IRISH GARDENING. 



Amateur Fern Growing. 



By Henry Drury, M.D. 



Any plant, lover who has the niisfortiino to have 

 to live in town, may derive more satisfaction, and 

 therefore more pleasure, fiom the cultivation of 

 ferns than from any othci- plants. 



A fern liouse is the ideal condition, but not 

 essential for success. We have known a fern lover 

 and enthusiast who had. we believe, every British 

 fern growing on the roof of liis house, in the lieart 

 of London — -not a yard of uMrden on the ground 

 level, and no glass shelter on the roof garden. 



As most. tf>Avn houses have some space beliind. 



up by oneself with the lielp of any liandy- 

 man. If a wall sulTiciently high is available, a 

 " lean-to " liouse is recommended, or. l)etter 

 still, a " |- span." as it gives head-room for the 

 f erTis on the back wall, which otherwise must be 

 left bare, for a couple of feet, or else the ferns 

 at the top grow against the roof and get distorted 

 and discoloured by the moisture on the glass. 



The steeper the slope of the roof the better, 

 so as to carry off the moisture that condenses on 

 the inside of the glass, for as the overlap of the 

 panes gets clogged with dvist, c*i:c.,the water does 

 not run away on the outside of the lower pane, 

 Init tends to droji down on the plants below, caus- 

 iu'4 liavoc therebv. If making a fern-liouse again 



B E I! BEi; I s Ac; G i; kg at a 

 (One of the newer Barberries) 



eu]»1iemistically called a garden, wi' will choose 

 that, as tlie site of our fernery, and decide that 

 it is to be a fern ho\ise. 



To attain success it will be necessary to think 

 out the details beforehand of all the jirepara- 

 tions to be made for the reception of plants, and 

 carry out all these to completion before a single 

 plant is })Ought. Many failures are due to first 

 getting tlie plants and then trying to make a 

 )dace for them. 



Tliose who cannot afford a well-built green- 

 house need not be discouraged. With a few 

 loads of second-hand bricks the house can easily 

 be run up, no glass being required except that 

 for the roof, and a very satisfactory fernery is 

 thus obtained. Better still, however, will be 

 a well made greenliouse. which can be bought 

 in sections from one of the several well-known 

 firms who specialise in sucli things, and can be put 



we would have a small slij? of cardboard or 

 rubber inserted at each side of the overlap, to 

 keep the panes sufficiently apart, so as to carry 

 off the condensed moisture, and to enable one, 

 if the space became clogged, to clear it with a 

 stiff brush. The overlap ishould be at least one 

 inch. 



The house should have a north aspect if at 

 all possible. If not, choose anything but a 

 south aspect. With a north aspect little, if any, 

 shading will be required. With any other 

 aspect shading will be necessary. Shading is a 

 great bother, and as in town there is so much 

 soot and dust, one cannot have a permanent 

 shading, for it becomes so dirty that it makes 

 the house too dark. Most ferns like the light 

 and grow towards it always ; it is the direct 

 sunlight they object to, so with a north aspect 

 shading is not required at all, though a little 



