I left today's selection of photos up to Fernymoss and he chose these enthusiastic and burgeoning Maidenhair Ferns.As regular visitors already know, we're quite the fans of ferns in our Woodland Garden area and we've gradually increased our Maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) population over the years, and they've been steady colonizers around these areas, sharing space with the Leatherwoods and Ostrich Plume and other varieties of ferns we have planted.
I asked Fernymoss what he'd want to say about these ferns and he recalled his memories of traveling and camping in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota, where he was indelibly struck by the image of going by ditches positively filled with Maidenhairs and wild Lupines.
From his perspective, the image conjured up these ferns, seejmingly floating a foot above the ground ... which I thought was a really good description because they do appear to float above anything planted below them (in this case the ivy and ground ivy --a weedy mint that we let bloom before we go after it).
For such a delicate looking fern, Maidenhairs are incredibly hardy, from sub-arctic North America to the far South across a pretty wide swath of the US. As far as cultivation, they've been really easy for us, but that's due in large part, I think, to sheer positioning. Most ferns want fairly bright shade at some point of the day, but will not tolerate blazing direct sun, without quickly giving up the ghost. They also demand a fairly organically defined (peaty, loamy) and consistently moist soil, such as woodland situations provide. Fulfill those very basic needs and anyone should be able to succeed quickly with Maidenhairs.
In successive years, they'll spread gradually out from the parent plant(s) by offshoots, as well as some of the spores that tend to move around the garden. At this point, we have so many that it's impossible to determine which ones were the original plants. We just delight in their (and our) success in making themselves at home in our shady areas ...
Photos by Fernymoss, taken 22 May, 2008.
6 comments:
Very nice photos. We've got a bed of ferns in a shady spot. Much as she might try, madame boran cant' seem to kill them. Last year I was horrified when should cut them all to the ground. They'v come back nicely this year. I'll keep her way from them from here onward.
Hey B2... are your ferns Ostrich Plumes? (they get about 4 ft tall or so) They're really tough and a bit aggressive, but when they get out of bounds, we just dig them and move them to someplace else we want ferns.
Hold your ground, my friend... maybe you can consider convincing Mme. Boran that they're great to have around because you can cut a few and use them in floral arrangements (quite attractive that way)? That might be one way for her to make peace with the ferns, lol. :-)
I like ferns, too!! They and woodlands go together, don't they? ;-) However, I planted a Royal Fern a couple of years ago that didn't return. And I have one mystery fern. It was already here when we moved in 5 years ago. I'm going to post about it and perhaps you could help me identify it??
Hi IVG. Our ferns are smaller perhaps a foot or a foot and 1/2. I'll have to post a photo.
Hi Shady, I definitely agree about the woodlands effect, which is, after all, what a lot of us are trying to achieve, no? I'm sure I'll see it when you post,and I'll do my best, but I'm hardly an expert (more an enthusiast who learns as he goes along).
B2, definitely post a pic! You have really piqued my curiosity about them. But hey, I was able to figure out that incredulous one about the mysterious houseplant squill though! :-) That was fun...
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