FANTASTIC FERNS
As old as the dinosaurs, ferns bring a lot to your garden
FERNS have an understated beauty. Unlike most plants they do not produce flowers, but their range of architectural, sculptural and delicate leaves, known as fronds, more than makes up for their lack of flower power.
These fascinating plants have been around for more than 300 million years – their lush foliage clothed the planet when dinosaurs roamed, and during the Carboniferous period their decomposing leaves became compressed and formed coal.
Ferns also reproduce in a different way to other plants. Rather than making seeds, they have spores on the undersides of their fronds that produce separate plants called prothalli, and it’s from these that new ferns emerge.
It was the Victorians who first came to appreciate ferns and recognise their benefits to the gardener. A fascination with the natural world and advances in technology, such as the production of glass, meant that 19th century plant lovers could keep ferns indoors, in Wardian cases – a type of terrarium. The advent of the railways also allowed admirers to travel far and wide in search of native ferns growing in the countryside – a hobby that led to the rise of so-called ‘fern mania’.
Those who were wealthy enough indulged their passion on a huge scale. At Benmore in Argyll, a magnificent fernery was built into a rocky hillside and enclosed with a glass roof. Now part of a botanic garden, it was restored and opened to the public in 2009. Home to tree ferns, it’s also a sanctuary for some of the rarest species, which cling to the rocky walls and creep along the ground.
Ferns have a reputation for being tricky to grow. But choose the right ferns for your conditions and you’ll find them low-maintenance plants that are rarely troubled by pests and diseases.
Some are deciduous, others are
evergreen; there are ferns that prefer moist soil and some that can cope with the ultimate in tricky garden spots – dry shade. Some make slow-growing clumps, while others are more vigorous, their spreading rhizomes helping to create a jungly feel. Most come in a rich palette of greens, but there are some with hints of other colours, such as the silvery, purple fronds of the Japanese painted fern, or the bronze foliage of the autumn fern.
There really is a fern for everyone. Find your favourites and you may well experience a fern mania of your own.