Two strong forces conspire to keep us from appreciating the beauty of ferns. The first force is the over-reaching need to have the garden filled with flowers. The second force is that our native sword ferns look very tatty out in the woodlands.
Gardeners in other areas of the country covet our sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) for their gardens. And if you have brought one into your garden or nourished one that already existed in your garden, you will know that they are a beautiful addition to the garden scene when their old fronds are cut back each year.
The unfurling of their fronds in the spring is a beautiful and verdant accent and they soon cover their surrounding area with their new fronds, so they are very useful in hiding the decaying foliage of spring bulbs.
Once established, they are completely drought tolerant and can take late afternoon sun. They also are excellent for erosion control. Look where they grow on steep, untended hillsides. I use them in great drifts to give structure to the outer edges of my garden beds and on steep slopes. Then I mix in another favorite fern in the front. It is commonly called the Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora).
The fronds stay erect in the winter months and are a great chartreuse shade, which brings a hint of light to the dark winter garden. In the spring, just as the new fronds are evident, I cut back the old fronds and watch the most amazing unfurling of coppery/pink delicate fronds.
These, as they mature, turn into gracefully elegant and spare green fronds during the summer. I have underplanted the area with Galax aphylla which has dainty 18-imch vertical white flower stalks blooming in May. The area becomes a complex tapestry of color, texture, and verticality.
I have many more favorites, and many tropical ferns I covet, but don't have the patience or skill to over-winter them. I dream about having a forest of tree ferns! Alas, I garden outside their native habitats.
Recently, I had the pleasure of discovering a fascinating new book about ferns: "A Natural History of Ferns," by Robbin C. Moran (Timber Press; ISBN 0-88192-667-1; 302 pp, 26 color photos, 145 b/w figures; $29.95). This book is a series of 33 natural history essays that take you around the world with the author's fascinating stories and travel. Now I can put my beloved garden ferns into a much wider context and also see them again with new eyes.
Robbin C. Moran is the curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden. He is a prolific author of scientific papers, the guiding light for Fiddlehead Forum, the bulletin of the American Fern Society. He served as the main author and editor for the fern volume of "Flora Mesoamericana," a book that treats nearly 1,400 species of ferns.
To quote Oliver Sacks from the foreword: "'A Natural History of Ferns' not only represents science writing at its best, but it is a delightful adventure into the world of one of our foremost botanists; it is stimulating, enthralling, a beautiful companion for any fern."
Timber Press has once again produced a beautiful book, with stunning color photographs, and many informative drawings. It's not a field guide to ferns, but rather a series of fascinating scientific tales, written in a style that educates the lay person as well as the scientific community.
For instance, chapter 18 ("Iridescent Ferns and Their Shady Behavior") delves into wavelengths of light (colors) and tells the history of scientific research into the phenomenom of these iridescent ferns. The typical scientific line drawings greatly enhance one's comprehension; in fact it evoked in me memories of my childhood fascination with scientific investigation.
Chapter 21, "Bracken, the Poisoner," details the history of these ferns as they spread voraciously around the world. As gardeners, we have all had our "moments" with bracken ferns!
Locally, the Hardy Fern Foundation will be having their annual sale at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st St., Seattle on June 3 (1 - 7:30 p.m.) and June 4 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.).
Friday night at 7:30, Richie Steffen, coordinator of horticulture at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, will present a lecture entitled, "The Roving Botanist's Guide to Chile."
On Saturday at the sale there will be a propagation workshop at 11 am. Aside from the most comprehension selection of ferns available these days, the plant sale always includes an extensive collection of hostas and other companion plants.
Their Web site, www.hardy ferns.org, will give you plenty of links and other useful information about this too-often overlooked plant group.[[In-content Ad]]
