The Woodland Garden

Overview: The Woodland Garden displays a collection of ornamental plant species that thrive in the shade afforded by a woodland setting. These include the nation's southernmost Trillium species, Asian snake arums, exotic gingers, spike mosses, and many more.

A Closer Look: The woodland garden is a demonstration of what can be grown in shady situations.  Many of the plants in this garden are chosen for their foliage because flower production is limited for many plants in shady circumstances due to low light levels limiting photosynthesis, starch production and consequently, flowering.  However, plants such as Impatiens, gingers and violets are able to overcome light limitations and bloom regularly in shady situations and are showcased here. Although there are always exceptions, in general, woodland plants have large leaves that are adapted to capture the limited light and less biomass allocated for the root structure compared to sun loving species. 

These characteristics evolved in response to decreased transpiration and evaporation experienced by plants that grow in the shade.