Home › The Shady Garden › The Shady Garden: Ferns

The Shady Garden: Ferns

Varieties come in shades of deep blue, red and pink. Hardy Ferns. Hardy Ferns, in common with Tuberous Begonias, luxuriate in the protection usually afforded in shady situations. They have certain decided tastes that must be catered to in order to produce that luxuriance of growth that is their chief beauty. For what is more unattractive looking than a skimpy border of thinly grown ferns? To prepare the soil, excavate the bed to a depth of 18 inches. If the natural drainage is poor it will be necessary to put a layer of coarse coal ashes or clinkers in the bottom of the bed. Fill in with top soil and pure leaf mold mixed in the proportion of two-thirds leaf mold and one-third top soil. Ferns enjoy a loose, open soil through which their roots can ramify with ease and also one that is rich in organic matter such as leaf mold. The natural habitat of ferns is in woodland places where leaf mold accumulates year after year by the annual fall of leaves from the surrounding trees. Clay soils are not satisfactory, and when they have to be used, their stiff impervious character may be ameliorated with generous additions of coarse builder's sand. Of equal importance with proper soil conditions [93] is moisture; the soil should always be kept moist, and never be allowed to dry out, but good drainage is imperative for most varieties in order to prevent the bed from becoming waterlogged. A mulch during the summer of lawn clippings or chopped sphagnum moss helps to retain the soil moisture and prevents the fronds from becoming splashed with mud during rains. Planting may be done in the fall or early spring before growth begins. Ferns must not be set too deep, the heart of the plant should be on a line with the surrounding ground. If fall planting is done it is well to mulch the ground around and between the plants with leaves, after the ground is hard frozen.