"Jean B." wrote in message
...
One of my favorite topics to ponder is wooodland gardening. My property
abuts an area of woods, and I am letting part of my property go back to
nature (pretty much). I am going down there to weed out the obvious
noxious weeds (which I am defining as things that have shown a
propensity for taking over the universe if left unchecked). I have also
been putting in some plants, semi-randomly. Therein lies some
questions. Would you put in nice woodland plants to speed up the
process? Would you put them in fairly randomly, on the grounds that
they would appear that way in nature? I seem to be gravitating toward
things that have white blooms, some variation in leaf color, some
attraction for wildlife.

Any suggestions for good plants, keeping the above in mind, and the fact
that the area gets partial sun at best (more this year because of the
d--ned caterpillers that I mentioned a while ago) and is a bit
damp--even collecting some water in the winter. The soil is acidic--and
it is very rocky. (Therein lies another question. I would REALLY like
to find sources for tiny seedlings, because it is VERY hard to plant
bigger plants back there.) I am in zone 5, but like plants to be rated
down to 4, because of the brutally cold winter we had the year before
last.

Thanks.... BTW, I do keep doing searches, looking at Paghat's
(wonderful) site, etc., and I am sort-of inching along.... I did find a
nice little vine at a nursery this week and had to come back here and
check it out before I bought it. Methinks it will be glorious.

You might want to look at the search feature at Bluestone Perennials
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b...earch_mod.html

They sell rather small plants. Also, many of the plants they recommend for
zone 4 shade/acid soil can be easily propagated from seed. Thompson and
Morgan sells a wide range of seed that you could start yourself. I think
one issue might be the fact that it is wet. Standing water in the winter
will do-in most plants.