Summer 2019
The Woodland Garden at the front of my house was first laid out in 2006. Since then, it has been slowly developed, improved and enjoyed, yet keeping the same underlaying layout and philosophy. This garden demonstrates how a relatively small area (beneath the canopy of a single cherry tree) can be turned into a beautiful and productive garden, maximising the use of space. In winter, the evergreen hedges and topiary, along with the raised beds, brick paths, black timber wood shed and fences provide a pleasing, well-organised structure. From late winter through spring the garden is filled with woodland flowers: snowdrops, primroses, ferns, hellebores, anemones and spurges (see photo below). In summer the cherry, currents and espalier apple tree provide abundant fruit.
Spring 2025
LOCATION
This garden is situated at the front of Rosemary Cottage framed on two sides by a fence and woodshed, and on the other two sides by the driveway.
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Using Permaculture Principles
Permaculture is a set of horticultural principles used to design permanent and sustainable systems of food production. What sets permaculture apart from conventional agriculture is that it starts with observation of natural ecosystems and takes inspiration for the evolved solutions found there.
One of the most widely known permaculture models is the edible woodland garden. Based on the observed productivity of open woodlands such food systems use multiple layers to increase productivity: tree, shrub and ground cover.
My ‘woodland’ garden is centred on a single cherry tree that was here when we purchased the property. An adjacent Weeping willow, Japanese flowering cherry and, a little further off, a large Bay tree increase the sense of being in a woodland. This garden, however, really only needs the cherry as it provides the perfect canopy for a permaculture woodland garden casting dappled shade and producing fruit.
We carefully prune the cherry in the summer to ensure it keeps a low umbrella like shape that does not hang down too low. This makes the fruit easy to pick from a 6ft step ladder and ensures the shade beneath does not become too dense.
Original Layout (2019*)
*See changes to the layout undertaken in 2022 here:
Renovating the woodland beds & Paths
Raised beds with box edging
Three raised beds centred on the cherry tree provide the main structure, with brick paths running between them. Along the rear fence a staggered raised bed continues the geometry of the beds and paths. Part of the purpose of this design is to allow easy access to all of the beds and particularly to the trained fruit along the rear fence. Two white globular pots planted with box balls, provide further structure.
Fruit trained on fences
The low fence to the front and left hand side have wires on which fruit is trained.
Read more about trained fruit here: Trained Fruit
Ground level planting
The beds are filled with a rich tapestry of woodland plants, including ferns, bulbs, perennials and low growing shrubs. They form a continuously changing spectacle with something of interest in every season.
In a typical permaculture woodland one would aim for much of the ground cover being made of edible plants, but in practice there are few plate-worthy perennials and a lot of ground space to cover. I tried rhubarb for a few years, but it really needed more sunlight. The edibles that did succeed were mint (in a half buried pot to stop it spreading), alpine strawberries and sweet cicely. The shrub layer is where we gain most calorific value…
Shrub layer: Fruit
Soft fruit such as currents, gooseberries and tayberries grow well in partial shade, so make good shrubs for growing under the dappled shade of the cherry. I trained red currents on the rear fence in dramatic fans that look good all year round. The tayberry is grown on wires along the fence too. Black current grows as an open, spreading shrub, so this is at one end of a central bed. I also have two gooseberries grown as standards.
This photo shows how well fruit is integrated into the design.
The harvest from this garden is significant. We pick fruit from here every week from May (gooseberries) until December (apples). Birds take some – mainly the cherries. The red currents hang in good condition for weeks, so we avoid a glut by picking them regularly. We sometimes freeze the excess. The blackcurrants are delicious and seem to thrive in this location.
Red currents
Gooseberries
Apples
Cherries, Tay berries, Black currents
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Further Reading
- Woodland Garden Timeline
- Woodland Garden Renovation
- Renovating the Woodshed
- All articles on The Woodland Garden
- Trained fruit forms
- The Woodshed (it’s initial construction including photos of the early stages of the woodland garden)
Recent Posts on the Woodland Garden
- Update to my Woodland Garden (New Plants)!
- 5 of the Best Small Hardy Garden ferns
- My Top Hybrid Hellebores
- Renovating the woodland beds & Paths
- February in the Woodland Garden
- Now is the time to cut back hellebores (Dec-Jan)
- Paeonia mlokosewitschii – pink form
- A Winter Homage to Finlay and Frosts
- Aquilegia ‘Blue Star’
- Give Green a Chance The importance of foliage in planting design
I must say, the overhead views of your landscape designs are MOST helpful. I’m often outside, dreaming of my next project…trying to decide about balance and proportions. Seeing how individual pieces and projects fit into your landscape is very helpful in understanding the overall design. Thank you for sharing your property with us. :o)
Cheers from snowy, cold St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Great to have you drop by and I’m pleased you found something helpful.
Good luck with your project!