2 
Edward Gillett, Southwick, Mass.—Hardy Ferns 
12 3 4 
1. Aspic! i uni acrostichoides 4. Asplcnium thelypteroides 
2. Aspidium criatatum Clintoniunum 5. Osmund a regalia 
3. Aspidium Golclianum 
Hardy Ferns 
HARDY FERNS are becoming an important factor in our modern gardening. This 
order of plants as a rule is easily grown and the amateur can have good success in growing 
them. They can be planted in either spring or fall and if the purchaser wishes to use my pot 
grown stock they can be placed in the garden even during the mid-growing season. Hardy 
ferns are being used in quantity for massed plantings and selections can be made to suit 
almost any location. Many times there are corners about the house where the sun does not 
strike. Such places can be beautified by the use of hardy ferns. My fern trade is extensive 
and I am in a position to furnish them in quantity and will be glad to make special quota¬ 
tions on large amounts. I carry in stock over fifty varieties of native hardy ferns most of 
them taking readily to cultivation. There are a few varieties of hardy native ferns which 
will thrive in the open sun yet for the most part they will give much better results when 
planted in a shady location. The ferns T offer being native require a period of rest and 
consequently are not suitable for house culture in the winter. 
Soils. Some of the larger growing ferns can be grown with extremely good results in 
ordinary garden soil in a shady location yet if we intend to imitate Nature it will be neces¬ 
sary to furnish, for many of our ferns, better conditions than are found in the ordinary gar¬ 
den. Where luxuriant growths of ferns are found one will note that it is usually on a well 
drained hillside in the shade or mountain slope and where years have accumulated leaf-mould 
which affords an excellent soil condition. After forty years of experience in growing ferns 
I have come to the conclusion that ferns require extremely good drainage. This is especially 
the case with the smaller ferns such as Ebony Spleen wort, Maiden-hair Splecnwort and the 
Woodsias, those kinds that are usually found growing on cliffs. In planting ferns it is well 
to prepare the soil by making it very fine, then adding if practicable leaf-mould so as to make 
the soil very light and porous. If the planter does not have at his disposal a sloping piece 
of ground and is anxious to have ferns in his garden it will be well to raise the bed in which 
the ferns are planted two or three inches. This will tend to produce the drainage conditions 
necessary. 
In planting the small rock ferns, soil should be introduced which is almost pure leaf- 
mould or peat. This class of ferns is as a rule found growing in such soils and while they can 
be made to struggle along and in some cases give fairly good results in ordinary garden soil, 
they will do much better if furnished the conditions as above described. 
