Tree ferns benefit from regular feeding. Use a small handful of granular feed around the base of the plant in the spring, and then water periodically with a liquid seaweed feed or our own specially formulated feed. Dicksonia antarctica may need a little winter protection depending on your own microclimate and prevailing weather conditions. Larger plants are also hardier than smaller ones.
At the end of October push a couple of handfuls of straw into the crown of the plant. This keeps the crown dry and also insulates the growing point from frost damage. If however a prolonged cold spell is forecast where the temperature remains below freezing for several days at a time, then wrap the trunk to insulate it. You can use horticultural fleece, bubble wrap, loft insulation or a blanket. As soon as the cold spell is over, remove the wrappings and give the trunk a good water, as the plants can get dry even in the winter.
Do not worry about protecting the fronds because if damaged they will soon regrow. Small plants are best covered totally in a fleece blanket or brought into a greenhouse, shed, or garage for the duration of severe weather.
Do not let the plant dry out during the winter, as this is a frequent cause of failure, rather than the cold. However do not water into the crown during the winter. In early to mid April depending on your locality, remove the straw and the new fronds will soon emerge. Email: [email protected]. Plant Centre Phone - Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm. Please see The Green Lemon Facebook page for the most up-to-date information on opening times or call them on the telephone number below.
Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 10, is a shade-loving fern with deep green, holly-like fronds measuring as long as 30 inches.
Tassel fern Polystichum polyblepharum is a striking, to inch fern that grows best in full or partial shade. Tassel fern grows in USDA zones 5 through 8. A native of the Pacific Northwest, deer fern grows to mature heights of 8 to 20 inches. Ferns such as evergreen wood fern Dryopteris marginalis can handle shade or limited sunlight such as light morning sunlight or light filtered through a tall tree. Evergreen wood fern, a sturdy plant that attains heights of 2 to 3 feet at maturity, grows in USDA zones 2 through 8.
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides , a inch fern that grows in USDA zones 3 through 9, thrives in shade but tolerates limited sunlight in wet soil. It depends on the growth habit of the fern as to how it will divide: Creeping rhizomes In spring, cut the rhizome into segments about cm long, ensuring that each segment has at least one growth bud and a small root ball Pot up individually into peat-substitute based compost at the same level at which it was growing.
Bulbils A few ferns, for example some cultivars of the soft shield fern, Polystichum setiferum, develop small bulbils along the midrib of the frond. Leaf bases This process is very effective for propagating sterile cultivars, notably those of Asplenium scolopendrium.
Dig up mature plants and remove the soil prior to gently peeling off the short, dead-looking leaf bases from the older rhizomes Wash and then remove any frond or root remnants Plant 1cm apart in sterilised compost ensuring that the attachment point the green end is pointing upwards Place in a new polythene bag, inflate and seal Keep in cool conditions with good indirect sunlight and in 3 to 4 months, young fronds should be visible emerging from the newly developed bulbils Prick out into sterilised pots of compost see below and harden off as for spore propagation Spores The majority of ferns produce their spores in small heaps or lines on the undersides of the mature fronds.
Fill a 7. Place a disc of newspaper on the compost. Pour boiling water gently onto the disc until the water coming from the bottom of the pot is very hot.
Cover the pot with a piece of glass or plastic, or aluminuim foil and leave until it is cold. Remove the glass and paper disc when ready to sow. Sowing the spores Sprinkle the spores very thinly over the soil surface Immediately cover the pot with a piece of clear polythene or cling film, secured in place with string or an elastic band Label the fern pot immediately with a permanent, waterproof marker pen If sowing different batches of spores, sow each pot in a different room in order to avoid cross-contamination of batches Place the pot in a cool, lightly shaded place for a month or two by which time a green film on the soil surface will be visible through the cover.
This will gradually form into distinct filmy green structures the prothalli After a further month or so the first tiny fronds will appear When fronds are visible, prick out the sporelings, in clumps, into pots of sterilised potting compost Maintain a humid atmosphere by enclosing the pot in a polythene bag in indirect light for a few days, as exposure to dry air can be fatal Midsummer sowings may well produce true fern fronds by winter, but autumn sowings may not until the following spring.
See also British Pteridological Society. You may also like. Shade gardening. Shade planting: annuals, bulbs and perennials. Shade planting: shrubs. Growing guides Tree ferns Tree ferns are slow-growing architectural plants Growing guides Hosta Hostas are one of the best foliage plants for Garden design Shade gardening Shade, due to trees or buildings, is an almost Dividing your plants is also an easy way to expand the greenery in your home, or you can share with friends.
While some fern varieties may not be quite as easy to grow as other impossible-to-kill houseplants you'll find at the garden center, they are all well worth including in your indoor garden if you're willing to give them a little TLC. Viveka Neveln Headshot. By Viveka Neveln Updated November 10, Save Pin FB More. Lemon Button Fern. Credit: Brie Passano. Staghorn Fern on Wall. Comments Add Comment.
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