There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~Minnie Aumonier
It was only last year that I created my woodland garden yet it is the first place where Pixie and I walk at dawn . . .
and the last place where we linger at dusk. 
The quiet green heart of it draws us in many times a day to meander and explore. The cool shade of the woods has become a refreshing place to escape the intense heat of the sun at midday.
There are so many details to notice, like the red croziers of a lady fern
and the green and black pinwheels of the maidenhair ferns.
Weeks of heavy rains and hot weather triggered lush growth in this young garden, making it look mature beyond its years.
A sturdy copper birdbath added in June has become a centerpiece to the ferns and sedges that flow around it while its water reflects the trees above. All of the plants in this woodland garden are native to our southwest Pennsylvania area, giving me a challenge and an opportunity to play with form, texture and multiple shades of green in an eco-friendly setting.
We moved here over twenty years ago because of the tall trees that surrounded the house – creating a garden at their feet has made them even more treasured. This short video is an effort to capture the atmosphere and beauty that this little woodland garden offers.
I wish you a peaceful place in which to relax and reflect in quiet moments, and if you are a gardener, encouragement to plant a tree and play in its shade.
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir
All text, images, and videos ©2025 Lynn Purse, All Rights Reserved except where noted.
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We are in the midst of a heatwave so your lush woodland garden looks perfect to me. Of course, I’ve also never met a fern I didn’t love. 🙂
We are now in the middle of heat and drought, but the woodland is doing better than most other parts of the garden. I’m beginning to feel the same way about ferns!
Your designation of a fern’s fiddlehead as a crozier got me wondering whether fern fiddleheads might have been the inspiration for the croziers that are part of Catholicism. Here’s what Wikipedia’s “Crozier” article says:
“The origin of the crozier as a staff of authority is uncertain, but there were many secular and religious precedents in the ancient world. One example is the lituus, the traditional staff of the ancient Roman augurs, as well as the Staff of Moses in the Hebrew Bible. Many other types of the staff of office were found in later periods, some continuing to the modern day in ceremonial contexts.
“In the Western Church, the usual form has been a shepherd’s crook. This relates to the many metaphorical references to bishops as the shepherds of their ‘flock’ of Christians, following the metaphor of Christ as the Good Shepherd.”
So ferns don’t seem to have been the inspiration.
That was quite a rabbit hole, Steve! However, there does seem to be a relationship between the two, but the other way round. Most of the sources that I looked at stated that the fern fiddleheads were named after the bishop’s crozier, though I couldn’t find a definitive source to confirm that. I liked that etymological rabbit hole.
It is doing very well for such a young garden.
I agree 🙂
A lovely walk in your beautiful woodland garden.The copper bird baths are a wonderful idea. I particularly love your gorgeous ferns.
Thank you Chloris, the birdbath really changed the look of that part of the garden and the wild creatures use it daily.
Thank you for the lovely stroll around your tranquil woodland garden. You have done wonders in just one year. I have a lot of ferns in my small garden, but nothing as beautiful as that maidenhair fern. My native hart’s tongue is rather lovely and easily spreads around. Too easy!
Thank you Jude. I love the maidenhair fern – it was hard to find, even though it is a local native fern; I believe it is difficult to propagate. I love the look of the hart’s tongue fern; we have a similar native one here but it is very difficult to site and only grows in a few areas in the eastern US. Thank you for stopping by!
Wonderful video, Lynn. Your woodland garden is progressing quickly! Who doesn’t love a shady walk on a hot day? 🙂
Thank you, Eliza – it was a real lifesaver during the heat dome weeks!
“I challenged myself last year to create a shade garden of native plants that still held interest to the eye.”
Mission accomplished. Very, very well done.
Thanks so much Kerry – it was a fun challenge, more to do though. 🙂
It is beautiful. I feel that I know just what the woodsy air smells like.
Thank you, yes the smell of the woods is unique and I think what keeps Pixie and me walking through multiple times a day. 🙂