Gardening for Amateurs 



831 



Greenhouse Ferns 



FROM the fact that they do not 

 produce flowers, ferns occupy but 

 a lowly position in the vegetable 

 kingdom. True, there are what are popu- 

 larly termed flowering ferns, but they do 

 not bear flowers proper, the name being 

 derived from the fact that their spores 

 are borne separately on erect fronds. A 

 good example of this is to be found in 

 the Royal Fern Osmunda regalis. 



Though they do not rank high from a 

 botanical standpoint, ferns take a prominent 

 place among decorative plants, the foliage 

 of most of them being exceedingly beautiful, 

 and in many instances most delicately 

 divided. Their numbers are legion, hence 

 it is quite impossible to mention even a 

 tithe of the existing species and varieties. 



Ferns are essentially plants that need 

 much moisture, not only at their roots, but 

 also in the atmosphere, for any attempt to 

 grow them in a greenhouse where the air is 

 dry will only end in failure. To obviate this, 

 the stages and walls of the fernery should 

 be frequently moistened, but, generally 

 speaking, ferns should not be syringed over- 

 head. 



Potting. Ferns need to be repotted 

 annually as a rule, and the best time for 

 the purpose is February, March and April. 

 At one time a large proportion of peat was 

 regarded as essential for all ferns, but now 

 different notions prevail. A compost in 

 general use is that consisting of fibrous 

 loam (turfy soil), lightened by an addition 

 of leaf-mould or peat and sand, the whole 

 being freely broken up, but not sifted. Not 

 only in pots may ferns be grown, but those 

 of naturally pendulous habit are seen to 

 great advantage when grown in suspended 

 baskets or secured to pieces of Tree Fern 

 stem or cork, and hung up in the fernery. 

 Many with creeping rhizomes look well 

 when allowed to take possession of an up- 

 right piece of dead Tree Fern stem, which 

 they will clothe from base to summit. For 

 rockeries, too, ferns are unsurpassed. 



Ferns in Rooms. Some of the more 

 robust kinds will thrive in the dwelling- 



house, so, too, will many of the smaller and 

 more delicate kinds, providing they are 

 grown in a Wardian case. This may be 

 utilised for the Filmy Ferns, all of which 

 delight in a good deal of shade and moisture. 



Most ferns need to be shaded from the 

 full rays of the sun, and for this purpose 

 roller blinds of canvas are preferable to any 

 other method. Still, where these are not 

 available the glass may be painted over with 

 some shading material, such as Summer 

 Cloud. 



Sometimes the greenhouse is so situated 

 that it gets little, if any, sun, and is therefore 

 of little use for flowering plants, but it may 

 be utilised for ferns with most satisfactory 

 results. 



Insect and Other Pests. Thrips are 

 among the most troublesome insect pests 

 which attack ferns. They are especially 

 liable to put in an appearance should the 

 atmosphere be kept too dry, but can be 

 destroyed by vaporising with, one of the 

 nicotine compounds, which will also get 

 rid of aphides. Slugs are sometimes trouble- 

 some, and should be sought for at night 'by 

 the aid of a lantern. Cockroaches may be 

 destroyed by poison, and woodlice by putting 

 a little dry moss into small pots laid on their 

 sides where these pests congregate. In the 

 morning the pots should be looked over and 

 the woodlice dropped into a pail contain- 

 ing boiling water. Hollowed-out Potatoes 

 placed concave side downwards, also afford 

 a shelter for woodlice, which may be sought 

 for in the morning and destroyed. 



How to Increase Ferns. Ferns that 

 are naturally of a tufted nature may be 

 increased by division, which should be 

 carried out during the spring months. Some, 

 again, produce young plants on the fronds, 

 in which case all that is necessary is to peg 

 the frond upon a pot or pan of soil, when the 

 tiny ferns will produce roots of their own 

 and grow freely. 



The general method of increasing ferns 

 is, however, by means of spores, which are, 

 in most cases, to be found on the undersides 

 of the leaves. In gathering a frond to supply 



