Our New Woodland Edge Kit is curated to do well in an area that backs up to a woodland. This kit has 2 beautiful woodsy spring ephemerals: Bloodroot and Mayapple, along with early bloomers Columbine, Wood Poppy and Woodland Phlox, for early, spring blossoms. We included an extra low-growing Woodland Phlox and Wood Poppy (3 each) for a nice spread at the front of the garden bed. The Cardinal Flower, Blue Lobelia and Alumroot will add height, color and pollinator interest in mid to late summer through Sept. You will also see a lot of attractive and interesting foliage and seed pods to admire in this garden as it grows through the seasons!
Design and Planting Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full to partial shade with moist soil conditions is ideal for this grouping
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant. Position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front
- Plant 1.5' apart
Kit Contents:
8 varieties, including a shade tolerant Milkweed for Monarchs. There are 2 or 3 plants of each, as specified (18 total plants), all listed below with details. An image of each plant can be found to the left, pictured in the order listed:
Approximate Garden Size: 3' wide x 9' long or 27 sq ft
3 - Wood Poppy
3 - Woodland Phlox
2 - Alumroot
2 - Blue Lobelia
2 - Cardinal Flower
2 - Columbine
2 - Mayapple
2 - Poke Milkweed
Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: Up to 20"
Bloom Time: April-June
Bloom Color: Yellow, orange
Pollinator Benefit: Nectar and pollen
Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure - Shade, Partial Shade
Soil Moisture - Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height – 12 inch
Bloom Time - April-June
Bloom Color – Blue, purple, lavender
Tolerance: Deer are uninterested and Drought
Attracts: Flowers attract butterflies, including swallowtails, gray hairstreaks, and western pygmy blues.
Pollinator Benefit: good spring nectar source
Alumroot (Heuchera americana)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Part Sun to Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry - moist
Height: 18"
Bloom Time: June - August
Bloom Description: Tiny, red, green, purple, brown, cup-shaped
Leaf and Bloom: Deep green leaves, shades of purple, red, and yellow in fall
Resistant To: Drought
Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial (in moist conditions), Shade (in drier conditions)
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 3'
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Blue
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Native Bees
Pollinator Benefits: Xerces Society notes Special Value to Native Bees, Bumblebees
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Time: April through June
Bloom Color: Red
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Columbine Duskywing Butterfly
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-wet
Soil Type: Moist to wet, humus-rich soil. Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Clay
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Red
Resistant: Deer, rabbit
Pollinator Benefit: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
Mayapple, (Podophyllum petatum)
Native Spring Perennial
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist, Wet
Soil: Moist, humus-rich soils. Acid-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam
Height: 12-18"
Bloom Time: March, April, May
Bloom Color: Yellow, sometimes tinged with pink, rose, or purple, 2 inches long
Deer: Resistant
Drought: Intolerant
Attracts: Bumble bees and other native bees
Pollinator benefits: Early pollen for native bees
Poke Milkweed, (Asclepius exaltata)
Native Perennial
Supports Monarch Butterflies!
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade--great at a woodland edge!
Soil Moisture: moderate moisture and rich organic content
Height: 2-6'
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: White, Pink, Green
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Monarch; excellent nectar source for other Butterflies and Bees; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value to Native Bees, Bumble Bees, and Honey Bees