NATIVE FERNS 143 



If ferns are grown on rockeries, there must be special 

 crevices between the rocks, so that the roots can strike 

 deep down into the soil that has been prepared for them. 

 Every fern rockery should have a depth of from one to 

 two feet of sandy peat mixed with an abundant supply 

 of leaf mold, to afford a roothold and to supply the 

 necessary moisture and food. 



Ferns may be transplanted after the leaves fall in 

 autumn, or in the spring before the leaves open. Spring 

 transplanting will not retard the growth materially if 

 all the soil which clings to the roots is taken up with 

 them. Set the plants as deep as they stood in their 

 native places. The leaves will not unfold readily if the 

 crowns are covered with soil. Keep leaf mold around 

 them and give them an abundance of water. 



