Ferns add that special magic to many situations. They can give a garden a lush cool feeling with their majestic arching fronds. They can soften the hard lines of buildings and tone down the harsh colours of modern architecture.

Ferns can be planted in large groups to give a woodland effect to a landscaped area, this more natural easy flowing design with more emphasis put on foliage texture as the colour.

In the understorey, plantings of ferns as a groundcover is where they often come into their own. Ferns soon create a dense cover giving a pleasing lushness to any setting. With many established gardens the areas under trees often present a difficult planting problem. With the addition of organic matter and a bit of lower branch pruning a whole new micro-climate can be opened up. Ferns can revel in these protected cool microclimates.

Ferns are foliage plants with a myriad of textures and forms to choose from. Their lush greens are often high-lighted by combining them with other suitable plants, such as Arthropodium spp, Libertia spp , Dianella nigra, Chatham Island forget me nots and many others.

A fern in a container can provide an interesting focal point such as giving that shady back door an interesting feature. Many ferns will do well in containers.

So What do Ferns Like?

• A good supply of moisture
• Generally a shady site. The main thing is to cut out mid day sun. Ferns can handle a lot more sun than is generally believed. Many species like early morning and late afternoon and late afternoon sun, providing moisture is available.
• Shelter from wind.
• Soil that is both rich in humus and well drained (this is to aid the flow of air to the roots). The addition of any of the following would benefit the soil structure:
  • Rotted Sawdust
  • Rotted Straw
  • Compost
  • Peat
• An annual dressing of blood and bone is about all the fertilizer necessary. Keep soil covered with a mulch, this will keep the roots cool and the moisture in.