"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.

We've chopped the buddleia back, it was enormous, possibly older than I am. I have no doubt it will come back again. I wouldn't be opposed to replacing it if not. The garden that is actually garden has geraniums and vinca going strong. Bluebells galore in the front garden.

I went out to do some tidying up after work yesterday and felt overwhelmed by the whole thing again. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Thank you for this thread OP. I have a shady area which is difficult to reach so I am blatantly going to follow this thread and steal some ideas!

@Namechangeforthis88

I went out to do some tidying up after work yesterday and felt overwhelmed by the whole thing again. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day.
^^*
Just do a bit at a time but sticks with it.
I've just cleared another area that I'd put off for so long.
Took me 2or 3 days in bits bit I did it in sections and had fun with it.
Really pleased with the end result.

Strong recommend for pulmonaria, it's a great woodland wildflower, beautiful yrar round green silver splashed leaves, lovely early pink and blue flowers, incredibly important for bees.

Mine flowers from as early as February right through to June. It spreads well but not stupidly, and is very easy to spread, just pull out seedlings and pop in where you want.

I'm always giving them away, such pretty, easy, useful plants.

Bluebells and snowdrops will naturalise, so only plant about 50 of each. Then a few hellebores. And as for the res, wait and see what comes up, perhaps some enchanters nightshade will turn up or something that has been native and dormant for a long time.
The buddleia and any emerging brambles and ivy (and they will turn up) will need to be controlled though.

How could I have not thought of pulmonaria? Good call.

I use the woodland mix liberally, it’s absolutely gorgeous the first year then goes weird, so needs mowing/scything and redoing every year. Takes a few minutes to spread the seed around and that’s it!

Just take it slow, put in one or two shrubs a year and wildflower mix the rest of the time until it’s looking as you want.

The bottom of my garden is like this. It’s forest edge so very very shady. The surrounding trees are well over 40ft.

It’s grown since this picture but I’ve found that alchemilla mollis had done well. As has sweet woodruff.

There’s an online nursery called “plantsforshade” or something similar. Don’t know what they’re like as a source for plants, but they’re good for inspiration. I had a deciduous euonymus die this year, and everything’s grown, so I’m going to replace it with ground cover - looking forward to making the most of the planting opportunity!

Loving www.plantsforshade.co.uk/. I think I'll save ferns and hellebores for the gothic folly situation. Might need to quit work and just concentrate on the garden to get it all sorted.

They do say (on Gardener's Question time etc.) if you want wild flowers then your topsoil need removing, because most used to grow in open fields (meadows) on poor soil. You also need full sun .

When we moved here in Sept. 16 years ago there were cyclamen growing beautifully under an acacia tree, they have now seeded around the whole garden which suits me well, they definitely like shade! The do like a yearly mulch of soggy leaves too.

I would kill for proper ferns, it's annoying because they grow profusely round here at the edge of woods but not here

I do have self seeded salvias (not boasting but one which literally just arrived is a lovely dark blue flowered guaranitica type) I've never seen it anywhere else here .

@ppeatfruit do you think they're just ripping people off selling wildflower seeds specifically for woodland/heavy shade then? There were quite a few websites selling them, I think Sarah Raven was one, I thought that would be quite reputable, but that mix included grasses, which I didn't want.

I don't think I have the strength to get into removing topsoil though.

Anyway, seeds have been delivered and I'm planning on getting everything planted/sown in the next couple of days. I'll post a photo.

Well maybe, but because there are so many conditions they can't know how ALL their seeds will react.

I've bought grass seed for shade in France which always does well though.

I bought some expensive Sarah Raven seeds too with no success, maybe it's me! Of course Iam in Fr.. You know now I'm thinking about it all the wildflower seed mixes I've bought or been given, have been English!! It IS me!!!!! Ignore me

Good luck with yours!

The advice they’re giving on GQT relates to what most people think of wildflowers - a riot of poppies, corncockle, corn marigold, cornflower etc. These are all annuals, needing to grow and flower quickly and not having the energy to grow a hefty plant capable of competing against grass. So they need bare soil, which is why they have found a niche as cornfield weeds.

And low nutrient because grass, nettles, docks are all extremely well adapted to making good use of high levels of nutrient.

That’s precisely why there are seed mixes for shade - because the seeds you want for shade are a different set of species than the ones growing in open arable fields.

You’re looking for species like red campion, stitchwort, yellow archangel, hedge woundwort, hedge cranesbill, enchanters nightshade, all-of which are woodland or hedge flowers, not found in the usual “wildflower” arable field mix.

And while we’re at it, an arable field is not a meadow, and a strip of soil planted with the usual suspects is not a wildflower meadow. A meadow is a field used for pasture in the autumn and winter and closed up for a hay crop over spring and summer. So from what I’ve said above, it’s obvious that meadow plants are going to be mainly perennial, to compete with the grass. Another set of species entirely.

Progress report attached. It certainly looks better than it did. There are a couple of vincas, some geraniums and lots of primroses. The rest is snowdrop and grape hyacinth bulbs, the wildflower mix, some snakeshead fritillary seed that I'm taking a chance on. At the far end by the log pile I've put LOADS of foxglove seed. The neon green path is from a conifer I'm gradually shredding from the front.

That looks lovely Name

Looks great.
Come spring it will lovely.
Well done on all your hard work.