s stuff. There is also lemon balm, sage and geranium.

I’ve also put a log pile and a hedgehog house and a grass heap.

Buying plants is just going to get really expensive. Unless I can maybe get multi packs. I had bluebell seeds I gathered from the front, I gave some away. I'm a donut.

Logs you can either go chuggling (take a carrier bag around the woods to collect sticks) or just buy a bag from the garage next time you get fuel. Log piles are great for encouraging bugs and moss etc.

Check out naturescape for seeds and flowers, i have bought plants and seeds from them for a couple of years.

Definitely get Odorata violets and foxgloves.

@Namechangeforthis88

Buying plants is just going to get really expensive. Unless I can maybe get multi packs. I had bluebell seeds I gathered from the front, I gave some away. I'm a donut.

Again I’m in the same boat, think of it as a long term project. The pic above was taken early summer. I bought that digitalis, but then sowed some seed at the same time and hopefully they will all flower next year. The berberis and forsythia were tiny so very cheap.

Next year I will treat myself to a couple more ferns

Woodruff and geranium will spread like wildfire and look fantastic.

Some native wild flower seeds have to freeze over the winter, so seeds ideally need to be sown before end of November.

I’ve been wondering similar. We have an area behind our shed that’s manky but the soil is heavy clay. Really wanted wildflowers but not sure anything will grow in clay in the shade

That is lovely @Billybagpuss, I don't mind taking it slow. I'm pathetically excited about odorata violets. I searched around for seeds that said you could just sow outdoors where you want them to grow, the supplier I found is out of stock. I can't help thinking they're all basically the same, but some suppliers tell you that you have to mess around propagating. I'll try naturescape.

I bought Odorata plugs last spring and planted them under the shaded edge of the decking, i got a couple of flowers which the bees appreciated.

I have been transforming our lower shaded lawn into a 'lawn' of daisy, self heal, speedwell, clover and violets. Grass has never done well and the replacements don't grow tall enough to make hay so i don't have to mow as often!

How about a pond?
Within 24 hrs of digging a pond we saw our first dragonfly in outlr garden. Great for all kinds of wildlife.

I have plans to add the a wildlife pond and discovered you can buy dragonfly larvae and pond critters to add to it.

I have another spot in mind for a pond. There has been a greenhouse, no glass in it now, breeze block half height wall at the back and the floor level is a foot or two below ground level. I dream of turning it into a gothic folly with small cascade and wildlife pond. That's a thread for another day.

@Weegiewtf

I’ve been wondering similar. We have an area behind our shed that’s manky but the soil is heavy clay. Really wanted wildflowers but not sure anything will grow in clay in the shade

Red campion, greater stitchwort, yellow archangel, enchanter’s nightshade, wood avens

@1Dandelion1

I have plans to add the a wildlife pond and discovered you can buy dragonfly larvae and pond critters to add to it.

You shouldn’t need to buy. Most things will arrive by themselves. Always better to encourage what grows naturally than to introduce “aliens” (even those from elsewhere in the uk)

Not really wild, but Japanese anemones would establish themselves and spread well over a few years in an area like that and you could just scythe them down in winter to give violets etc the space in spring.

I had have a very similar space that I've been ignoring - think several years. But in last few years I've cleared it out, raked and mown the grass tuffs/weeds.
The lawn has now started to grow towards the fence and I've just got myself my first fern.
It's still a work in progress and am happy to have found this thread.
I will check out some of the fab ideas on here

Weegiewtf I also have a space just like yours. I have an arch at the entrance with a honeysuckle over it, it’s still trying to take off but a prune next spring should help it. The place doesn’t get any sun, so I’ve put aquiligea, geraniums, astilbe, foxgloves and forget me nots in. There’s more around the main garden that I want to transplant there. The rambling rose seems happy in the deep shade and is heading up the trees. It’s still in working progress. I’ve also got a rock arrangement, stepping stones leading down to the river and a bench. I’ve named it ‘the secret garden’ (thousands of pictures on Pinterest for inspiration) there’s no excuse for dead areas

@Autumnscene very jealous of stepping stones down to the river.

We got stuck in yesterday, cut back the buddleia and some other bits that were creating the worst of the shade (which generated the beginning of a log pile), ordered a load of mixed wildflower seeds for woodland/heavy shade, also foxglove seed, snowdrop bulbs, actual primroses, vinca minor and geraniums. Had to stop myself spending at that point. Oh apart from I tracked down someone who had scented violet seeds in stock, but I might put them in a part of the actual garden so we get the benefit of them. The shady land grab will be more of a backdrop.

You do have to work out what type of soil you have Name I've been disappointed a few times with buying wildflower mixes, our soil is sandy and chalky so it's good for some plants and not at all for others, I love foxgloves but after one grew ( left it to self seed and it didn't!)

Oh I have been rewilding quite a bit of our large garden in MW Fr. It is working with such happy bees and butterflies, yes don't get rid if your buddleia that's incredible for insects.