CHAPTER II 

 Where Hardy Ferns Can Be Grown 



" It is the wild garden alone which leads us into tlie clouds." 



— Gibson, 



The growing desire in the human mind for 

 something straight from the heart of Nature 

 has brought the wild garden to our doors. 

 Hence the fern border, with its refreshing, 

 lingering loveliness, rivals the gaily painted 

 garden with its transient beauty. 



THE IDEAL CONDITIONS 



Happy indeed is the fern culturist whose 

 domain includes a ledge or a pile of rocks, a 

 shaded bank, a bit of swamp and a brook, 

 with consequent irregularity of surface, where 

 he may successfully simulate Nature. 



These ideal conditions, however, are for 



