350 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



rooting into the stuff below, and in a surprisingly short time a fine established clump will 

 lint the juncture of the rock with the soil. It may be taken as a rule that interspersed 

 rocks are congenial to Ferns. They keep the soil from baking and encourage root- 

 formation, and man\' a Fern will thrive if treated a la Parsley, minus perhaps so liberal a 

 covering, since as a rule the crowns are better above the surface but in the shade. 



Hart's-tongues are wall Ferns as well as ground Ferns, and require a little lime in 

 the coil, hence if planted at a north wall foot they thrive capitally. The Male or Buckler 

 Ferns do well in any soil, but the Mountain Buckler Fern (L. montana) does not like lime 

 or hard water, and does well in a yellow loam. Blechnum Spicant, the Hard Fern, has the 

 same dislike, but prefers a little more peat or leaf mould, assuming its largest size in the 

 latter. The common Polypody, a denizen of old trees and wall tops where leaf mould has 



collected, 

 indicates its 

 predilections 

 thereby ; good 

 sandy leaf 

 mould and 

 awell-drained 

 and sloping 

 position suit 

 it best. Its 

 pretty 

 cousins, the 

 Oak Fern 

 (P. Dryop- 

 teris), the 

 Beech Fern 

 (P. Phegop- 

 teris), and 

 the Lime- 

 stone Poly- 

 pody (P. cal- 

 careum) want 

 The Spleenworts, 



1ERNS BY STREAUSIuE. VEN HOUSE, SOMERSET. 



a looser leafy compost and a shaded nook ; the last-named needs some lime, 

 one and all, are rock-lovers and need a chink, and, as a rule, some lime as well. 



Finally, those who can and do grow Ferns in their little domains should ignore the 

 common forms to a large extent, especially as fronting plants, and give a good selection 

 of the best varieties at any rate an equal chance. Their relative merits would then speedily 

 become clear, and the varietal forms undoubtedly would oust the common or normal types 

 entirely, to the cultivator's great advantage. 



CULTURAL HINTS AND A FFW OF THE BEST HARDY FERNS. 



THE easiest species to grow are undoubtedly the Lady Fern (Athyrium Filix-fcemina), the 

 Male Fern (Lastrea Pseudo-mas Filix-mas), the Broad Buckler Fern (Lastrea dilatata), the 

 Shield Ferns (Polystichum aculeatum and P. angulare), and the Hart's-tongue (Scolopendrium 

 vulgare) ; and as these embrace the bulk of the most beautiful varietal forms, there is no 

 lack of material ready for those who wish to grow a collection either in the open ground or in 

 pots under the cool roof of a conservatory. In the open all these species will thrive in ordinary 

 garden soil, but it is quite worth while to encourage them by a liberal admixture of 

 leaf mould or peat mould, especially if the soil has a tendency to stiffness ; or a good 

 dressing of old and well-decayed manure would serve the purpose equally well. As regards 



