HOUSE AND GARDEN 
August, 1911 
hi 
transplanting or in the advance of fructification. I never yet 
knew a matured specimen with heavily fruited tips to be of much 
service indoors, but young, sterile plants often remain in present¬ 
able condition for six or even eight months. 
The narrow-leaved spleenwort (Asplenium angustifoli-um ), a 
clear-cut, delicately made-up fern, combines well with the maiden¬ 
hair ; there is nothing in the fern kingdom that looks so cool and 
refreshing on allot 
day as a mass of 
this choice species 
which we some¬ 
times find growing 
at the base of a 
lofty cliff. It is 
worth while to try 
it without the cliff 
and it is warranted 
to reduce the men¬ 
tal temperature of 
over-heated callers 
who are responsive 
to nature’s lightest 
touch. 
Although the 
regal ostrich fern 
(Onoclea Struthi- 
optens ) cannot be 
recommended for 
general house cul¬ 
ture it is, under 
right conditions, a 
great success. Iso- 
la t e d specimens 
subjected to high 
winds outside or 
strong draughts in¬ 
doors quickly pre¬ 
sent an untidy 
study in ferns. 
If we wish to drape our walls Cystopteris bulbifcra, the most 
filmy and graceful of native ferns, adapts itself to our purpose. 
It is equally beautiful in shaded ravines, in the wild garden, or 
spreading its long, lacy fronds against delicately tinted walls. 
This species, if taken up early in the season—May or June — 
will last the entire summer. The root growth is singularly light 
and requires but a little soil to sustain life. Fronds may die but 
others unroll to take their places. 
Fern growth in the open is governed somewhat by environ¬ 
ment, therefore it is comparatively an easy matter to select plants 
to fit the place assigned. Ferns hanging over a bank or growing 
over a log or other obstruction are often the right shape for 
bracket or mantel decoration. One-sided development is prefer¬ 
able always for a corner situation, while an upright symmetrical 
growth should be used only for a centerpiece of some kind. 
Ferns which naturally grow in swampy lowlands resent stag¬ 
nant water and sour soil, therefore good drainage is an important 
factor in summer fern culture. Broken crocks or other porous 
matter will answer in punctured flower-pots, but sphagnum or 
other waste moss should be used above this matter in all other 
receptacles, to take up the moisture that cannot be drained out 
without breaking the fern itself. Light porous soil only should 
be used ; oftentimes enough is taken up with the ferns to sustain 
life itself for many months. To prevent too rapid evaporation 
and to give a neat finish mosses of various kinds may be pinned 
down over the soil. Over-watering is to be avoided. On still 
nights, where it is possible, potted ferns may be put out to freshen 
(Continued on page 130) 
The decorative possibilities of ferns are best 
seen when they are displayed in a glass 
dish lined with a sheet of moss 
The Christmas fern, with its dark green and glossy fronds, makes an 
excellent foil for other ferns 
The narrow-leaved spleenwort, a clear-cut delicately formed fern, 
brings the freshness of the woods with it 
Cystopteris bulbifera is of excellent service in draping walls or in the 
shaded portions of the wild garden 
