FERNS AND FERNERIES. 109 
From GARDEN WORK;' October 15th, 1887. 
:o:— 
The following remarks on Ferns and Ferneries are extracted from a lecture delivered before the Man- 
chester Horticultural Improvement Society, by Mr. W. Birkenhead, the well-known Fern nurseryman, 
of Sale, Manchester : — 
“AN ART THAT DOTH MEND NATURE.” 
How many natural dells aud ravines there are which might be made into places of delightful resort 
by the outlay of a little labour, and the addition of specimens and clumps of our native Ferns suitably 
placed ; where winding walks, bordered by upraised irregular terraces and sunken depressions, with 
rocky projections and shady recesses, judiciously planted with our favourites, would call forth 
expressions of admiration from those who delight in such haunts ! And if, over all this, a glass roof 
could be placed, and the ends blocked up with masses of rock covered with creepers, or with clumps 
of shrubs or trees, what a splendid array of grace and beauty could be secured by adding the hardy 
exotics to the abundant beautiful forms of our British Ferns, such as the tasselled Athyriums and the 
crested Scolopendriums, producing a veritable paradise, or garden of delights ! And what higher 
form of gardening could be conceived than the imitation of Nature in such an aspect % 
ARTIFICIAL FERNERIES.— “MORE LIGHT.” 
We need not wonder at the increasing taste for rock-built and glass-covered ferneries in gardens 
where natural ravines are not found ready to hand, nor need we be surprised at the large expense 
many gentlemen are willing to incur with the object of securing such a fairy retreat for the occupants 
of their homes and the delectation of their visitors. 
I must here give expression to my regret that often these very places, intended for refreshment of 
mind, fail to afford the pleasure they might be made to give, through the injudicious arrangement of 
the rockwork in the interior. I refer to the too lavish use of arches and masses of overhanging rock, 
which prevent the light reaching the lower parts of the fernery in sufficient measure for the well-being 
of the plants there situated, the inevitable result of which is that they dwindle away and die, leaving 
bare those parts which ought to be most amply furnished with verdure because of being below the eye 
of the spectator. Now, my impression is that the foliage in the lower parts ought to be quite as 
luxuriant as that above, and that luxuriance ought to reach down to the very margins of the paths. 
This happy effect can only be insured by arranging for an abundance of light to find its way to the 
lowest parts of the fernery. My ideal, therefore, would be an arrangement of irregular terraces, rising 
in varied steps upward and outward from winding paths to the base of the glass roof, the contour of 
the whole series of terraces representing an angle of 40 degs. to 50 degs., so that the light might flow 
strongly to the very lowest parts of the fernery. Sufficient shade would still be found below the 
larger Ferns for those requiring a greater depth of gloom ; and I would here observe that, although 
Ferns generally cannot endure scorching sunshine, yet a large amount of light is necessary for their 
perfect development, and, in the winter months, all we can get of this agent is less than enough for 
the well-being of evergreen species. 
Seeing, then, that a heated fernery is for pleasure in winter as well as in summer, care should be 
taken to provide for plenty of light at all seasons, simply shading in summer to prevent scorching, 
and taking care in winter to keep the glass thoroughly cleansed from soot and dirt, that no obstruction 
to light be caused by their presence, for light is one of the greatest essentials to the growth of vegetation. 
POCKETS FOR THE PLANTS.— SOI L. 
With regard to the terraces or pockets, they should be so built as to admit of a large body of 
compost for the use of the plants, and be well drained to allow all surplus water to escape easily. The 
compost itself should be rough rather than otherwise, containing a good proportion of broken pieces of 
peat and loam as large as a walnut or an egg, with rough leaf-mould and sand — small nodules of char- 
coal and stone being valuable additions. If peat, loam, and leaf-mould are used in about equal pro- 
portions, with a liberal addition of sand, charcoal, and stone, a good compost is obtained suitable for 
general Fern culture. For Ferns in small pots, of course smaller pieces must needs be used ; but even 
then the compost ought not to be too fine in texture, but sufficiently coarse to allow water to pass 
readily through it. 
