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A favourite with cut-flower arrangers, ferns are largely grown for the form and beauty of their fronds (leaves). Known by the common names of maidenhair, parsley fern, hart’s tongue, lady fern, stag’s horn or Boston fern, there is much variation in the size and shapes of the fronds. They all look beautiful lending a feeling of freshness to the environment. One of the most picturesque and serene spots, I always recall, is a slope under the deodar trees full of ferns on way to Manikaran hot springs in Himachal Pradesh. In gardens ferns may be planted to mask tree stumps, to grace shaded slopes, under trees, in pots or hanging baskets, on top of shaded walls, in odd corners or rockeries. Broadly ferns are tolerant of shade, cool and moist conditions and, therefore, grow where few flowering plants thrive. It is best to establish them with a north aspect, where the light is good but not strong. Some of them may grow in full light provided adequate moisture is supplied to the roots. Once established, ferns need little attention, though a good overhead soaking in dry weather does them good. Careful preparation of the soil before planting ferns, with their natural habitat in mind, is essential. Since they grow in a spongy carpet of rotted leaf humus that has accumulated over the years, the soil should be deeply dug and garden compost, peat moss, well-rotted leaves should be added to the top layer. This will retain moisture as well as supply natural plant food. Several ferns make good pot plants for indoors but too dry an atmosphere and neglect of watering must be avoided. As they don’t stand draughts, the best place indoors would be a bathroom, which provides the required humidity and cool conditions. To keep the potted ferns happy in dry season, it is a good idea to place pots inside larger containers packed with moist moss in between the two containers and keeping it moist. Watering with rainwater usually gives excellent results. For bottle gardens or dish gardens under a bell glass, the maidenhair fern (adiantum capilus) is one of the most beautiful of all foliage. And for hanging baskets, in shaded porches and verandas, asparagus plumosus is one of the preferred plants, which you may have seen growing in your neighbour’s window— box or hanging basket for endless years with so little or no attention. One of the real toughies in the fern field is asparagus sprengeri, which will tolerate much cooler conditions than most. Mature plants of the stag’s horn fern (platy-cerium ‘alcicorne’) can be truly majestic and are seen to best effect when suspended from the ceiling, growing on either a conventional hanging basket or as a ‘mobile’ when attached to a piece of old tree branch with bark being wrapped up with wet sphagnum moss securely attached to its anchorage. Anchor leaves gradually envelope the supporting piece. One has to grow it in a warm, moist and shaded place in free draining compost. Most ferns like plenty of decayed leaves mixed with soil in addition to sand underneath. Clean drainage is essential to all, for even though ferns like moisture, stagnation is fatal. Broken charcoal and lime rubble over the broken crocks in a pot will keep them healthy. An occasional dressing of and well–rotted leaf mould will benefit the plants. Never apply artificial fertilisers in any form. These quickly react on the plants making them grow luxuriantly for a short time but they ultimately turn brown and die. This article was published on November 6, 2005 |
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