GREEN GROTTO

Indoor ferns always add a slightly exotic feel to conservatory displays. I love their graceful elegance, and frequently use them for displays in the house and – before frosts bite – sheltered parts of the garden. This arrangement features a collection of ferns presented in a vintage wooden dough bowl I found at a plant fair. The display is made for instant effect and should last for about a week or two, before returning the ferns to the humid atmosphere of the greenhouse.

How to achieve the look

Ferns make elegant displays as many species feature handsome, long-lasting foliage with a huge range of green shades, shapes, textures and habits. Here I contrast the different elements to highlight the attributes of each plant. Plants should be placed close together, but not so close as to appear squashed. The bird’s nest fern, Asplenium nidus, makes a strong funnel with polished, stiff blades, and contrasts well with the softer, feathery foliage of Nephrolepis exaltata, spilling over the lip of the bowl. Next to this is the delicate maidenhair fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris, with leaflets arranged on fine, black, threadlike stems that shimmer at the mere mention of a breeze. Nestled at the back is the male fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, with elegant fronds peering through the leggy petioles of the striking Phlebodium psudoaureum. This fern boasts elegant blue-green fronds with a fluidity and presence that make it highly desirable. Also quite special is the epiphytic Niphidium crassifolium, known as the graceful fern. The ascending, undulating leaves are rigid and ribbed with a herringbone pattern. The shape is quite different from that of Asplenium nidus ‘Crispy Wave’ directly below it, which has a tight vortex of crinkly leaves. Neighbouring these two ferns is the elegant rabbit’s foot fern, Davallia solida var. fejeensis, with pretty, airy fronds that make a change in texture, shape and size.