JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  30,  1897. 
ai8 
FEliNS  IN  BASKETS. 
If  hanging  baskets  are  useful  accessories  to  the  ornamentation  of 
the  cool  fernery,  they  are  just  as  much  needed  in  the  warm  house 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  Ferns  and  other  foliage  plants  ;  but  in 
this  we  have  less  difficulty  to  contend  with,  as  there  is  a  far  larger 
(luantity  of  jilants  from  which  a  varied  selection  can  be  made  ;  and  on 
account  of  the  great  diversity  found  among  stove  Ferns,  both  as  regards 
colour  and  form,  a  much  greater  variation  may  be  obtained  through  the 
l)lanting  of  these  hanging  baskets  in  various  sizes. 
Ferns  foe  Small  Baskets. 
Exceedingly  pretty  little  baskets  can  be  filled  exclusively  with  the 
Adiantums  Edgeworthi,  dolabriforme,  and  caudatum,  all  three  evergreen 
East  Indian  species  of  small  and  rampant  growth.  Their  being  proliferous 
at  the  apex  of  the  fronds  is  a  great  recommendation  for  the  purpose  which 
■we  have  in  view,  as  these  sjiecies  frequently  show  three,-  and  even  four, 
generations  of  plants  hanging  from  the  original  or  mother  fronds.  The 
general  appearance  of  A.  Edgeworthi  or  ciliatum,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  is  as  distinct  as  it  is  pleasing  on  account  of  the  lovely  soft  green 
tint  of  its  pubescent  foliage,  as  also  because  of  the  elegant  way  in  which 
the  pinnfe,  pink  in  their  young  stage,  are  divided.  A.  caudatum  is  easily 
distinguished  from  the  above  by  the  greyish  and  dull  colour  of  its  fronds, 
and  also  by  the  peculiar  shape  of  its  pinnas,  which  are  much  more  cunei¬ 
form  ;  while  in  A.  dolabriforme  we  have  a  plant  entirely  distinct  from  the 
other  two  ;  and,  although  it  ai)pcars  as  only  a  variety  of  the  lovely 
A.  lunulatum,  it  is  much  to  be  valued  on  account  of  its  evergreeif 
character,  which  does  not  belong  to  the  species.  A.  dolabriforme  was  sent 
out  with  the  idea  that  it  would  prove  #’>plant  of  great  value  for  basket 
culture,  and  the  anticipation  has  been  fully  realised,  for  it  forms  a  dense  yet 
elegant  mass  of  a  particularly  bright  green  foliage,  and  has  been  the 
means  of  making  some  of  the  prettiest  small  baskets  that  we  ever  had  the 
good  fortune  to  see. 
A.  lunulatum,  although  naturally  deciduous,  is  well  worthy  of  cultiva¬ 
tion  for  basket  purposes.  This  distinct  and  handsome  si)ecies,  of 
slender  pendulous  habit,  has  foliage  of  a  peculiar  shape,  its  alternate 
pinnae  being  lunulate  and  of  a  particularly  bright  green  colour,  which 
forms  a  jdeasing  contrast  with  the  shining  black  colour  of  the  rachis  and 
stalks,  which  are  very  conspicuous.  Its  foliage  remains  in  good  condition 
until  about  the  middle  of  October,  when  it  dies  down  naturally ;  and  if 
the  plant  is  properly  treated  during  the  winter  and  not  allowed  to  get 
dust  dry  it  usually  starts  into  growth  about  the  middle  of  February,  or  at 
the  latest  the  beginning  of  March,  and  rapidly  forms  a  most  interesting 
mass  of  verdure. 
Very  pretty  small  basis ets  are  also  made  with  Asplenium  elegantulum’ 
an  evergreen  dwarf  species  from  the  Fiji  Islands,  which,  like  the  above- 
named  Adiantums,  is  proliferous  at  the  apex  and  of  a  dark  shining  green 
colour  ;  and  the  uncommon  New  Holland  species  called  flabellifolium, 
which  on  account  of  its  extremely  slender  growing  nature  is  particularly 
well  adapted  for  that  purpose.  Its  fronds,  generally  from  12  to  15  inches 
long,  are  formed  of  two  parallel  rows  of  small  and  curiously  fan-shaped 
Ijinnm,  of  a  bright  dark  green  colour,  and  thoroughly  distinct  aspect ;  the 
apex  of  its  fronds  is  also  proliferous,  and  it  is  easily  propagated. 
klEDiUM-SizED  Baskets. 
The  Ferns  which  may  with  advantage  be  used  for  the  formation  of 
baskets  of  a  larger  or  medium  size  are  much  more  numerous  than  those 
adapted  for  small  ones,  and  for  that  purpose  almost  any  Ferns  of  a  droop¬ 
ing  habit  can  be  utilised  ;  but  the  genus  which  supplies  us  with  the 
greatest  number  is  undoubtedly  that  of  Davallia.  The  majority  of  these 
plants  are  provided  Avith  creeping  rhizomes,  Avhich  render  them  most 
valuable  for  such  a  use,  as  in  course  of  time  they  entirely  clothe  the  outer 
surface  of  the  baskets  in  Avhich  they  .are  planted  and  make  handsome 
objects.  Their  foliage,  elegant  and  finely  cut  generally,  looks  particularly 
handsome  Avhen  seen  from  below,  and  being  very  tenacious  remains  a 
long  time  on  the  plants.  In  Davallia  bullata  we  have  one  of  the  most 
attractive  of  the  genus,  Avith  fronds  about  10  inches  long,  nearly  triangular 
in  shape,  and  of  a  rich  dark  shining  green  colour,  produced  on  creeping 
rhizomes,  Avhich  are  covered  with  minute  scales  of  a  bright  reddish  hue, 
accounting  for  the  popular  ajipellation  of  the  Squirrel’s  Foot  Fern. 
Davallia  elegans  and  its  variety  dissecta  from  Java  are  also  included 
among  the  most  useful  Ferns  for  basket  purposes  ;  the  fronds  of  both 
species  and  variety  are  more  finely  cut  than  those  of  D.  bullata,  and  pro¬ 
duced  on  rhizomes  of  a  much  lighter  colour.  They  average  from  1 5  inches 
to  24  inches  in  length,  and  are  quite  8  inches  in  width  at  their  base.  In 
the  same  way  also  is  D.  solida,  whose  fronds,  hoAvever,  are  more  plumose 
and  of  a  brighter  green  colour,  smooth  and  shining.  Although  several 
more,  such  as  D.  fijiensis,  ornata,  Mooreana,  the  beautiful  tenuifolia 
Veitchiana,  and  others  may  be  grown  in  hanging  baskets,  the  above 
named  are  the  most  useful  among  the  Davallias  grown  for  baskets  of 
medium  size. 
Gold  and  Silver  Ferns. 
For  the  same  purpose  most  of  the  Gold  and  Silver  Ferns  may  also  be 
used  with  great  effect,  the  more  so  since  the  farinaceous  powder,  which  is 
peculiar  to  them,,  and  which  is  their  principal  ornament,  is  seen  to  a 
greater  advantage  in  that  position  than  when  the  same  plants  are  grown  in 
pots.  There  is  nothing  more  effective  than  a  good  plant  well  established 
in  a  suspended  basket  of  the  West  Indies  species  Gymnogramma  tartarea, 
with  massive  fronds  fully  2  feet  long  and  quite  8  inches  Avide,  dark  green 
above,  but  of  a  beautiful  and  very  even  whiteness  underneath.  G.  pul- 
chella,  from  Venezuela,  is  equally  interesting  when  grown  in  that  way,, 
as  the  lemon  colour  which  is  peculiar  to  the  inferior  surface  of  its  long, 
handsome,  and  more  finely  divided  fronds  is  then  shoAvm  to  perfection. 
Gymnogramma  Laucheana  gigantea  is  the  strongest  of  all  the  Golden 
Ferns,  its  fronds,  of  an  intense  yellow  on  the  under  side,  being  long  and 
more  gracefully  arching  than  those  of  any  other  kind.  But  however 
beautiful  all  these  may  be  when  seen  from  below,  the  G.  schizophylla 
from  Jamaica  and  its  garden  variety  gloriosa,  although  nearly  deprived  of 
either  silver  or  golden  powder,  are  far  the  best  of  the  genus  for  basket 
culture.  It  is  a  West  Indian  species,  the  fronds  of  which,  from  20  inches 
to  30  inches  long,  are  rather  slender  and  arching  regularly  on  all  sides. 
It  differs  from  all  other  Gymnogiammas  by  haAung  the  leafy  portion  of 
its  fronds,  about  3  inches  broad,  very  finely  cut,  and  by  the  remarkable 
peculiarity,  as  seen  in  the  furcation  of  the  rachis  at  about  two-thirds  of 
its  length,  where  it  is  proliferous,  every  frond  producing  a  young  plant  at 
the  point  of  furcation.  The  very  elegant  contour  of  this  Fern,  its 
moderate  size  and  graceful  habit,  its  delicately  cut  pinnules,  and  also  its 
pleasing  colour,  render  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  all  our  stove 
Ferns,  and  one  of  the  very  best  for  cultivation  in  suspended  baskets. 
We  must  not  leaAe  the  Gold  and  Silver  Ferns  without  mentioning  the 
loA'ely  Nothochlsenas,  which  have  all  the  appearance  of  Gold  and  Silver 
^laidenhairs,  but  none  of  their  comparatively  delicate  constitution. 
Nothochlaena  chrysophylla,  sometimes  also  called  N.  flaven.«,  is  an  elegant 
plant  Avith  fronds  about  12  inches  long,  greatly  resembling  those  of  an 
Adiantum,  eA^en  to  the  black  and  almost  invisible  stem,  peculiar  to  the 
represen tatiA'es  of  that  popular  genus,  but  the  under  surface  is  thickly 
coated  with  a  yellow  powder  as  thick  and  as  consiucuous  as  that  of  any 
Gymnogramma.  N.  nivea  is  a  plant  similar  in  growth  to  that  just 
described,  but  silvery  Avhite  instead  of  yellow  underneath.  The  under 
side  of  the  fronds  of  N.  sinuata,  which  frequently  attain  24  inches  in 
length,  is  covered  with  very  minute  white  woolly  scales,  vi'hich  produce 
the  same  effect  as  the  Avhite  powder  in  the  other  species. 
In  addition  to  the  above-described  Ferns  a  few  Adiantums  also  make 
very  handsome  baskets  of  medium  dimensions,  principally  a  crested  form 
of  the  common  A.  cuneatum  called  grandiceps,  the  fronds  of  which  on 
account  of  the  heavy  tassel  situated  at  their  summit  show  a  drooping, 
habit  of  a  particularly  graceful  character.  Then  there  is  the  lovely  A. 
amabile  of  Peruvian  origin,  Avith  fronds  from  15  inches  to  24  inches  long,, 
of  a  beautiful  pale  green  colour,  thin  and  membranaceous  texture,  and 
assume  more  gracefully  curving  lines  than  those  of  any  other  Maidenhair. 
The  drooping  character  of  the  plant  does  not  exclusively  belong  to  the 
fronds,  but  is  equally  shared  to  a  similar  degree  by  their  pinnae,  w'hich,. 
by  their  position,  are  entirely  distinct  from  those  of  any  other  Adiantum. 
On  account  of  its  elegant  and  i»endulous  habit  the  charming  A.  concinnum 
from  the  West  Indies  is  also  a  beautiful  object  for  baskets  of  medium  size. 
It  is  only  when  groAvn  in  that  Avay  that  the  real  beauty  of  the  foliage  of  the 
Polypodium  appendiculatum  can  be  appreciated.  The  crimson  venation 
in  the  fronds,  which  average  about  15  inches  in  length,  is  unique,  and 
although  it  colours  Avell  in  any  place,  still  the  delicate  and  charming  net- 
Avork  becomes  more  vividly  coloured  when  exposed  to  the  full  action  of 
the  light  near  the  glass,  and  the  effect  is  much  more  enjoyable  AA'hen  the 
foliage  is  seen  from  beloAv. 
Large  Baskets. 
The  Ferns  used  for  large  baskets  in  the  Avarm  house,  though  not  so 
numerous,  are,  however,  sufficiently  plentiful,  and  aU  of  a  very  striking 
character.  Foremost  among  them  is  the  beautiful  Goniophlebium  sub- 
aui'iculatum,  a  native  of  the  Malay  Islands ;  it  should  be  grown  in  'every 
stove  fernery  of  large  dimensions  where  a  basket  can  be  suspended.  It  has 
no  equal  for  elegance  among  all  the  Ferns  in  cultivation,  its  graceful 
lively  green  pinnate  fronds  usually  attaining  from  6  feet  to  10  feet  in 
length.  It  is  of  very  easy  culture,  and  is  not  so  particular  as  to  a  little 
sun  as  mostFeims  are. 
Among  the  genus  Nephrolepis,  which  contributes  largely  to  the  Ferns 
adapted  for  baskets  of  considerable  size,  there  is  the  superb  N.  daval- 
lioides  furcans  from  the  East  Indies.  It  is  a  noble  Fern,  of  robust  groAvth, 
sending  forth  from  a  central  tuft  numerous  arching  fronds  from  3  to 
4  feet  long.  These  differ  from  those  of  all  other  kinds  by  their  furcation, 
which  at  the  base  is  only  rudimentary  ;  but  in  the  fertile  pinnae  the 
furcation  is  twice,  and  even  thrice,  repeated  at  the  extremities  of  the  first 
division,  becoming  more  complete  tow'ards  the  point  of  the  fronds,  which 
on  account  of  the  weight  thus  juoduced  are  more  pendulous  than  those  of 
any  other  Nephrolepis.  The  next  in  usefulness  is  N.  refuscens  tripinna- 
tifida.  N.  davallioides  and  ensifolia  are  equally  Avell  adapted  and 
frequently  used  for  groAving  in  large  baskets,  A\hich  they  fill  in  a 
remarkably  short  space  of  time.  The  fronds  of  the  former  species,  w'hen 
fertile,  are  particularly  handsome,  as  their  pinnae  are  then  contracted  and 
elongated,  Avith  rounded  lobes  on  each  side,  and  quite  peculiar  and  elegant. 
The  genus  Asplenium  also  contributes  to  the  list  of  basket-growing 
Ferns,  though  A.  longissimum,  a  species  from  Penang,  with  fronds  simply 
pinnate,  3  feet  to  4  feet  long,  of  coriaceous  texture,  and  of  a  pleasing* 
green  colour  and  particularly  drooping  habit.  In  A.  caudatum  Ave  have  a 
noble-growing  pendulous  species  from  the  East  Indies  Avith  fronds  from 
2  to  3  feet  long,  Avhich,  like  those  of  the  al)Ove  species,  are  proliferous  at 
their  apex.  These  are  furnished  with  pinnae  of  a  dark  shining  green 
colour,  elegantly  incised  and  unusually  long,  ornamented  when  fertile  by 
tAvo  parallel  roAvs  of  very  conspicuous  black  sori.  Microlepia  hirta 
cristata,  Phlel)odium  aureum,  the  extremely  curious  Aglamorpha  Meyeni- 
ana,  Adiantum  Williamsi,  and  several  other  kinds  also  make  splendid; 
specimens  Avhen  groAvn  in  that  Avay. — T. 
