The Woodland Border runs alongside the next door barn and faces north west so is very shady. In fact during the winter months when the sun is so low it never receives any direct sunlight. At this time of year though parts of it are in the early morning and the late afternoon/evening sun. The main colour in this border all year round is green. Ferns and foliage plants dominate, though throughout late spring and early summer additional colour comes from the numerous pink Geranium x oxonianum. Now they have become a bit straggly and it is time to cut them back. Some may put on more flowers before the winter arrives. This area of my garden is predominantly a spring border, with early bulbs and hellebores and primroses, but this is what it looks like now.
(1) Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa ‘Golden Lanterns’) is a vigorous, upright, thicket-forming deciduous shrub with bright, golden-yellow, heart shaped leaves and, from summer into early autumn, pendulous racemes of white flowers with burgundy bracts followed by red-purple berries. I have mine growing in a container but it flowers best in full sun to light or open shade so I need to find a more suitable spot for it. A rooted cutting has been planted in the new border close to the twisted hazel tree.
(2) False Goat’s Beard (Astilbe × arendsii ‘Weisse Gloria’ and ‘Fanal’). Astilbes are shade and moisture-loving plants, bearing masses of ferny foliage, from which elegant plumes of feathery flowers appear from late-spring. They do best in woodland garden schemes where their pink or white blooms provide a splash of colour.
(3) Unknown clematis – this adds a splash of colour to the border close to the conservatory. Last year it was badly mauled by earwigs.
(4) Lysimachia punctata / Yellow Loosestrife / Whorled Loosestrife is a vigorous plant, spreading from underground stems. It makes plentiful upright stems that support whorls of yellow flowers and is pretty tough. It makes a good ground cover but being tall can suffer from blasts of wind in my garden and end up flopping over the wall. I’m considering making some changes to this border and this might be one plant to go. Maybe to be replaced with a couple of Astrantia?
(5) Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ also known as fish mint, fish leaf, rainbow plant, chameleon plant, heart leaf, fish wort, or Chinese lizard tail grows in moist and shady conditions. It is an attractive low-growing shrub, bearing a striking carpet of variegated red, cream and green leaves from late-spring. Its summer flowers are simple, white with prominent centres.
(6) Bird bowl set amongst baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) also known as angel’s tears or mind-your-own-business. It prefers shade and moderate moisture and loves my woodland border! The masses of tiny leaves clothe slender spreading stems that root as they run, forming a dense deep-pile carpet. As it covers the ground it will run over rocks, fallen logs, and so on, clinging to their shape and in my border it grows up the granite wall and intermingles with the ferns. It can be quite invasive and prevent other plants from growing well so I regularly have to pull lots of it out.
A large part of England is undergoing a mini-heatwave this weekend. It’s not so hot down here in the south-west and we suffer from a lot of sea fret / low cloud when it is humid. Too hot for gardening though and perhaps it is sensible to stay out of the heat. I shall be seeking out a shady nook and enjoy putting my feet up and reading a book, hopefully! As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
I keep seeing Astilbe I fancy but would probably need to get rid of something else to make room.
My parents garden has the same loosestrife. Badly in need of reigning in.
I pulled out a load of the loosestrife last year and it certainly hasn’t flopped so badly this, but there are supports in the front of it. I’m not so fond of yellow flowers, but this was here when I moved in and the leaves are fantastic when they begin to emerge in spring. I think I’d like to try some Astrantia though and they would like this location.
I’ve added a white astrantia in the shaded front garden and taken seed my my mum’s ruby one. Got some great bee photos on them over the last month. Flowers well over a good period.
Sounds like these could be perfect then. Thanks!
Always so many lovely things in your posts!
I hope you’re managing to stay cool and comfortable during the hot weather Jude. I love these posts and always see a plant I’ve never heard of.
Not so hot here Carol. It’s been foggy all day and quite cool. Cornwall has it’s own climate 😊
It sounds like our day yesterday. It started off foggy, but it cleared away to a mild day. The wind today is frigid – a good day for staying inside working on a new post. 🙂
It was interesting to see what you have growing in this border, Jude, as it has prompted me to relocate (when we have have had some rain!) some astilbe to mine, although it is never actually ‘damp’ there. The bird bath and baby’s tears looks great! I think your clematis might be ‘Ville de Lyon’
Not very damp along mine at the moment despite a lot of mizzle this week. Thanks for the name. I will have a look.
Lovely photos Jude. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for visiting John. 😊
The Woodland Border is so lush and green, and the yellow loosestrife gives it a lift. I have similar planting in my little border, but the loosestrife is now fading, so colour-wise, mine is looking a bit flat. I like the Himalayan Honeysuckle, and I hope you’re able to find a suitable spot for it – it currently looks good in your Woodland Border though.
I wondered if your clematis could be ‘Boulevard Acropolis’ but I think the petals are more pointed than yours, and I think it’s a more recent addition, so it would be on your list! I don’t think I can be of much help.
I think the Soleirolia looks fantastic with the bird bath – is it shallow rooted? If so then I think I have a good spot for it in my area. I wouldn’t mind if it tryed to be invasive as long as it’s easy to pull out. 😁
The Soleirolia is very shallow rooted and quite easy to pull out. It does like dampness though and gets a bit brown if too dry. Frost will make it die off, but it comes back with no trouble.
Oh, that’s fine – dampness is something we have plenty of! I have a look to see who sells it, I’m sure it will be available as seed. Thanks!
A shame we are at opposite ends of the UK or you could have plenty of mine!
Beautiful photos of these plants and flowers. Jude. The pink clematis is pretty. I am not familiar with some of the names and background. Thanks for the information.
You know Jude, one of these days I’m hoping you’ll have someone fly a drone over your garden so we could see it in its entirety. The small slices of beauty are such a tease!!! Glorious. Enjoy your well earned rest.
Haha… it would be a very quick flight. There is a plan under garden diary on the menu for an overall look of how it all fits together.