22 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



planted with suitable ferns. In such a space you may find room 

 and proper positions for every one of our native ferns, except such 

 few as it is not possible to cultivate out of doors. There would be 

 a fernery and bower combined, green and cool, and dark at all 

 times, a charming place in summer, and not quite a desolation in 

 winter ; for with the shelter afforded, especially if the side towards 

 the east were made pretty cJose with rustic trellis, the majority of 

 the plants would carry their fronds through the winter ; and by drain- 

 ing off superfluous water a warm air would prevail within that would 

 be just sufficient to bring them on in early spring, without weaken- 

 ing them so much in autumn as to risk their winter existence. 



The shedding of the foliage of the trailing plants outside would 

 give freer access to the ligbt in winter, and the strong light of 

 summer would be shaded off by the thickening of the foliage then ; 

 but if at that bright season too deep a gloom prevailed, it would be 

 the fault of the pruning-knife, not of the scheme itself. It would 

 cost next to nothing, for if you were tired of fern-growing — and the 

 attentions requisite would in this case be reduced to a minimum — you 

 might pull down the structure, and get back the cost of the timber 

 by turning it into firewood ; and as the ferns and other plants would 

 increase considerably, the nursery stock would be worth more than 

 it was at starting, so that a fernery of this description is cheap 

 enough for the humblest lover of the beautiful, and choice enough 

 for the most wealthy connoisseur of taste in gardening. 



A SELECTION OF ONE HUNDRED SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF HARDY 



FERNS. 



The undermentioned selection includes only the most beautiful 

 hardy ferns at present in cultivation, and those only are named 

 which will grow on an ordinary rockery without any special treat- 

 ment. 



British. — Adiantum nigrum, Asplenium lanceolatum, A. tricho- 

 manes cristatum, A. t. lobatum, Athyrium filix-foemina, A. f.f. com- 

 positum, A. f.f. conoides, A. f.f. corymbiferum, A. f.f. diffissum, A. 

 f.f. dimsso-multifidum, A. f.f. Elworthi, A. f.f. Fieldise, A. f.f. 

 Prizellise, A. f.f. frondosum, A. f.f. gracile, A. f.f. grandiceps, A. f.f. 

 Grantise, A. f.f. laciniatum majus, A. f.f. multifidum, A. f.f. plumo- 

 sum, Blechnum spicant multifurcatum, B. spicant ramosum, 

 Ceterach officinarum crenatum, Cystopteris fragilis, C. fragilis 

 Dickeana, C. montana, Lastrea aemula, L. cristata spinulosa, L. 

 dilitata angustipinnula, L. dilitata collina, L. dilitata grandidens, L. 

 filix-mas, L. f.m. Bollandiae, L. f.m. cristata, L. f.m. angustata, L. 

 f.m. furcans, L. f.m. grandiceps, L. f.m. paleacea, L. montana crispa, 

 Osmunda regalis, O. regalis cristata, Polypodium alpestre, P. 

 alpestre flexile, P. dryopteris (Oak fern), P. phegopteris (Beech 

 fern), P. vulgare, P. vulgare cambricum, P. vulgare cristatum, P. 

 vulgare omnilacerum, P. vulgare semilacerum, Polystichum aculea- 

 tum, P. aculeatum lobatum, P. angulare acutilobum, P. angulare 

 brachiatum, P. angulare concinnum, P. angulare cristatum, P. angu- 

 lare grandiceps, P. angulare grandidens, P. angulare latipes, P. 



