Hi original poster!
Oak trees! How wonderful! Consider yourself lucky. One cannot buy old growth Oaks--they are literally priceless.
We have loads too and absolutely LOVE them for all of their health giving qualities--both to wildlife and domestic life and to soils; and the wonderful shade they bring to animals and plants from the increasing heat that appears to be occurring.
Do you have deciduous Oaks or Evergreen Oaks?
The Evergreen varieties, in my experience, have more allelopathy, while many deciduous varieties tend to have very little indeed.
I'm a lazy gardener for sure, so focus is on perennials and easy annuals, and animals. I focus on doing what nature does: combining plants and animals, (with humans as the predator) for the best outcome for each.
Edible Perennial Plants that love Oaks and partial to full shade, plus in your Virginia climate will not need to be watered much:
Oaks themselves: all acorns are edible with processing, but many species have more easily edible acorns that need minimal processing to eat/use. Check out Hank Shaw's blog on acorns and how to eat. So many other websites too discuss this.
Elderberry, Currants, Gooseberries, Josta berries (delish!!)
Hazelnuts (love almost complete shade!)
Ramps and other wild onions/leeks/garlics
Day Lilies, Asparagus will grow with some light
Nettles
Some Apple varieties do Ok in part shade, but will need to be planted *just outside* of the canopy of Oaks. Something really cool: If you look at some Paul Gautschi Youtube videos, you'll see how he plants potatoes under apple trees, and then uses chickens for extra plant and fruit disposal, and for their manures and eggs... a very admirable, innovative, and productive system.
Many Plum and Pear varieties love a bit of shade and don't care about Oaks though they need some sun... we have one old Damson plum type that grows under two Oaks and a Liquid Amber, but it does get sun for part of the day. One thing to note is that for fruiting species they will grow great in lots of shade, but fruiting will always be more when there is more sun. Still some fruit is often enough (unless you want a market garden in which case it's more difficult).
Chufa Sedges have good edible roots, are prolific (hard to stop!), and love wetter areas, so if there is a low damp spot, you're good!
Roses: some less hybridized varieties have great rosehips for fruit eating out of hand or preserving; and really nice fragrant rose petals for teas and cakes, perfumes, etc.. I find roses do better in shade than in the sun, as I'm a lazy gardener and don't want to be watering all the time for those in the sun that dry out.
Blackberries grow anywhere and fruit a lot better in sun, but they do fruit in shade too and they are the ultimate in easy care, though they can be very invasive.
The Mint Family (Lamiaceae) has many shade loving species, including common mints and spearmints, but also *Savory*, ie, Satureja spp ( there are varieties for every climate--we have Satureja montana and Satureja douglassii) a low growing, really beautiful, delicious and medicinal herb groundcover in Mint family, related to Rosemary and Thyme, loves the Oak environment and mostly shade.
Bee Balm (Monarda sp), related to Mint also can tolerate part shade - teas and fragrance and great flowers for pollinator attraction
A really great berry that loves Oaks is the wild Huckleberry - slow to grow (a ''long term'' plant), but easy care and delicious fruit in almost complete shade.
Strawberries--but they will severely reduce fruiting, the more shade-- still, their ground cover is nice..and quite fire-resistant, which is an increasing benefit these days.
White Mulberry trees are a valuable tree for fruit and leaves and a great livestock tree, for *leaves*, berries and shade-- they will grow in part shade for greens, but fruit best in the sunnier part of your part shade area...
Pawpaws of course are a no-brainer in your area.
Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis)
Comfrey
Ceanothus or Buckthorn species: these are hardy shrubs that like Oaks and are very beautiful, with species varieties in most climates. There are both sun-loving and more shade tolerant species, so you'll have to look up what works there in your area. Their berries are so-so, but their leaves can be medicinal. Of note, they act like legumes (but are not related), in that they increase nitrogen/natural fertilizer in the soil. So they sort of provide a way for many other species of plants to grow successfully with Oak,s and also in depleted soils (which you likely don't have under Oaks, but may have elsewhere).
Salsify - roots, and a very pretty flower
Dandelion--common I know, but there is no better cool weather shade grown leaf for salads in my opinion!
Ferns--but ONLY the fiddle head in spring is edible
Pines--unlikely i know, but pine tips are edible and seeds in many of the cones can be hard won, but delicious; not to mention how fragrant pines are...
Edible annual and reseeding plants that like Oaks and shade:
Miner's Lettuce and other Claytonia species (I believe there is a native Virginia variety) LOVE growing under Oaks and both leaves and roots of most varieties are delicious!
Parsely, Dill and Cilantro do well in part shade and full shade (in hot climates)
All the lettuce family does well in part shade to mostly shade (for hot climates) - Butter lettuce, Romaine, Escarole, Chickory etc
Hollyhocks
Nasturtiums--now that's an awesome vining flower and will climb up all fruit and Oaks--with many pest confusing benefits! Plus entirely edible top to bottom..
Carrots can grow well in part shade, but not in full shade.
Non-edible or minimally edible, but you might like their beauty and fragrance, and pollinators will, for a more pleasurable woodland path and experience:
Lillies - especially the large Tiger and Panther types
Hostas
Lilly of the Valley
Irises
Flowering Quince is so beautiful (you'll need half day sun if you want the fruiting Quince - even more beautiful!)
Hydrangeas, a nice shrub
Bleeding Hearts
Ferns of many varieties
Primroses
Heuchera spp are known to particularly love growing under Oaks, no allelopathy is effective, no matter the kind of Oak... Ours do incredibly well under the most allelopathic Oak species we have.
Euphorbias
Aquilegia spp and Foxgloves (Digitalis sp) are very pretty but are very poisonous. Maybe plant around something you don't want eaten by deer!!
Abutilons - loved by hummers (hummingbirds) especially!
There are so many more possibilities--just google and research plants for your area!
Lastly, animals - ruminants (cows sheep and goats), poultry -chickens and quail especially and ducks if you have some water around -- are all extremely successful in woodland areas. They love tree leaves, and forbs, and grasses of course, but also acorns (one of the tastiest and valuable for Fall forage for ruminant and porcine mammals) and will keep all of your (non-poisonous) shrubs and trees pruned and controlled and your dropped fruit eaten. Pigs have some traditional woodland breeds that can be very successful in Oak plantations especially. Animals, if you are not vegan, are calorie for calorie, a fantastically efficient use of your kind of environment, especially when combined with your woodland plantings.
The shady trees and especially the highly adapted Oaks, are probably the MOST VALUABLE aspect of our farm and property (whether or not we chose to farm), and this whole system noted below, so take heart!!
{Skip the following animal section if you are not at all interested in animals}
The key is with ANY livestock animal including pigs, is you MUST think of the health and welfare of the soils/land and plants they are existing in, FIRST. So it's necessary to move one's animals regularly -every few days or every day, depending on situation and land and type of livestock so you don't destroy your plantings, tree roots, pasture areas, and soils. You'll need to observe what mammalian wildlife does in your area and learn the way they move and eat, and set up your animal structure, and edible trees and shrubs, to mimic that as much as possible. Most of the above species (not the poisonous ones obviously) I mentioned are super beneficial for animals too! You will need some portable electric fencing for this. And also, for best outcome due to wild predators and wild mammals like deer, permanent perimeter fencing is strongly, highly, recommended.
The welfare of the animals themselves too, and understanding both what makes them content and happy and what helps them to thrive both food-wise, health-wise, and psychologically is important to know BEFORE one purchases animals. Basic awareness of animal diseases in the chosen animal type are good to be aware of too, so that good healthy stock are chosen for purchase. It's also critical to choose breeds that are climate appropriate for your area as much as possible. (for example, don't choose Icelandic sheep for a hot humid environment filled with parasites (Virginia and all SE states), choose St Croix, or the Gulf Coast sheep instead for beast easiest, parasite resistant, results. Depending on how much browse you want pruned, you may go for goats instead--and they WILL prune haha!! Much like Deer).
The consequences are far greater for a terribly managed herd of goats, sheep or pigs, than for a terribly managed garden.
Combining animals and plants in one's plan is very much the most successful and efficient use of Permaculture principles. The forest plantings can be chosen not only for human edibility, but also for animal edibility--this is such an efficient, healthy (for the animals and the plants) and satisfying way to have a woodland farm. (See also the Paul Gautschi farm mentioned above).
One does not have to eat the animals used, BUT, then ONLY animals of one sex should be used, or they should be spayed or neutered so no breeding occurs. Keeping intact animals of both sexes if you are not going to eat them or harvest them for others, is very problematic; one CANNOT count on other folks buying the babies. Eventually, or very soon, you will have too many animals for what your land can support. And your land and plants suffer, if not die out.
Another way to go if you don't want to eat your animals, or you just want to hunt/not care for your animals, is to combine the benefits of wild 'livestock' or your neighbors livestock, with your woodland plantings.
So you could plan to allow the deer or neighboring goats or sheep to come in your woodland areas at certain times--when you have too many apples on the ground, or your shrubs are growing out of control, or the grasses are too high (fence off the shrubs and valuable trees then) or you want to prune for growth stimulation, or prune for fire risk amelioration, etc etc....
For the learning of both the raising of animals and plants, these are very deep rabbit holes. And expenses. Expenses, knowledge and time are necessary for the growing and management of BOTH animals and plants, but it does depend how one's animals are kept and how one's gardens are set up. It can be VERY mutually beneficial if planned and implemented well.
We absolutely LOVE our woodland savanna / silvo-pasture and have planned the shade vs sun plantings, annuals and perennials, and the livestock management successfully, in that everything thrives and is timed for it's ultimate success and our ease of care.
Anyone can do it!
