For April. 1921 



531 



Uses of Native Ferns in Cultivation 



HERBERT DURAND 



NAT1\'E FERXS are swiftly coming into favor and 

 fvery planting- season finds more and more of them 

 brought under cultivation. The professional gar- 

 dener, as well as the amateur, is begnming to realize 

 their usefulness. Their characteristics are so varied and 

 the conditions under which they will grow are so broad, 

 that varieties may be chosen to serve almost any purpose. 



Ferns as a rule are easily grown, although there are 

 some varieties which require special care. Ordinary gar- 

 den soil will do very well for some of the ranker grow- 

 ing kinds. The varieties of smaller growth, which com- 

 prise those classed as rock ferns, require very rich soil. 

 In the wild, the soil in which they flourish is almost pure 

 leaf mold. There are a few which are found growing on 

 limestone ledges. These in cultivation require in most 

 instances the addition of a small amount of lime to the 

 soil. 



Most ferns grow natiu-ally on sloping ground, and this, 

 of course, insures excellent drainage. If we are to imi- 

 tate Nature, we must supply similar locations. Some 

 kinds, which are found in lowland situations, such as 

 Aspidimn thelyptcris, Onoclea sensibilis and all the Os- 

 mundas, do not absolutely require well drained locations, 

 but will grow in soil that is so drained. 



It does not necessarily follow that ferns must be jilanted 

 in a location exactly like that where they are found grow- 

 ing wild, or that they will not thrive in places where the 

 conditions are different. This has been definitely de- 

 termined by exhaustive experiments. 



The best season of the year for planting ferns seems to 

 be any time except during the Winter months and pos- 

 sibly during July and .August. It has been found that 

 ferns can be transplanted even in mid-Summer, by cutting 

 off the fronds. New fronds soon appear. They will not, 

 however, be as strong as the original would have been. 

 This treatment does not seem to be injurious to the roots, 

 as they throw off as vigorous a growth as ever the fol- 

 lowing Spring. If ferns are planted in early .\utumn, 

 the roots have opportunity to become well established be- 

 fore freezing weather and they are ready to start new 

 growth as soon as the frost leaves the grcnind in the 

 Spring. 



One of the most difficult problems which confront 

 nearly every amatetir is to find attractive plants that will 

 thrive and cover the ground in dry, shady locations, as 

 under trees. There are very few flowering plants which, 

 can be introduced under such conditions with satisfac- 

 torv results. There are some varieties of ferns, however, 

 which can be planted in such places and will prove en- 

 tirely satisfactory. Perhaps the four best varieties for 

 this purpose are Polysticliium acrosticoidcs (Christmas 

 Fern), Aspidiuin mai'ginale (Evergreen Wood Fern), 

 Dkksoiiia pioictilobiila (TTay-scented Fern) and Osiuioida 

 Claytoniana. Osmunda Claytoniana grows to a height of 

 from two to three feet and should be planted in the luick- 

 ground. Dicksonia punctilobitla and Aspidiuin niari^iiudr 

 .grow about 18 inches high and Polvstichiiini acrosticoidcs 

 from 12 to 15 inches. These four varieties make a fine 

 group. .Ispidiidii inari^inalc and Polystichiiini acrosti- 

 coidcs are evergreen and retain their fronds during the 

 entire year. 



WHien ferns are planted in a dry location, s')eci;i] ere 

 should be taken in preparing the soil. It should i-c ma'e 

 fine by spading and a liberal amount of natural humus 

 should he added. Th-s not onlv supplies fertilitv. but it 

 makes the grotmd more porous and 1iiild> the moisture 



better. Frequent watering is essential until the ferns 

 have sent out new root growth. 



It is well, e.sj)ecially when ferns are planted during the 

 Fall months, to give them a mulch of leaves. This helps 

 to retain the moisture in the soil and also affords protec- 

 tion against upheaval by frost. Care, however, should 

 be used not to have the mulch too heavy on newly planted 

 stock, as by so doing, the plants are apt to be smothered. 

 Many amateurs are unsuccessful in growing native ferns, 

 because they plant them too deeply. Such ferns as the 

 Christmas Fern. Evergreen Wood Fern, etc., which grow 

 from a crown, should be set so the crown will not be 

 below the surface of the ground, or it is liable to rot 

 during wet weather. 



While ferns have no flowers and do not give any color 

 effect except the varying shades of green of the fronds, 

 they are indispensable in every natural or wild garden. 

 Beautiful masses can be produced by the use of the dift'er- 

 ent tvpes and, by proper selections, certain desirable tex- 

 tures and eft'ects may be introduced into the planting. 



In nearly every locality, some kinds of ferns are quite 

 common and as they are usually easy to transplant, there 

 is no reason whv every fern lover should not grow and 

 enjoy them. 



WORK FOR THE MONTH IN THE GARDEN 



(Continued from page 549) 

 the bees were bringing home loads of pollen taken from 

 crocus, willows and maples, when biting Boreas fell upon 

 us chasing the mercury to far below freezing point, and 

 taking the joy of life from the more precocious 

 flowers and shrubs in the garden in a most ruthless 

 manner. 



This should remind us that it is still good advice not 

 to begin our early gardening operations too ha.stily. and 

 that we take great chances in planting out of the green- 

 house and frames before the ri,ght season is here. The 

 verv early warm davs often deceive. 



WATER CONSERVATION IN PLANTS 



{Continued on page 550) 

 always moist and warm often have so little corkv bark 

 that the green of the middle bark shows through and 

 flowers are frequently produced from the trunk as well 

 as from the twigs. The chocolate tree bears most of its 

 fruits on the trunk and larger branches from flowers 

 produced in this way. Among the trees of our own 

 region with this habit is the red-bud or Judas tree, which 

 always produces its pink flowers on the old wood. 



SPIR^AS, THEIR PROPAGATION AND 

 CULTIVATION 



(Continued front page 545) 



A moist soil where the gro'md is always wet is not 

 adapted for the cultivation of Spirtra. .\ fertile, not too 

 damp soil having good drainage is best svn'ted for these 

 l)lants. 



Propagation of the !^pring flowering species and vari- 

 eties is usually carried out by means of cuttings taken 

 from tlie green wood. These are then placed in the 

 .sand under glass where they remain until thev have 

 formed a .good root system. The late flowering Spirjeas 

 are propagated through cuttings made from inature 

 twiL:s. These are taken in the Fall or the Winter, placed 

 in sand-filled boxes, and kept cool. Finally thev are 

 jilanicd in the i^pring in the usual way. 



