Edward Gillette Southwick , Mass.-—Hardy Ferns 
i 
3 
12 3 4 
1. Botrychium Virginicum 3. Woodwardia angustifolia, fertile and sterile fronds. 
2. Phegopteris hexagonoptera. 4. Phegopteris polypodoides. 
Uses. Our hardy ferns being so varied in their characteristics, can be adapted to a 
wide variety of purposes. All of them can be used as specimens in the hardy fern collection. 
Many can be used for edging walks in a shaded rock garden, while others are best suited for 
massed plantings. It is impossible to go into detail concerning the possibilities wrapped up 
in each particular variety yet I solicit correspondence of prospective purchasers and shall 
be glad to give information concerning any particular variety. 
Time to plant. Hardy ferns can be planted in either the spring or fall. If they are 
planted late in the autumn it is well to give them a mulch of leaves. This gives them pro¬ 
tection from freezing and thawing. It also tends to retain the moisture in the soil until the 
new rootlets have started to grow. 
How deep to plant. Doubtless many amateurs obtain poor results by planting ferns, 
due to the fact that they place them too deep in the ground. Ferns such as the Christmas 
fern or evergreen wood fern which grow from a crown should not be planted below the sur¬ 
face. The crown should be left exposed to the air. In case ferns grow from underground 
root stalks such as the Beech fern they should be planted just below the surface with not 
more than half an inch of earth to cover them. Too deep planting proves fatal especially 
where a long, wet season follows the planting which causes the crowns or buds of the ferns 
to rot. 
FERNS IN POTS. 
We grow the greater share of the small rock ferns in pots so to have them in the very 
best condition for transplanting. We can ship these at any season when the ground is open. 
The larger kinds are mostly transplanted and grown in beds. We often have some of these 
larger sorts in pots which we can furnish at a small advance over our regular price if desired. 
A Reference Table of Hardy Native Ferns. 
Any one interested in growing our hardy New England ferns should send for our Re¬ 
ference "Table. It gives the height, position, soil, distance apart and depth to plant each 
kind. 
