Quality Garden Tools Blog

Fern Britain

Posted on 16/06/10 | Posted by The Fat Gardener

I am a self-confessed pteridophile and I don't care who knows it. Before you rush to your telephones to report my use of this blog to discuss my unhealthy interests, it is worth knowing that a pteridophile is in fact an enthusiastic collector of ferns and related plants.

My love of ferns was surprisingly not kindled by seeing the real plants at all, but rather by a wonderful book. I am not sure if 'A Natural History Of New And Rare Ferns' by E.J. Lowe is still in print, but the 19th century version I saw at my grandfather's house was beautifully illustrated with about fifty coloured plates in every vivid shade of green. The image of the harts tongue fern (Asplenium Scolopendrium) frond was still a bright emerald over 100 years after it was printed and every pinnule of the royal fern (Osmunda Regalis) was still as sharply defined as the day the book was published. Unfortunately, this great book has disappeared (probably stolen by one of my no-good relations!) and the only copy I can find online is priced at over £500 for the original version - slightly pricey for a poor gardener/garden blogger.

Ferns have not had it easy over the years, with the fernmania of Victorian Britain leading to widespread depletion of our indigenous fern populations and near extinction of the rarer varieties. Recently, the rise in popularity of tree ferns (Dicksonia Antarctica) in the UK has lead to some environmental groups questioning the sustainability of cutting down tree ferns which may have been growing in Tasmanian forests for over 100 years.

For those of you who like the idea of adding some ferns to your garden, but are not yet ready to develop a fernery, I can thoroughly recommend the following plants which are not only widely available, but will grow very happily without much attention whilst giving your garden structure, form and (if I say so myself) a rather exotic charm!

Shuttlecock fern (Matteuccia Struthiopteris) - A great shade and rich, moist soil lover that is fully hardy and will divide easily in Spring. Large fronds uncurl to form an upturned cone of about 1m high.
Fortune fern (Cyrtomium Fortunei) - Lovely 'leafed' evergreen fern that will tolerate most soil qualities as long as the area is shaded and moist. Will grow to between 30cm and 50cm (closer to 30cm in my experience).
Wallichiana fern (Dryopteris Wallichiana) - Another shuttlecock shaped, hardy fern that does best in semi-shaded, moist, rich soil. Nicknamed 'the gorilla fern' by my daughter for the numerous thick black hairs on the stems.
Royal fern (Osmunda Regalis) - A richly deserved title for this beautifully elegant giant. Growing up to 1.8m tall this fern will only thrive in moist conditions, so next to a pond is perfect and it will add architectural quality to your whole garden.
Harts Tongue fern (Asplenium Scolopendrium) - Very underrated, but can give year round, exotic interest in any garden. The shiny, bright green fronds rise from the ground like serpents to a height of about 40cm and will tolerate drier conditions.
Japanese Painted fern (Athyrium Nipponicum) - Provides eastern promise in every frond! These lovely ferns (there are a number of varieties) give off a shimmering metallic quality which is particularly pleasing around Japanese Acers.

I hope this has wetted your appetite for all things 'fern', however I would be shirking my duty if I didn't mention that you will need some garden tools to get you started! You will need a good trowel like the Spear & Jackson Neverbend Stainless Steel Hand Trowel for planting up and the Fiskars (formerly Wilkinson Sword) Stainless Steel Swoe is the perfect garden tool for weeding around your ferns without damaging the fronds.

A wide variety of British and foreign ferns are available from: www.fibrex.co.uk and garden centres around the country.

Any comments? Please email us at info@qualitygardentools.com

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