How I love them!

Garden Forum » Ferns in the Garden Forum » How I love them! « Previous    Next »

Author Message   Gardenbug  Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 09:06 pm EST :    I love to use ferns in my gardens. Their texture is varied and delicate. Their colours are varied too. I don't know a great deal about them and their names are so hard for me to retain. Here are some of the more common ones I'll share with you. First is the Ostrich Fern which spreads about a great deal. I use it in my wilder areas but have planted Martagon lilies in with them. Lately the Japanese Painted Fern has become quite popular and you see it for sale in many nurseries. Although they emerge quite late in the season for me, I just love them blended with other foliage, like dark heucheras, blue hostas, corydalis and variegated iris. Even paler than the Japanese Painted fern is Athyrium 'Ghost' which became better known a couple of years ago. This is a super fern which develops into a wonderful shape. I'm very fond of this one too. For a wet spot, I grow Sensitive Fern which is a big spreader also. It grew in the wetland behind our house until the gravel pit moved in, so I rescued some for our area near the creek. I will save a few others for another time. Show me the ones you grow. Has anyone here grown them from seed? I've read an article about it but never tried. Gardenbug Ontario zone 4b/5b   Zack  My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 09:59 pm EST :    oooh! how exotic Marie! Here is a common one, but it's so very New Orleans. A Boston Fern in a hanging basket. Zack NOLA Zone 9a   Gardenbug  Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 10:32 pm EST :    What a healthy specimen Zack! It must love your climate. Mine used to get brown fronds over the winter when I tried to grow them. Probably it was the cold drafts (not beer)and dryness indoors. Gardenbug Ontario zone 4b/5b   Patsy  My Weather Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 10:55 pm EST :    I am fond of ferns also and my pond is overrun with them. Here is my Japanese painted fern, planted between the rocks at the edge of the pond,on June 3 - it's bigger now of course. I had also posted a question in the shade or shrub forum (can't remember which) asking for suggestions for something to put in the corner of my hosta garden - nothing seemed to thrive there and it needed an anchor of sorts. DH finally thought of moving one of the above-mentioned ferns that are overtaking our pond to this spot. Perfect idea and I know it will do just fine there. Pat Ontario Zone 6   Patsy  My Weather Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 10:56 pm EST :    Forgot to mention, Marie, that I love that Ghost fern. I am going to look for that one. Pat Ontario Zone 6   Nibbs  My Favorite Photo My Garden Journal My Weather My Time Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 01:09 am EST :    I have two Japanese Painted ferns. One is in the garden that faces south, under the Horse Chestnut Tree, and the other is in the shade garden, when it gets no sun at all. Both of them are thriving. I have a few different ferns and will take photos, but I will take my camera to Bonitoad's. She has so many different and unusual ferns. Diane British Columbia Zone 7b   Gardenbug  Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 08:01 am EST :    Pat, the fern you moved will start to spread in its new location too, but I guess you know that! They can get very tall. Gardenbug Ontario zone 4b/5b   Frostycurls  My Garden Journal My Weather My Garden Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 09:43 am EST :    Marie, I love ferns too and find their botanical names impossible to remember. I bought the Ghost just recently so it hasn't really taken off yet but I love the look of yours. Penny Oregon Zone 7   Treelover  My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 07:23 am EST :    wow that Japanese Painted Fern is gorgeous! Treelover - County Durham, Zone "8/9"   Karalyn  My Weather Posted on Friday, November 05, 2004 - 06:59 pm EST :    Gardenbug, I love your ferns and I want to get a Ghost one now! Also, if those ferns can grow where you live than they should do just fine in my climate. Although you might have more moisture. Zack, I use to grow boston Ferns, but gave up on them since I live in Idaho now. I had one in San Jose, CA, my home town, and my fern ended up outside and it did even better outside. I guess due to the humidity, because it definitely didn't get much watering. Where I lived in San Jose we get morning fog in the summer since we're real close to teh Santa Cruz mountains and the ocean, as well as the San Francisco bay. 40 miles south of SF, so we have more warmth, but have the humidity. Patsy, what a pretty shade garden and I love your fern next to your pond. Karalyn Idaho Zone 6   Tgmccallie  My Weather My Time Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 09:06 pm EST :    What do you use to fertilize your ferns. Do they like an acid rich fertilizer? Tgmccallie - GA USA, Zone "7"   Gardenbug  Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 09:44 pm EST :    I never fertilize them, so sorry I can't help. The trees drop their leaves and needles there, so I guess that is their annual feed! Gardenbug - Ontario, Zone "4/5"   Charlenenj  My Weather My Garden Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 10:06 pm EST :    I have a lot of ferns and don't fertilize them except for maybe twice a year. I think I used an all purpose Miracle Gro, but I have heard fish emulsion is the best fertilizer and that any fertilizer for a fern should, to be safe, used at 1/2 strength. Charlenenj - New Jersey, Zone "6b"   Karalyn  My Weather Posted on Friday, July 07, 2006 - 07:08 pm EST :    Well, my ferns seem to do well with the pond water I send them when I'm changing the water. Karalyn Idaho Zone 6   Zephirine  Posted on Saturday, July 08, 2006 - 12:50 am EST :    All my ferns suffer from being kept in pots since last year...I hope they will be patient enough with me until I can plant them safely in the ground. My all-times favourite is Polystichum setiferum 'Herrenhausen', so lovely : the leaves just so dense, slightly and harmoniously twisted, shiny... and I don't even have a good pic of them! Here you can see where they were, as young plants, in my former garden : They become fairly large (2.5' wide, I'd say), and deserve a location where they are fully in sight. Another favourite (but I have so many! I mention it because it's fairly uncommon, I think) is a small, dry-tolerant fern, spreading but easily controlled : gymnocarpium dryopteris aleuticum. I discovered it in a belgian garden, where I found the contrast with asarum splendens very inspiring. I call it my "comma fern", because of the way the leaves are displayed : But there are so many others! Athyrium fix femina frizelliae the "staircase fern", athyrium othoforum okanum the "cream fern", cyrtomium falcatum, polystichum tsu sinense, a lovely and faithful evergreen...and so on!!! Zephirine France zone 8

Add Your Message Here Post: -Color- Black Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Orange Cyan Gray White -Font- Arial Courier Symbol Times Verdana -Size- Smallest -2 Small -1 Normal Large +1 Largest +2 Username: Posting Info: Only registered GardenBuddies can post. If you do not see your post the way you intended it to look in the preview screen then you made a mistake. Please correct it before posting. Remember the only way to link to an image is the following: \imagelink{Http://www.yoururl/yourflower.jpg} Password: Options: Enable HTML code in message Automatically activate URLs in message Action: or

Topics

Legal

Pass Through These Garden Gates ---------------Administration---------------- F.A.Q's Report Bugs and Fixes Suggestions and Comments Test Post Area --------------Pastime Favorites-------------- Crafts and Hobbies Garden Recipes Home Repairs and Questions Lifestyles of Gardenbuddies My Favourite Book Photography and Software Subtopic of the Month Who Am I? ----------------In The Garden---------------- Advice and Makeovers in the Garden Annuals and Perennials in the Garden Forum Aquilegias in the Garden Forum Archives in the Garden Assignments in the Garden Birds and Their Environment in the Garden Forum Bonsai in the Garden Bulbs in the Garden Campanula in the Garden Clematis in the Garden Container Gardening in the Garden Dahlias in the Garden Daylilies in the Garden Decorating in the Garden Delphiniums in the Garden Forum Edibles in the Garden Euphorbias in the Garden Ferns in the Garden Fuchsias in the Garden Geraniums in the Garden Grasses in the Garden Greenhouses in the Garden Hellebores in the Garden Herbs in the Garden Heucheras in the Garden Hibiscus in the Garden Forum Hostas in the Garden Indoor Plants in the Garden Irises in the Garden My Journal in the Garden Forum Nature in the Garden Orchids in the Garden Penstemons in the Garden Peonies in the Garden Forum Pest and Diseases in the Garden Plant and Seed Resource in the Garden Ponds and Waterfeatures in the Garden Roses in the Garden Salvias in the Garden Shade in the Garden Shrubs in the Garden Soil Amendments in the Garden Starters in the Garden Forum Succulents in the Garden Trading Plants and Seeds in the Garden Trees in the Garden Tropicals in the Garden Vines and Climbers in the Garden Wishes in the Garden -----------Gardenbuddies Galleries----------- Déjà Vu Gallery Garden Gallery House and Town Gallery Identify This Plant Gallery Meeting Gardenbuddies Gallery Noah's Ark Gallery Social Gallery Vacation Gallery