Fresh ideas

FOREST FLORA

I came across this gnarly, old tree stump while walking on the Cottesbrooke estate and knew its craggy, rustic appearance would be the perfect backdrop for a display of small woodland plants. People are often daunted by shady areas, which have a reputation for being difficult, but there are so many fantastic spring perennials, such as Chrysosplenium macrophyllum with its reddish-brown foliage and pretty green-white flowers, that relish the shady conditions and deserve to be showcased.

How to achieve the look

Container and composition

I needed to create a reasonably sized planting pocket within the tree stump and so I hollowed out the centre using a chisel (a small axe or hand saw might be needed depending on the variety of wood). I also added a smaller planting slot to theseemed too delicate to add to the main planting hole and so, using double sided tape and sheets of bark collected from the woodland floor, I disguised the pot they were planted in as another log. Any number of additional pots could be added this way.