UNIVERSITY OF B.C. LIBRAR^

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STORAGE ITEM
PRCCESSING-ONE

THE LIBRARY

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THE UNIVERSITY OF
BRITISH COLUMBIA

Gift
F. E. Buck

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ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-YENERIS. ^

THE

Fern Garden.-

HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND E^70V IT ; '
OR, K

FE^N CULTURE,JVIADE EASY,

BY

SHIRLEY HIBBERD,

Author of " The Rose Book," "The Amateur's Greenhouse and
Conse>vatory," ',' The Amateur s Floiuer Garden" etc., etc.

NEW EDITION.
ILLUSTRATED

LONDON :
W. H, AND L. COLLINGRIDGE,

148 & 149, ALDERSGATE STREET, E.C

LONDON :

PRINTED BY \V. H. AND L. COLLINGRIDGE,

ALDERSGATE STREET, E.G.

PREFACE.

Beginnees in Fern culture are very much
perplexed by the abundance of books on the
subject, and their general unfitness to afford
the aid a beginner requires. Almost everybody
has written a book on ferns, it having become
the fashion to consider a knowledge of the
subject rather a disquahfication than otherwise.
When the blind attempt to lead the blind the
result can be safely predicated, and no doubt
the myriads of bad books on ferns that swarm
in the cheap book shops have done their full
share of mischief. "We have fortunately plenty
of good books on the subject, but for the
most part they are technical and elaborate, and
shoot over the heads of beginners. Some of
ray fern-loving friends have persuaded me to

It Preface,

try my hand on a small volume adapted for the
induction of the unlearned and unskilled in
this pursuit, and here it is. Whether it will
supersede any of the bad books or take lowest
rank amongst them is for me a solemn problem.
But I send it forth in hope that after a quarter
of a century of hard work in the practical part
of the subject, I may be better qualified to make
a little book than some of those who, previous
to writing, had acquired only a week or so of
experience, and a very dim knowledge of about
half a dozen species. As almost every fern in
cultivation has names enough to fill a small
volume, I have in every case adopted the names
by which those recommended are best known
in nurseries and gardens. The fearful question
of nomenclature is thus avoided, and every
fern may be found by the name it bears in this
epitome.

S. H.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER L

FeENS is GBHEBAIi

CHAPTER II.
Feen collecting

CHAPTER IIL

How TO POEM AN OUTDOOE FeENEET

CHAPTER IV.
Cultivation op Rock Feens

CHAPTER V.
Cultivation op Maesh Feens .

Feens in Potb

The Feen Housb

CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VIII.
The Feeneet at the Fieeside

CHAPTER rX.
Management op Feen Cases

CHAPTER X.
The Aet of Multiplying Feens

PAGE

I

11

19

24

26

83

42

56

64

▼I

Contents.

CHAPTER XL

British Pebits

CHAPTER XII.

CULTITATION OP GeEENHOUBB AND oTOVE FEBlTi •

CHAPTER XIII.
PiPTT Select Geeeithouse Feens . •

CHAFfER XIV.
Thibtt Select Stotb Feens . • •

CHAPTER XV.

Gold and Siltbe Feens

PAGE

. 73

. 95

. 105

. ii:

. 124

Tbsb Fbbns .

Fbbn Allijb .

CHAPTER XVL

CHAPTER XVIL

. 128

. 181

COLOURED PLATES.

ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-VENERIS - - Facing Title Page.
ASPLENIUM VIRIDE Page 64.

*=§^ <=5c ci^o

PAGE PLATES.

Page
A SHADY CONSERVATORY CORNER, PRETTILY

PLANTED WITH FERNS, Etc. I

ASPLENIUM FLABELLIFOLIUM 116

GLEICHENIA RUPESTRIS GLAUCESCENS ... 95

LOMARIA CILIATA 73

NEPHRODIUM (LASTREA) MONTANUM ... 18

SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE CRISPUM MULTIFIDUM 26

THE FERX GARDEN:

HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND ENJOY IT ;

OB,

FERN CULTURE MADE EASY.

CHAPTER I.

FBRNS IN GENERAL.

HAVE a fine opportunity now for a dry
chapter. I have a good mind to hang up a
tuft of straw to indicate that the way is
dangerous, and to warn the reader not to proceed a
line further. Ferns, my friends, belong to the sub-
kingdom of vegetables termed Cryptogamia, a sub-
kingdom so named because it is the custom of the
population to celebrate marriages in the dark, so that
it can scarcely be averred of them to a certainty that
they really marry at all. In this sub-kingdom there
are several large tribes, such as the mosses, the horse-
tails, the lichens and liver worts; but the ferns or filices
are the most noble of all, associating with others freely,
but towering above them in apparent consciousness of
right to rule.

2 The Fern Garden.

All the cryptogams are destitute of flowers ; that is
one of their most noticeable distinctions. But though
flowerless they, for the most part, produce seeds in
plenty. Look on the under side of a ripe frond of
almost any fern you can get hold of, and you will
observe sharp lines, or dots, or . constellations of red,
brown, or yellow fruit or spore cases ; within these are
the spores or true seeds, by the germination of which
the race is multiplied.

Ferns differ from flowering plants in the principles
of their construction and growth. If we examine the
base of a leaf-stalk of a tree we shall find a bud there,
which, if left alone, will produce a branch or a cluster
of fruit the next season. There are no such buds in
the axils of fern leaves, not even in those of the brake,
which is peculiarly tree-like in its growth. The growth
of a fern is a sort of perpetual lengthening out at both
ends. The upward growth, which is more frequently
the subject of observation than the growth of the roots,
consists first in a process of unrolling, and then of
expansion and maturation of the leaves and stems.
Because of these and other characters which obviously
and without reference to the peculiar nature of their
fruit distinguish them from flowering plants, the
several parts of a fern are named differently to the
corresponding parts in flowering plants. Thus, the
true stem or root-stock of a fern is called a caudex,
the true leaf is called a frond, the stem which bears
the leaf is called the stipes, and the ramifications of
the stipes through the leafy portion corresponding to
the leaf-stalks of other plants bears the name of

Ferns in General. 8

rachis. These are all the technicalities ^e need be
troubled with, save and except as we go on the names
of the ferns themselves. From the sublime to the
ridiculous is but a step. I have just made that step
while walking through the fern-house to obtain the
needful inspiration to write, this little book. There I
saw my plumy emerald green pets glistening with health
and headings of warm dew, and I thought it might help
me if I read their names. Here are a few of them —
Acrostichum Kequienianum, Alsophila Junghuhniana,
Anemia Schimperiana, Aspidiam Karwinskyanum,
Polystichum Plaschnichianum, Asplenium Gaudichan-
dianum, Euphegopteris hexagonopterum, Dictyopteris
megalocarpum. You must endure this sort of thing
if you purpose giving the slightest amount of attention
to fernSj for only a few cut of thousands have English
names, and to translate the botanical names into English
would be very imprudent, not to say sometimes im-
possible. But I assure you the names do not spoil the
plants, they only compel fern books to be ugly and '
forbidding. Carolina "Wilhelmina Amelia Skeggs was
an unamiable person, but my Mohria thurifraga var.
Achillisefolia is as sweet a bit of vegetable jewellery as
you are likely to meet with in a dar's march, and I am
sure you will admire, when you find it, Didymoglossum
o*" yel Trichomanes radicans.

The Fern Garden.

CHAPTER II.

BELIEVE no one can thoroughly enjoy or
understand ferns until after having actually
hunted for them in hedgerows, woods, and
amongst rocks, and rivulets, and waterfalls. The lady
fern may be allowed to sing, as Madame Vestris did
once upon a time :

Througli the woods, through the woods.

Follow and find me.

Search every hollow, and dingle, and dell,

I leave but the print of my footstep behind me ;

So those who would find me must search for me well.

I cannot afford space to enlarge upon the joys of
fern -collecting, the pic-nicing, archseologico-exploring,
and holiday perambulating that may be associated with
the sport. Kindly imagine all this and save me the
expenditure of space on anything but the business in
hand. Ferns are so widely distributed that wherever a
rural walk is possible, it is almost certain that some-
where in the district ferns may be found. The south-
western counties of England constitutethe homeparadise
of the fern collector, but, as we must find our happi-
ness where our lot is cast, it is better to make the most
of the ferns within our reach than to repine if Cornwall
and Devon happen to be terra incognita. In the neigh-
hoiu'hood of London are many localities rich in ferns.

Fern Collecting, 5

but as these are for the most part pretty well known I
shall not enumerate them^ but proceed at once to make
some remarks on collecting ferns for cultivation. It is
only during the height of summer that the deciduous
kinds ca,n be readily found by inexperienced collectors,
and it is at that season that fern hunting proves a
particularly agreeable pastime. It would be better
always if the ferns could be removed from their native
sites when first about to commence their new growth
in the spring, and this can be done sometimes by
searching in woods and hedgerows for old fronds, and
tracing them to their source. The roots should then
be taken up without injury to the crowns, and be at
once planted or potted as required, and assisted with
shade and shelter until established in the places
assigned them in the garden. Experienced collectors
may hunt for ferns during the winter to great advan-
tage in districts where they are known to abound, as
in the event of a mild season many of the deciduous
kinds will be still green ; and evergreen kinds, such as
hartstongue and common polypody, may be better lifted
in winter than at any other season. But as a rule fern
hunting is a recreation for summer time, and any fern
may be taken up in the height of summer and be kept
with the utmost certainty for cultivation; the worst
that is likely to happen is the loss of all the fronds they
carry at the time of taking up ; but a new crop will
soon succeed them if proper care be taken. The fern
collector should be provided w^ith aids and implements
adapted to the county in which he is about to make
explorations. Where only terrestrial and hedgerow

6 The Fern Garden.

kinds are expected to be found, a large basket, or better,
a pair of baskets of moderate size, such as can be car-
ried one in each hand, will be necessary. They should
have close fitting lids, because if ferns are taken up on
a hot day and exposed for some hours to the atmo-
sphere, the crowns and roots will be so much exhausted
that some may die, and all will be injured, whereas by
packing them close with a little moist moss amongst
them, the roots and crowns will be kept tolerably fresh
until they can be potted or planted out. A short-
handled three-pronged fork and a trowel, and a strong
clasp knife, will be needful ; and in some instances it
will be necessary to borrow a spade or digging fork near
the spot where operations are to take place, for fine old
roots of royal osmund and other large-growing ferns
will defy the leverage of all small hand tools. When
ferns of large size are taken up in the height of summer,
it is best to cut away all or nearly all their fronds at
once, and use those fronds as packing material.

On reaching home, the best treatment to subject them
to is to pot them all separately in the smallest pots
their roots can be got into, with cocoa-nut fibre alone
or the fibre of good peat or leaf-mould, and shut them
up in a frame, and keep only moderately moist until
they start into growth. As at this early stage of the
study I may suppose you do not know how to pot them
and restore their energies, I will endeavour to point out a
simpler mode of procedure. Find a very shady place
in the garden and there make a bed of leaf mould or
peat soil, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and plant the ferns
in it as close together as possible. Then cover them

Fern Collecting. 7

with bell glasses or common hand lights, and sprinkle
them with water every evening, but take care not to
make them very wet at the roots. They will soon
begin to grow. In the spring following you may plant
them in the fernery.

Small ferns found growing on rocks and walls must
always be carefully dealt with. The little maidenhair
spleenwort will sometimes send its black wiry roots
quite through the substance of a nine-inch or fourteen-
inch wall, and to remove it with complete roots is then
quite out of the question. By loosening a portion of
its hold just below the crown of the plant, roots
may generally be obtained sufficient to enable it to
re-establish itself under cultivation. A strong chisel
and a hammer will be required in undertakings of this
sort, and it may be well to add a little discretion also,
especially as to extent to which walls — the property of
somebody — are to be injured for the sake of a tuft of
fern worth but a few pence, and of which specimens
may be obtained more easily by further search without
any necessity for the infliction of damage. Ferns found
growing on and amongst rocks should always, if possi-
ble, be obtained with portions of the rock to which they
are attached. If this cannot be accomplished, care-
fully tear the plant from the rock in a way to injure
the roots as little as possible; good pieces will soon
emit roots and fronds if properly treated, especially if
kept moist by packing in moss or sphagnum from the
first moment of obtaining the specimen. Allow me to
remark, further, that the passion for fern collecting has
in many instances been carried to a ridiculous excess

8 The Fern Garden*

by persons who merit the title not of fern collectors so
much as fern destroyers. Let every genuine lover of
ferns be on his guard both to discourage reckless fern
collecting, and protect as far as possible the few re-
maining localities of scarce British ferns. It is nx)t
many years since I saw amongst a heap of dried mosses,
ferns, grasses, &c., in the possession of a lady, a sheet
of Tunbridge fern nearly a yard square. This had been
torn from its native site, carefully rolled up like a piece
of old blanket, and put away, and was afterwards
brought forth as a trophy, and preserved as a memo-
rial of the days " when we went gipsying.^^ The value
of that sheet when fresh might have been about £5,
and no doubt any nurseryman could make a larger sum
of a good square yard of the Tunbridge fern. Such reck-
less destruction, such base contempt for the value set
upon a rare fern by those who understand its history
and its habits, and appreciate the interest that arises
out of its beauty and rarity combined, is to be con-
sidered as a crime ; and though there is no law to
punish the perpetrator, except in cases where there
mi gilt be an action for trespass or wilful damage, it is
the duty of every conservator of our native flora to visit
crimes of this kind with the sternest disapprobation,
accompanied with truthful explanations of the injury
done alike to natural scenery and to science by such
acts of spoliation.

If you can dig up ferns in early spring, you may
plant them in your fernery at once, and if shaded
for a time and frequently sprinkled with water, taking
care always not to make the soil about them very wet,

Fern Collecting. 9

they will soon begin to grow vigorously,, and after that
patience is the only quality required on your part to
ensure your proper reward.

You will soon learn to distinguish ferns from all
other plants when you meet with them. When you
find a fern, take notice of the soil and situation it is
growing in, and in attempting its cultivation imitate
those conditions as nearly as possible. The pretty
wall rue spleenwort loves to grow in the full sun, upon
and amongst sandstone rocks. You will see plenty
of it on the approaches to the Suspension Bridge at
Clifton, and vou mav find the common maiden-hair

y w •■

spleenwort keeping it company if you look sharp. It
is in the shady, dank, almost dripping hollow, or on the
slope of a water- course, that you are most likely to
find the lovely lady fern, the hard fern, and the royal
Osmund, yet these will sometimes make a bonuy show
upon dry banks beside a dusty highway, where, perhaps,
for miles the common lastrea is the prevailing fern of
the district. In Epping Forest there are thousands of
pollard trees on the awkward stems of which are
perched, like wreaths of honour, tufts of the common
polypody. I used when a boy to tear them ofi" to line
my basket with when birdnesting, for that forest was
my playground. If you want to see the bracken you
need not travel far, but if you would cultivate it you
must notice that it grows to its grandest stature on
mellow, yellowish loam, and is rather poor and stunted
on sand and peat, though not always so. Observe
always how they look when they are at home, and
thereby learn to persuade them to believe themselves

10 The Fern Garden,

at home when you have planted them in the garden.
Some thrive on perpendicular walls of stone and brick,
others in the moist woodland shade, others on the bleak
mountain top, and many a glorious group may be
found on the sides and roofs of caverns, which they
make like fairy palaces with their green feathery
plumes and golden dottings of mysterious fruit.
However many lessons you may learn of the habits of
the several kinds of ferns, there should be one lesson
impressed upon your mind more deeply than any — it
is this, that, much as they love moisture, it is a most
rare thing to see a fern growing with its roots naturally
in water. When they congregate, as it were, to drink
of the brook that passes by, they keep their feet clear
away from the current, and lodge safely on the slopes
that dip towards the water; or stand proudly upon
little islets that compel the stream to sing as it passes
them ; or on banks and hummocks round about where
they can enjoy the tiny splashes the trout make when
they leap for flies, and the soft nourishing vapour that
rises day and night amongst their shining fronds.
Yes, it is upon slopes mostly that ferns love to grow ;
in places where water rarely lodges, but where moisture
is abundant, and there is some shade against the noon-
day summer sun. Note all you see of the whereabouts
and ways of your favorites, and you will find that
there is a better book on fern-growing than the one
you are now reading — it is the Book of Nature.

How to form an Outdoor Fernery, 11

CHAPTER III.

HOW TO FORM AN OUTDOOR FERNERY.

O keep up your interest in the subject, make a
fernery at the very outset, even if you do not
know the names of half a dozen ferns. If
you cannot go collecting you may be able to dip into
the tempting basket of the itinerant fern vendor, who
is sure to be able to supply you with the Male fern,
or Lastrea Filix mas, which is the hardiest of all, and
will grow almost anywhere; the Lady fern, or Athyrium
Filix foemina ; the Hard fern, or Blechnum spicant; and
the Hartstongue fern, or Scolopendrium vulgare. With
these four you can make a good beginning. It is
usual to construct the outdoor fernery of some sort of
" rockwork/' and for two good reasons^ first, because
the forms and hues of ferns are more effectually dis-
played when their bright green tufts rise out of grey
stones or dark burrs from the brick kiln; second,
because they thrive better, when planted in gardens, if
their roots are protected from excessive evaporation by
the covering of the soil with stones and vitreous masses.
Many a tiny fernery do I see in my travels placed at
the entrances to country villas and cottages, where I
should never think of placing them, yet they look
quiet and pleasing, and suggest to all passers by that

12 The Fern Garden.

those who planted them did their best to vindicate the
quiet beauties of God's great harvest^ knowing that for
more demonstrative forms of vegetable splendour vindi-
cation was unnecessary. When little ferneries like
these are constructed^ only the commonest and most
robust-growing ferns should be planted in them. Gene-
rally speaking; the common soil of the place will do^ but
if a quantity of leaf mould or cocoa-nut fibre can be
mixed with it the better. If there is any doubt about
the soil of the place being suitable; get some sandy or
peaty earth from a common where ferns and heather
are found in plenty^ and have enough to raise the
position above the general level, then cover it with
stones or burrs, and plant the ferns between. There
are sorts well adapted for this simplest form of fernery,
namely, the four just named, as likely to be found in
the fern dealer's basket, and the following : — tlie
Bracken or Brake, Pteris aquilina, the Broad Prickly
Buckler fern, Lastrea dilatatay the royal Osmund, Os-
munda regalis, the common Polypody, Polypodium vuU
gare, the Common Shield fern, Polystichum aculeatum.
Many more may be added if the soil is a mellow, frial)le
yellow loam, with plenty of sand in it, but it will be
well to get a little used to ferns before launching out
into grand speculations. AVhen you have had some
practice in this humble way, and have, perhaps, suc-
ceeded in growing a few ferns in pots in a frame or in
a fern case in the drawing-room, you "-vill become am-
bitious, and resolve on having a grani fernery, with,
perhaps, a model of a ruin for the main feature of the
scheme.

How to form an Outdoor Fernery. 13

Outdoor ferneries are usually formed of tree roots
and banks of earth, picturesquely disposed and planted
with ferns severally adapted to the sites and positions
the schenie affords. Where there are living trees on
or near the spot (and the shade of large trees is desir-
able), the use of roots is objectionable, because of the
quantities of fungi which are sure to be produced, the
mycelium from which may find its way among the
living roots and commit vast havoc. But even this
danger is worth risking sometimes in cases where roots
and butts are plentiful on the spot, and it is undesirable
to incur any great expense. The foundation of all
banks and earth-works for ferns should be good loam
or clay, into which many of the stronger-growing kinds
will send their roots when well established. But the
upper crust and the stuff for filling in between roots,
burrs, &c., should consist of half peat and half silky
yellow loam, or some mixture which nearly approxi-
mates in character to such a combination. Thus, good
loam with well-rotted cocoa-nut fibre, or loam mixed
with yellow leaf-mould and manure that has lain by three
or four years till rotted to powder. It is best to com-
plete the structure and fill in all the more important
places intended for soil before inserting any of the
plants, for the simple reason that the work must be
firm, the soil well rammed in, and the whole of the
scheme so substantial that there will be no fear of any
portion shrinking away afterwards, and leaving the
roots of the ferns without soil, or causing hollows and
crevices between the blocks and the banks into which
they are set.

u

The Fern Garden.

How to form an Outdoor Fernery.

15

My own outdoor fernery was figured and described
in the 'Floral World '' of January, 1867. It consists
of walls and arches forming a sort of ruined bastion.
It is entirely built of '^ burrs ^' from the brick kiln,
which is the best material for the purpose in districts
where rough stone is not to be obtained. All the walls
are double, and filled in with strong loam, and, of
course, are roughly built, with many crevices and hollows,
in which the ferns are planted. These walls may be
likened to cases containing earth which is fully exposed
on the summit to the weather, and consequently may
be regarded as another kind of banks. The annexed
diagram will give an idea of the principle of construc-
tion, though straight lines of course convey no idea
of their form.

GEOr>"T>

inrE.

Where the walk passes through the bastion, the walls
rise clear out of the srravel, but all round in the bavs
and inlets mounds of earth are raised against them, as
would be the case in a real ruin, from the accumulation
of rubbish. As a hint of the rough construction of
the walls, and the nature of the effects produced, here
is a " bit " of scenery from the bastion, from a " photo,"

16 The Fern Garden.

shoTring how the bracken grows on the rubbish heaps in
nooks amongst the walls. The whole scheme is planted
with ferns, and various flowering Alpine and rock
plants, every position having forms of vegetation suited
to it. Thus, at the base, where the walk passes through,
there are great tufts of lastrea and lady fern ; on the
summit^ crowning the work, and rooting into the great
mass of earth, the common polypody thrives as bravely
as on the pollard alders and oaks in Epping Forest.
High up in dry positions, on the face of the wall, grow
the Wall Rue, Asplenium rut a-mur aria, the Maidenhair
spleenwort, Asplenium trichomanes , with many varieties
of sempervivum, sedum, thyme, and other plants that
love such positions. On the smaller knolls, and in
half-shaded bays, where there is a good depth of earth,
may be seen lovely tufts of the Parsley fern, Allosorus
crispus, the most choice tasselled varieties of Harts-
tongue, the delicate Bladder fern, Cystopteris fragilis.
On the banks around, the giant bracken towers up
a^ove our heads, and other ferns of large growth con-
gregate in rich masses.

My bastion is part of a screen formed to separate the
pleasure division of the garden from the experimental,
and with it are connected a number of features, such
as a rustic house used as a summer reading-room, a
bee-house, some great tree butts planted with ferns,
ivies, and grasses. I am satisfied that where space can
be afforded che imitation of a ruin is the best possible
central idea out of which to develop a fernery.

We shall have to refer to rockeries again in various
ways, but as I am resolved to make no long, tedious

How to form an Outdoor Fernery, 17

chapters if I can help it, I will here offer a few general
advices on the formation of ferneries out of doors.

Provide as many aspects and degrees of declivity as
possible within certain limits. One slightly irregular
bank is to be preferred to a number of paltry ins and
outs^ but if you have space and materials sufficient, let
the work be somewhat intricate in order to obtain a
variety of conditions to suit the various habits of the
ferns you intend to grow.

Large bodies of soil are absolutely necessary, as it
is impossible to keep the roots moist enough during
the hottest months of the year if they are in shallow
soil, of which a large surface is exposed to the atmo-
sphere. It is particularly important to bear this in
mind in constructing the walls of a ruin, if it is in-
tended to plant ferns on or in the walls. A space of
one foot clear, filled in with earth, between the two faces
of the wall, is the least that should be allowed in the
smallest construction of the kind ; two or three feet of
earth will be required in a ruin of dimensions large
enough to serve as a garden-house or reading-room.

Aim at wildness and apparent neglect in the arrange-
ments up to a certain point. Dirt and disorder are
as injurious to the ferns as to the morals of those who
encourage such things, but primness is not desirable
in a fernery ; the effects should tend towards the rustic
rather than to the refined, and the materials used
throughout should be of the quietest colours ; no ^qw
gaws, no plaster casts, no blocks of coral or shiny
shells should be mixed up with the work.

Robust-growing ferns planted on banks and mounds

2

18 The Fern Garden,

of good mellow loam will scarcely want cultivating.
Pretty well the best vou can do for them is to leave
them alone. But those elevated on pinnacles and in
other positions where they are likely to get very dry
must have the aid of water, not only in summer but in
winter, also on every occasion when dry weather prevails
for any length of time. Many plants so situated perish
by desiccation during the prevalence of east winds in
March, when because the weather is gold and they are
not growing, the cultivator is apt to think water un-
necessary ; or rather he is apt not to think about the
ferns or the water at all.

Small-grrowinc^ delicate habited ferns that are in ex-
posed positions on rockeries should have protection
during severe frost. A flower-pot may be inverted
over them or a little clean hay may be placed over
their crowns and kept from blowing away by means of
a few pegs, or cocoa-nut fibre or sand may be heaped
up round and over them, to be taken away of course
when the crowns begin to throw up new fronds in
spring. Always wait for mild moist weather to remove
such protection, for if the swelling crown is suddenly
exposed to a cutting east wind, it may shrivel and
perish, instead of throwing up its emerald tassels in
token of the return of the tender spring.

Thus far we have considered outdoor ferneries as
superstructures. TV'e might have regarded them as
substructures. At all events, I should like for an old
quarry to become mine some day that I might make a
fernery of it ; and perhaps lacking a quarry, I may be
tempted to throw myself into a gravel pit, and by a
little hard work and patience make a fern garden of it.

Cultivation of Rock Ferns^ 19

CHAPTER IV.

CULTIVATION OF ROCK FERNS.

JOU have taken notice when fern collecting that
many of the smaller kinds are only found on
rocks and old walls, or, at all events, are never
found in damp hollows or in places over much sheltered
from the sun and the breeze. Now^ all such ferns
require peculiar treatment, and as you advance in
practice the rock and wall-loving varieties will probably
interest vou more than all the rest.

The first requisite to success is to plant them where
it is impossible for water to become stagnant about
their roots. In planting them on a rockery it is a good
plan to take out a quantity of the soil frcnn the place
where the fern is to be, and introduce soil specially pre-
pared for it.

In preparing the stations put a lot of broken bricks
or broken flower-pots and small stones into the holes,
and upon these let there be full nine inches depth of
the compost, and let it be raised into a hillock.

Nearly all the ferns of this class will thrive in a
mixture of equal parts of yellow loam of a silky nature,
fibrous peat or the top crust of sandy soil from a com-
mon where the ling and the brake grow together. There
must be full one fourth of sand in the mixture, but the

20 The Fern Garden.

loam or peat may contain as much as that, and no more
need be added. If the loam and the peat are both of
an unctuous nature, add sharp sand in quantities equal to
one fourth or even one third of the bulk, and mix all well
together. Never use sifted soil for ferns (except in the
case of seedlings, to be spoken of in a future chapter),
but have all lumps broken to the size of walnuts or
hazel nuts, and mix fine and coarse together.

In planting the ferns, those that have a creeping
rhizome or root stock must be slightly covered, and it
may be necessary to fix them in their places with a few
pegs. Do not cover them deeply, only so much in fact
as to prevent exhaustion of the rhizomes by drying
winds until they can make fresh roots, by which time
the frequent sprinklings they are subjected to will have
washed the mulching ofi^ the rhizomes, which will then
be left in their natural position on and not in the soil.

It will be well perhaps to make a few remarks on
the species which come into this group. Allosorus
crispus, the mountain parsley fern, makes a charming
tuft on a rockery ; it is fond of stone, and abhors
damp. I find that a mixture of equal parts peat, de-
cayed cocoa-nut fibre, and broken pots or broken hearth-
stone suits admirably. It must be shaded, or the new
growth soon goes rusty.

Asplenium adiantum nigrum, the black maidenhair
spleenwort, is rarely met with but in positions elevated
above the ground ; it greatly needs shade and shelter,
and will thrive in any peaty mixture, or in broken
pots alone.

Asplenium ruta muraria, the wall rue, requires a very

Cultivation of Rock Ferns. 21

dry and open position, and will do well in a mixture of
two thirds broken bricks and chalk, and one third
sandy peat. Stagnant moisture will be speedy death
to this fern, but it must have daily sprinklings while
growing to promote free growth.

A. septentrionale, the forked spleenwort, should always
be grown in an elevated position for the sake of the
protection thereby afforded it against slugs and wood-
lice, which rarely get into the higher parts of mural
ferneries. Being very small, it may be easily lost when
planted on banks or level ground ; but in a suitable
pocket in a sheltered nook in a wall or ruin, it makes
a very pretty and interesting patch.

Asplenium trichomanes, the common maidenhair
spleen wort, and A. virides, the green spleenwort, are
superb wall ferns, and in fact they rarely do well
under cultivation except when planted out in an
elevated and well-drained position. The soil should be
equal parts sandy peat, yellow loam, and broken bricks,
and the plants should be planted firmly, with their
crowns slightly above the surface.

Ceterach officinarum, the scale fern, is essentially a
wall or rock fern, and a very beautiful and interesting
species. Confinement and damp are most prejudicial
to this fern, and when planted on a rockery under glass
the most airy position safe against drip should be chosen.
Any good sandy soil will suit it.

Cystopteris montana^ the mountain bladder fern, re-
quires peculiar care. Select for it a position thoroughly
sheltered and shaded, and prepare for it a station with
a stratum of broken bricks for drainage, and over that

22 The Fern Garden.

six inches of a mixture consisting of sandy peat, sphag-
num, and broken sandstone or common hearthstone.
Plant in the centre of the station, and place a bell- glass
over ; keep constantly moist, and give air periodically.
When it is well established, remove the glass, and leave
it to take care of itself. If the fernery is supplied with
a stream of water, Cystopteris montana is one of those
which should be planted on a ledge of rock where it
can have the benefit of a daily trickling of water over
its rhizomes.

Lastrea montana — the hay-scented fern, better known,
perhaps, as L. oreopteris — requires similar treatment to
that recommended for Cystopteris montana, but should
have a soil more inclining to loam. It can scarcely
have too much water, provided the position in which it
is planted admits of it readily flowing away.

Polypodium vulgare, the common polypody, will grow
in almost any position except in a sheer marsh, and
there it soon perishes. When growing wild in the
woods, whether on pollard trees or moist banks, it is
invariably found rioting in deposits of leaf-mould and
wood rotted to powder. Pure cocoa-nut fibre, or equal
parts of the fibre and mellow loam, pure leaf-mould,
and very dry, tough, fibry peat, in which there are old
hummocks of grass, are soils that suit this fine fern to
perfection. It will bear sunshine well, but grows more
luxuriantly in the shade. In a very dry position where
no water can lodge about it, but sprinkled daily all the
summer, this fern will attain to grand dimensions, and
be one of the most beautiful in the collection all through
the autumn and winter months.

Cultivation of Rock Ferns.

23

Polypodium Robertianum, the limestone polypody,
requires a dry position, and a mixture of sandy loam
and chalk.

Woodsia ilvensis, the oblong AVoodsia, must have
shade and shelter : and the most perfect drainaoe.
Make a little hollow of broken bricks, or other porous
substances. Fill with a mixture of yellow loam and
silver sand. In this the plant will luxuriate.

G-EOrP OF S:C0T.OPEVT>"RTr:\I'=! ox EOCir-TVOElI.

24 The Fern Garden.

CHAPTER V.

CULTIVATION OF MARSH FERNS.

HIS will be a very short chapter, just because
there are no marsh ferns. I remarked as much
in Chapter III, and pointed out that the most
moisture- loving of them managed usually to keep out
of the water. But you may wish to plant some ferns
beside a stream, or on an islet, or near a fountain, or
in some other peculiarly damp position, and it will be
proper here to name the most suitable.

Osrtiunda regalis, the royal fern, delights in moisture,
especially if it is growing in a great bed of spongy
peat. "With such aids and a warm climate it will
overtop the tallest man, but if it only attains a height
of five feet, it is a noble object, as much like a palm
as any plant of English growth.

Athyrium FUix foemina^ the lady fern, delights in a
similar position. This has no palm-like aspect, but is
rather to be compared with a plume of ostrich feathers
of the most intense and delicate tint of yellowish green.

Lastrea thelypteris, the female buckler fern, is another
charming species for a very damp position, and it spreads
fast, literally carpeting the ground with pale greyish-
green most delicately textured fronds.

Blechnum spicant, the hard fern, will attain grand

Cultivation of Marsh Ferns.

25

dimensions, and produce abundance of fruitful fronds
in damp spongy peat. I never saw this and the Osmunda
grow so grandly as in a wet gully I struck upon once
when fern hunting in a wood near Oakshot in Surrey.
There the Osmund was my equal in stature, and the
fruiting fronds of the blechnum just reached my chin.
It was a very damp spongy spot, yet the ferns stood a
little above the water line.

Charming plants to associate with the moisture-loving
ferns are the Equisetums or Horsetails. Get Equisetum
sylvaticum if you can, and plant it in wet spongy peat
in a sheltered nook, and you will have a bit of vegeta-
tion that will make you proud of the land of which
it is a native, — that is, if you happen to be a true
Britisher, which the plant is, — if not, be glad now and
then that you came here, for if this is not in anv
especial manner the land of ferns, it is at all events the
land of people who love them.

ATHYEiril TELIX FCEMINA, YAK. FEIZELLI^.

26 The Fern Garden.

CHAPTER VI.

FERNS IN POTS,

|ET US now make another advance in practice.
Ferns are beautiful objects when well grown as
pot plants. To grow them well in pots de-
mands more care and skill than growing them in the
rockery, because there they, for the most part, take
care of themselves. But pot plants are at all times
more dependent on the cultivator, and must have con-
stant attention. If you fail at first do not be dis-
couraged, for the practice is attended with but few
difficulties. Begin with a few of the commonest, and
do not make a rush at rare varieties, until you have
got your hand and your mind in the work. It is a
great secret of success in cultivating any particular
class of plants to get used to them.

There is a whole volume of philosophy in the last
sentence, and it applies directly and peculiarly to the
subject now before us. Whoever hopes to succeed in
fern growing must first grow a few in order to get
used to them, and having got used to them opera-
tions may be extended and money may be spent
with some prospect of remuneration; but whoever
attempts too much at first will find that eff'ort and
money and hope and enthusiasm have been wasted,
for disappointments in the early stages of a pursuit

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Ferns in Pots. 27

are ten times more dispiriting than when they occur
after we have been rewarded with many successes.

Suppose the beginner in fern growing to take in
hand a dozen species only; what shall they be? I
should recommend the following : — Lastrea Filix ?nas,
Lastrea dilatata, Polystlchum aculeatum, Polystichum
angulare, Poly podium vulgare, Polypodium dryopteris,
Athyrium Filix foemina, Asplenium marinum, Scolo-
pendrium vulgare, Cyrtomium falcatum, Woodwardia
radicans, Lomaria chiliensis. These are among the
cheapest and most easily procured. The first eight of
them are British^ and the remaining four foreign.
Supposing them to be all small nursery plants, they
might all be potted in five-inch pots, or what are termed
48's, but the size of the pot must depend upon the
size of the plants, and that size will suit which will
take their roots without cramping them, and allow very
little space beyond. Fine specimens can be grown
with more certainty by shiftinor them into largrer and
larger pots as the plants increase in size, beginning
with pots as small as possible without cramping the
roots, than by putting them into large pots in the first
instance. The soil that would suit all these would be
such a mixture as the following : one part peat, con-
sisting of the top slice of turf, and which consists
chiefly of the fibre of fine grasses, the roots of heaths,
decayed moss, &c. This must be chopped up the size
of walnuts. One part friable yellow loam of a clean
silky texture, such as will crumble to powder between
the fingers, and yet scarcely soil them even when it is
moderately damp. If this is full of fibre of grass turf,

28 The Fern Garden,

and has the fleshy roots of brake intermingled with it,
all the better. Such loam as this is very abundant,
indeed it generally prevails where the brake grows
luxuriantly in the hedgerows. One part thoroughly
decayed leaf mouldy which should be black and gritty,
free from fungus, and from bits of iron and other rub-
bish which gardeners too often allow to get mixed up
with it. One part silver-sand. Mix these ingredients well
together; break all lumps to the size of walnuts; do
not sift it, and do not on any account endeavour to
make it fine like dust. Indeed, a compost as fine as dust
will not grow any plant to perfection. When prepared,
the sand should be visible throughout the mass, giving
it a grey hue and a granular appearance. It should
be only moderately moist, not wet, free from large
stones, and have a pleasant feel in the hand. Now
draw to one side a heap of the toughest and largest
pieces of fibre and loam from the mixture; this we
shall call rough stuff. Next lay ready for use a small
heap of green moss, or, if not green, tolerably tough
and fresh, that is to say, not rotten. Next break up
a lot of flower-pots to the size of crown-pieces, and
another lot to the size of peas. The last job prepara-
tory to potting is to have new or quite clean pots. If
they are not clean inside and out, the ferns will not
thrive, and if they did we should not like them for it.

The process of potting is very simple, yet it is usually
badly done by beginners. First place over the hole
in the pot a picked potsherd, hollow side downwards ;
then lay, also hollow side downwards, a few pieces all
round, to cover the bottom of the pot, and then add a

Ferns in Pots. 29

good handful of the smallest potsherds. Next spread
a thin layer of moss^ then a thin layer of the rough
stuffy and then take the fern in the left hand and place
it with the crown in the centre, level with the rim of
the pot, and allow the roots to spread, so that when
earth is put upon them they will not be cramped up in
a bunch. Take the compost in the right hand, and
pour it in all round till the pot is full, and then with
the thumb of each hand press it down, turning the pot
round in so doing, adding more soil as required, so
that when finished there will be half an inch of space
between the soil and the top edge of the pot. There
is a golden rule for success in growing any kind of
plant in a pot, and it is to pot firm. Do not be afraid
to press the earth in round tbe roots, and give the pot
a tap on the board at the finishing touch ; when potted
loosely, no plant can thrive.

Now, what are we to do with this dozen of ferns ? I
propose that we fit up a frame to face the north in some
quiet corner of the garden, and that we make no boast
about our ferns until they have had one yearns growing
at least. We want a dry spot, rather sheltered; the
soil on which the frame is to stand should be covered
with coal ashes, and be easy of access at all seasons.
Suppose we have potted them from the 30tli of IMaroh
to the 1st of May — ferns may be potted at any time,
but when they are just starting into new growth is the 5)
best time — the next question is, What shall we do with
them ? It is but little they require ; first place them
in the frame, next water them with a common watering-
pot with a fine rose on the spout. When you get used

80 The Fern Garden.

to ferns,, you may water them without the rose,, unless
you wish to wet the fronds, but you must use the rose
now, because, as you are not used to them, you might
wash half the earth out of the pots by a sudden dash
of water, a contingency not possible when the rose is
used in watering. All through the summer these plants
will want a little water every other day at least, and it
should be given so as to wet the fronds all over, and
moisten the soil without drenching them. In very hot
and very dry weather daily watering will be necessary,
and in the very hottest weather you may water twice a
day with benefit.

Not less important is the giving of air and light. If
the frame faces north, the light may be stood up on
end, leaning against the back, so as to form a sort of
south wall to the plants, and a mat hung on it, or a
breadth of canvas tacked to it will render it efficient to
screen off the full blaze of sunshine. If this cannot
be done, put the light in its place, lay a mat upon it
and draw it down, and tilt it slightly with blocks of
wood or empty flower-pots, so as to allow a current of
air to pass through. In this state it is to remain from
the 1st of May to the 1st of September, during the day
time only. Every evening — at sunset or earlier — draw
the light oflP altogether, that the plants may have the
full daylight as long as it lasts, the dews all night, and
the full daylight again in the morning till about
9 a.m.

On the 1st of September your plants will have a
most luxuriant appearance, and the pots will be
crammed full of roots. Shift them all into pots the

Ferns in Pots. 31

next size larger without breaking their balls of roots,
and let the operation be performed in precisely the
same manner as already described. Take ofiF the
shading, and give the plants very much air both day and
night for another month. During very bright sunshine
shade them for an hour or two ; but let them have the
sunshine morning and evening, and the night dew.
Continue to water as before, but give less and less, so
that by the 1st of October they will be watered only
once a week. After that date, until frost occurs, shut
them up at night, take off the light all day, and once
a week pour water gently over their crowns, sufficient
to make the crowns moist, but not to sodden the soil
in the pots. When frost occurs, throw a few mats on
the light; if the frost increases in severity, take off
the lightj and strew dry hay amongst the plants, taking
particular care to cover their crowns with this protect-
ing^ material. Put the liorhts on, lav some drv straw or
hay on the glass, and then lay a good mat over all.
If you neglect these precautions, you will probably
not lose tiny of your plants, for they are all hardy;
Due the effect of frost upon them will be that they will
be a week or two later in growing in spring than if they
had been protected, and so I must insist on protection
as necessary.

Whenever the weather is mild, or the frost only
amounts to a few degrees at night, continue to pour alittle
water over the crowns once a week; in fact, that operation
is only to be suspended when the weather is really severe.
Give air as often as possible, never allow them to become
thoroughly wet, and keep them safe from being frozen.

3a The Fern Garden.

The majority of amateur fern growers allow their pot
plants to go dry as dust all winter, and the consequence
is that they grow very poorly in the early part of the
following season ; in fact, scarcely grow at all till June,
by which time their new fronds ought to be all com-
pleted. It is a grand secret of success to keep their
crowns freely moistened all the winter long.

The next best time to shift them will be the 1st of
March. Proceed as before, using pots one size larger.
You will now have fine specimens. The frame will no
longer hold them. You must either build a green-
house to keep them in, or you must have a pit of suffi-
cient depth to give them head room, or you must make
a rockery and plant them all out in it, or you must
divide them all by splitting them asunder with a knife
right through the crown, and pot all the pieces, or you
must sell them and retire on the proceeds. It cannot
be my business what becomes of them after this date ; it
suffices that I have made a fern grower of you, and you
will be enabled to understand and practise all the direc-
tions and suggestions on fern growing which you may
find in this volume or any other that may be worth
referring to. You will have learnt that a clean, granular,
peaty, fibrous soil ; a rather still, warm^ and moist at-
mosphere, and shade from sunshine, are the principal
essentials to success in fern growing, and to make short
of this part of the paper, I may as well say that you
have very little more to learn in the way of principles ;
if you are ever to excel in fern growing, it will be owing
to the use you make of observation and experience in
carrying those principles into effect.

The Fern House, 33

CHAPTEU VII.

THE FERN HOUSE.

E are now becoming ^^ expensive and hard to
please/^ We want a fern house — oh dear !
how our wants increase with increase of know-
ledge and advance of taste. Any man could live con-
tented on just double the amount of income he has
already, and the fern grower at any time could promise
to be satisfied if he could be sure of advancing from a
frame to a house, or from a house to another and a larger
house, and from such ferns as anybody could grow in
a modest cool fernery to tree ferns of gigantic growth,
and the gorgeous Leptopteris superha, which is perhaps
the loveliest fern in the world, and rather too dear as
yet, and needing too much care for the humble fern
grower ever to dream about it.

By a fern house I mean some sort of cave or rockery
covered with glass and with or without heating apparatus.
The best example of a fernery of this sort I know of,
to which the public have access, may be seen at Messrs.
Veitch and Sons' nursery, Chelsea. It is truly a garden
with gravel walks amidst rocks and waterfalls, and on
every hand the ferns present themselves in sheets of
delicious verdure or in waving palm-like masses, or in
a glorious confusion of brake and lastrea intermingled

3

34

The Fern Garden,

as if the dryads themselves attended to the planting.
I could mention hundreds of private gardeners where
I have seen beautiful ferneries under glass, but the
reader vrould gain nothing by the list. Pardon my
boldness, but in truth I have scarcely met with a fernery
to surpass Mrs. Hibberd's in beauty and interest, though
it is on an extremely small scale. I will tell you some-
thing about it.

Given, a recess in the walls of a house, and what shall
we do with it ? It is of no use to put the question to
echo, who is represented as giving answers as required,
because an honest echo could only reply, " Do with it !''
which, at the best, would be ambiguous, and might be
supposed to mean, " Do away with it !^' In a certain
sense that is just what I have done; for, by converting
the recess into a fernery, it is a recess no more, but a
part and parcel of the garden, and yet not utterly sepa-
rated from the dwelling-house. Please allow a few
hap-hazard lines to represent the case in the first in-
stance. If you suppose A to be one side of the house,

4

and C another side, then B will be the recess or hole in
the wall requiring to be occupied in some way or other,
or by some construction to be blotted out. Letter A

The Fern House.

35

looks west, letter C north ; the garden-walk passes by
the side of the house along the line A, and past the gap
B ; and as long as that remains a gap^ it is abominably
ugly. It is twelve years ago siuce I filled up the gap B
with a lean-to greenhouse,, with the slope of the roof
looking westj and the door on the side which looks
north. Fig. 1 is the back wall of the house, fig. 2 the

end wall, fig. 3 the door, fig. 4 the front. This was at
first used as a small show-house, for, being easy of
access, always in sight, and in a shady position, it served
the double purpose of displaying a few good things in
a place where it was convenient to see them, and also,
by reason of its cool, shady position, keeping them
longer in perfection than they would have remained in

36 The Fern Garden.

any more sunny position. In the cut the house is
shown with a stage for flowering plants, as originally
constructed. In the course of time, some building and
planting took place a little way off towards the west,
and the nice gleam of sunlight that enlivened, the house
from 2 p.m. till sunset was effectually blocked out, and
the house became unfit for flowering plants. Instead
of bringing an action against the neighbour who de-
voured my sunshine,, I brought an action against myself,
and the verdict was, that the shady house should be
forthwith converted into a fernery. The stages were
removed, and in their place a rockery was built upon a
very simple plan, and which, considering the smallness
of the house, proves delightfully effective, as affording
at all seasons a beautiful scene, and very serviceable
arrangements for the growth of plants. I employed a
skilful bricklayer to do all the solid work, and, under
my direction, he faced the back and end walls of the
house (1 and 2) with a rugged mass of burrs from the
brick-field, rendering it somewhat like the interior of a
cave. The work was commenced at some little distance
from the wall, and gradually brought nearer and nearer
as it proceeded upwards, occasional large blocks being
firmly cemented to the wall, and strengthened with
holdfasts; and between the walls and the burrs good
loam was rammed in from bottom to top. Next the
iront wall (4) and the end (3) a low border was formed
with a facing of burrs, this border consisting of good
loam. No special device for drainage was resorted to,
and it has never been wanted ; a layer of broken bricks,
^out six inches deep, was put upon the tiles, and the

The Fern House, 37

soil thrown upon this rough bed. There is a trapped
sink leading to a drain in one corner of the house^ and
all superfluous water finds its way there quickly, as the
pavement slopes gently to it. The finish of the work
I did myself, and it occupied me, at odd times, about
four months^ the work being essentially amusing, though
attended with an occasional abrasion of the knuckles.
The task I had was to make the '^^ pockets'"* — openings
for the purpose being left at intervals in the work. I
made the '' pockets^^ and planted the ferns at the same
time. Some of the larger ones are planted in projecting
receptacles, just as the bricklayer left them; but gene-
rally speaking, I found it the best plan to stuff the
necessary soil into a chink or gap, then place the fern
in it, and, lastly, to introduce a piece of burr of suitable
size to close it in, and this was done with the help of
cement. I do not think I can profitably occupy further
space with remarks on the formative part of the affair;
details of this kind do not admit of being described
minutely ; all I can say in concluding this part of the
history is this, that I never did a better job in my life ;
for not only have the ferns and mosses planted in it
thriven amazingly, but the scene produced is exquisitely
beautiful and affords more than a suggestion of the
" Negligence of nature, wild and wide/*

It is of the utmost importance to inform the reader
that the house is not heated. It is remarkably"
proof against frost, which I attribute to the fact that
the back wall (1) forms one side of the drawing-room,
which iskept at a comfortable temperature all the winter,
and of course the wall itself is in winter alwavs warmer

38 The Fern Garden.

than the atmosphere outside the house. That frost
does get in, however, is certain ; the thermometer
several times indicated five to ten degrees of frost inside,
and when the case has become in any way serious,
Hays^s constant stove or Hinks's petroleum stove has
been set to work to keep all safe until the weather
changed for the better.

A fern house is a genuine luxury, which every lover
of ferns should have if possible. Amongst its many
advantages_, a few must be named as particularly worthy
of attention. It affords^ even without the aid of arti-
ficial heat, opportunity for growing a number of nearly
hardy ferns which need some protection, yet are not
much hurt if they have to endure a few degrees of frost.
Ferns of this class are numerous and extremely beau-
tiful. I will name four only now as a key to the rest
in illustration of this particular advantage — Woodwardia
radicans, Cyrtomium falcatura, Adiantum pedatum,
Todea pellucida. Another advantage is that if planted
only with the hardiest British ferns, they grow more
beautifully than the same sorts do in the open air.
As a winter garden and as a peculiarly charming scene
— if well done and well kept — the fern house is worth
something to a home bird, and as an amusement for
an invalid it is invaluable.

The management is a modification of that advised
for the outdoor fernery, but watering must be more
regularly performed, and if fast growing ferns run
riot and overrun the others they must be kept in check
by occasionally digging out their roots. Lastrea the-
lypteris and Onoclea sensibilis are likely to do this, but

The Fern House, 39

they are such lovely inmates of a cool fernery that you
cannot do without them.

During the summer the roof must be shaded with
thin " scrim" or " tiffany/^ or a smear of whitewash.
At all eventSj it will never do to allow powerful sun-
shine to shrivel up the tender growth and change the
glistening green to dingy brown, as it will do very soon
if there is no shading used.

A very small amount of ventilation will be required
if the house faces north, as it should do. A fern house
in a hot southern exposure would need abundance of
air, heavy shading and extra help from the garden
engine from the 1st of May to the 19th of September.
After the last-mentioned date it might be left alone for
ever, for one season^ s struggle against overwhelming
odds ought to be enough fo^ anybody. Choose or
make a shady place for your house, and then see that,
as the rockery is built up, there is a good body of earth
for the ferns to root into.

Constant attention will be requisite to keep the fern-
house as beautiful as it should be. Dead fronds must
be removed without injury to the young fronds that
are rising ; some ferns will need more water than others^
and in the height of summer the floor must be wetted
daily to cause humidity of the atmosphere.

The following ferns have prospered in the house
during the past twelve years, all of them having been at
times exposed to a few (say half a dozen) degrees of
frost. It must be borne in mind that they can better
endure frost if planted out than in pots.

40 The Fern Garden.

List or Ferns for planting out in a Greenhouse
Fernery :

Large Growing Ferns. — Woodwardia radicans and
W. orientalis. Plant these about five feet above the
ground^ that their drooping fronds may be seen to advan-
tage. Cyrtomium falcatunij a rigid grower, often and
appropriately called '*' the laurel fern.'^ Onoclea sensi-
bilis, suitable for a cool damp nook on the ground line,
as it is an upright grower ; under glass it is a magnificent
fern. Lomaria chilense, a rigid habited fern with bold
dark green fronds. Pteris flahellata, grand pectinate
fronds, of a vivid light green colour, suitable for a shelf
or bank three or four feet above the ground. Pteris
cretica albo-lineata, an upright grower, spreads freely
at bottom. Phlebodium sporodocarpum requires a well-
drained elevated ledge, from whence it will put forth
masses of tawny roots and handsome glaucous fronds,
Polystichum acrostichoides, a bold habit, and a good
companion to Lomaria chilense. Lomaria magellanica,
Lastrea intermedia, L. frondosa, L. Sieboldii, Asplenium
anguslifolium, Adiantum pe datum, Athyrium asplenioides,
A. tenuifrons, A. filix-foemina v. corymbiferum.

Medium Growers. — Davallia canariense, Asplenium
Michauxii, Adiantum cuneatum, A. assimile, A. affine,
A. formosum, Asplenium bulbiferum, A. anguslifolium,
A. athyrium filix foemina v. Frizellice, A.f.f. v. corym-
biferwti, A. f. f. v. crispum, Scolopendrium vulgare v.
crispum, S. v. v. alcicorne, S. v. v. ramosum, S. v. v,
ramo-cristatum (and a dozen others of the same series
desirable), Lastrea thelypteris, L. (Emula, L. Goldieana,
L. filix-mas v. cristata, Poly podium dryopteriSy P. aureum.

The Fern House. 41

P. phegopteriSf Platycerium alcicorne (suitable to sus-
pend on a block of wood ; it is almost hardy) . Todea
pellucida (this grows finely in a cool house^ if in a damp,
shady^ and still place ; wind it cannot endure) .

For Elevated Positions in the Fronts of Rock-
eries— that is to say, to grow as wall ferns, and all
requiring plenty of air : Asplenium trichomanes, A,
adiantum nigrum , A. marinumj Ceterach qfflcinarum,
Allosorus crispus (a sunny position near the door will
suit this and Asplenium trichomanes) , Polypodium
vulgare and its varieties, especially Cambricum and
Hibernica.

The most hardy of the tree ferns is Dicksonia
antarctica, which is as easy to grow as a common
lastrea, provided it has enough water.

For Baskets, take Pteris scaberula, Adiantum setu-
losum, Asplenium flabellifolium, Camptosorus rhizophyh
lusj Davallia pyxidata, Niphobolus lingua, and any of
the free- growing hardy ferns that run about freely, such
as Lastrea thelypteris and Onoclea sensibilis.

If you should wish to create in your house or out of
doors a constant trickling of water for the benefit of
some fountain -loving ferns or mosses, take any large
vessel, in the bottom of which you can break or bore r
small hole. Cover the hole with a flat tile, and over
that put two inches of the finest sand. Fill the vessel
with water daily, and it will run gently as long as there
is a drop left at the fountain head. If an ornamental
vase should be used fbr the purpose, it might be utilized
by placing in it a pot containing some semi-aquatic
plant.

42 The Fern Garden,

CHAPTER VIII.

THE FERNERY AT THE FIRESIDE.

HOU SANDS of amateur fern growers have
only a glass case in the sitting-room for a fern
garden. In the heart of a great city where
gardens are unknown, and even the graveyards are
desecrated by accumulations of filthy the fern case is
a boon of priceless value. It is a bit of the woodside
sealed down with the life of the wood in it, and when
unsealed for a moment it gives forth an odour that
might delude us into the belief that we had been sud-
denly wafted to some bosky dell where the '^ nodding
violet grows/' Before we go a step further it is but
just to the memory of a good man to call to mind that
for many years the structures now commonly called
" fern cases'' were known as " Wardian cases/' being
the invention of the late Mr. B. N. Ward, an eminent
surgeon, many years resident in Finsbury Circus, who
died at a ripe age in 1868. Peace to his memory ! He
not only added to the embellishments of the English
home and the recreations of English domestic life, but
his invention has been of incalculable service in the
introduction of valuable exotic plants to this country,
for if shut up close in Wardian cases they travel over

The Fernery at the Fireside.

43

sea far more safely than by any other system of pro-
tection.

The simplest form of a fern case is the bell-glass and
flower-potj of which the annexed sectional figure affords
an accurate representation. This particular form of
pot was invented by Mr. Fry, of Lee, and is made by

Mr. Pascall, a potter at Chiselhurst. It can be obtained
of the dealers in ferns, and forms a very neat table
ornament, as the pot is made of fine red ware and is
roughly ornamented.

Another form of the same Kind of tnmg consists of a
glass dish with rim and bell-glass, the whole very neatly
finished, and forming, if skilfully fitted, a most elegant
miniature fern garden.

Fern cases constructed of wood or metal frames, with
boxes or troughs for soil, have been made in endless

44

The Fern Garden.

variety^ yet for real utility and beauty of appearance
there are none so good as those of the simplest rec-
tangular outlines, such as may be readily obtained of any
of the leading dealers in such things. All things con-
sidered, the cases known as " Miss Maling^s/^ which

may be heated if required by means of gas flame or hot
water renewed periodically, are the best, because of their
extreme simplicity and the uninterrupted view they
allow of the interior. We are supposed to be great in
fern cases — I say we in the way of the organ blower in

The Fernery at the Fireside. 4^

vie story; but Sine qua Non is the master of them here;
Lnd they comprise cases of several kinds, some rather
gigantic in dimensions, besides vases fitted with lanterns
of plate glass, in which not only climbing ferns and ferns
of many other kinds, but climbing ivies, lycopodiums,
and such odd things as the artillery plant are grown.
I have had to make as well as furnish plant cases.
We have between us managed to exhibit a considerable
number, and step by step we have acqmred some very
definite ideas about them, which I shall endeavour to
set forth categorically.

In the case of fern shades which fit into glass dishes,
and which, as long as there is water lodged in the rim
into which the lower edge of the shade rests, are air-
tight, air must be given three times a week by removing
the shade altogether for an hour or so. This allows
the excess of moisture to dry off' the foliage, and prevents
mould ; and the glass getting dry in the meanwhile, it
is prepared to take up a fresh supply of moisture from
the soil when replaced, which is equivalent to a circula-
tion of water as well as a change of air. This air-
giving, however, must be regulated by discretion, for if
the air of the room is hot and dry sudden exposure of
the plants to it may do them harm. Moreover, it is a
very easy matter to remove the glass andforffet it, the
result being, perhaps, complete destruction of all the
more tender fronds, and the disfigurement of the afiPair
for a fortnight. Now, a very simple and expeditious
tnd effectual mode of ventilating consists in taking off
Ihe glass, wiping it dry and bright, and replacing it at
once. There is then no fear of forgetting it.

46 The Fern Garden.

It is important in choosing fern shades of this de-
scription to see that the glass dome fits loosely in the
pan which accompanies it. One of our shades, which
was a tight fit, was one day removed into a sunny-
window for a few hours to make room for some domestic
operations. The sun heated the air within the shade,
the expanded air had no means to escape, and it burst
the shade with a loud explosion into a multitude of
fragments. A guinea^s worth of glass was thus lost in
a moment, and a collection of Selaginellas placed in
jeopardy through neglect of this precaution.

Success in these matters often turns on points of
management that appears trifling; let me, therefore,
describe the process of planting a fern shade. If in-
tended for a winter ornament, it should be planted in
July or August, that the ferns may be established
before the decline of the season, and if they are ever-
green kinds they will have plenty of time to throw up
an abundance of fine fronds, which the liberal supply
of water from below, with regular ventilation, will
render luxurious and beautiful; and before winter
comes, the excess of moisture will be gone, but the soil
will hold enough to render watering almost unnecessary
until spring. In a large pan — say, six inches depth —
lav down two and a half inches of broken flower-
pots or cinders of the size of walnuts; on this lay
a thin coating of half-decayed moss or sphagnum.
Fresh green moss is apt to go sour or breed fungi, and
therefore it is preferable if it has been for some time
exposed to the action of moisture. Fill up to the level
of the rim with a mixture of turfy peat, small broken

The Fernery at the Fireside. 47

charcoal, and the siftings of broken pots, varying from
the size of a hazel-nut to that of a pea, with plenty of
silver-sand. I never measure the ingredients of any
compost, but the beginner may like to be saved from
doubt, and therefore let the proportions be taken as
follows : — Peat three parts, silver-sand one part, broken
charcoal and crock- siftings one part. This compost
should be broken up and mixed with the hand, and
should be in a free lumpy state. Ferns will never
prosper if the compost is sifted^ but a little of the
finest of it should be put aside to dress the surface
with when the planting is completed. Xow, take a
can of boiling water, and water the soil till you have
supplied enough to rise to the top of the drainage.
The water should be poured into the centre first to
warm the soil gradually ; poured against the glass
suddenly it may shatter it. I have used the boiling
water now for many years on every occasion of planting
a fern case, and have not vet had one accident. With
a little caution there is no risk. The use of the boiling:
water is to destroy every insect that may have escaped
your eye when breaking up the peat. It will not only
do that, but kill their eggs also, and equally make an
end of the seeds of weeds and the mvcelium of fungri :
all of which are enemies better got rid of at first than
to be hunted for when their ravages become a source of
alarm. The over cautious may of course scald or bake
the materials before filling the pan ; in that case they
must not be put in the pan until nearly dry again.

When the pan is nearly cold the ferns may be
planted, and the process of planting will consolidate

48 The Fern Garden,

the compost, so that it will, when all is finished, be an
inch below the edge of the pan, as it ought to be; it
may indeed go below that, and need filling up with
some i>M the finest of the mi«^ture, which should be
sprinkled over as a finishing toi ^/ft.

In any case of difficulty in ob 'aining pes^t of a friable
And fibrous textmie for fern cases, a mixture of equal
parts of cocoa-nut fibre refuse and charcoal dust will
answer admirably.

I could enumerate fifty groups of ferns ofi'hand
suitable for bell-glasses, but tastes differ, and the best
possible way to please yourself is first to obtain <
sufficient number of ferns of suitable kinds and arrange
them as you think best. I will, however, as my
journal of fern work is at hand while writing this, give
you the planting of a bell-glass measuring twenty-two
inches across which I once planted for a friend who knew
well how to manage these things, and who was pleased
to say that, though very fastidious on matters of taste,
she was well satisfied with my way of doing things.

In the centre Qheilanthes farinosa, the most accom-
modating of all the silver ferns. At regular distances
round it Adiantopsls radiata, Cheilaiithes tomentosa,
AspleniumfragranSj Asplenium vivipara, Pteris argi^ ^tea^
a -little silvery gem, Elaphoglossum brevipes, Doodia
lunulata. All over the surface, so as to quite cover it,
Selaginella apoda.

The following are six beautiful ferns adapted for
£,aass shades in the hands of beginners j in fact, if they
are not drowned with water, and have but a moderate
amount of light, they are sure \/s thrive even if n^»-

The Fernery at the Fireside. 49'

lected for weeks together. Asplenium marimim, the
sea spleenwort ; Doodia caudata, Scolopendrrum vulgare
ramo-marginatum, a tasselled variety of hartstongue;
Asplenium viride, the green spleenwort ; Adiantum
setulosum, Lomaria lanceolata.

Let us now consider the Fern case proper, and first
as to how it should be made.

Elegance is a prime requisite, but as tastes difi^er we
shall say but little on that point. The lighter the
structure consistent with safety the better. We do
meet with very ugly fern cases at times, and the ferns
within them are usually in a bad state of health. The
fact is, heavy framework and cumbrous ornaments
obstruct the light, and therefore ugly fern cases are,
as a rule, to be condemned for that reason, if for no
other.

A simple rectangular figure as indicated in the simple
sketch annexed is undoubtedly the best for ail general
purposes; moreover, this box-like form may be
made the basis of an elaborate design : out of it may
rise a miniature mosque or a Crystal Palace, as I have
shown by figures in the chapter on Fern cases in
'' Rustic Adornments.^^ A figure of the best fern case
we have ever had was published in the 1st volume of
the " Floral World ;" it is a handsome case made of
Ransome^s imperishable stone, surmounted by a taU
lantern.

At every step in designing and constructing it must
be borne in mind that ferns are to be grown in the
case, and, therefore, it must afi'ord access to light and
air, and egress for water.

4

50

The Fer?i Garden.

Accessibility to the ferns is of the utmost importance.
If the case is small it should be possible to lift off the
whole of the glass framework at any time. If too large

for that there should be doors on two sides, because in
reaching across from one side to plant a fern on the

The Fernery at the Fireside. 51

opposite side some mischief may be done. The case
figured on p. 50 may be taken to pieces in a few seconds,
as each sheet of glass is fitted in a separate frame, and
all the frames drop into grooves and are braced together
at the corners by means of small hooks and eyes. The
patent cases made by Gray of Danvers Street, Chelsea,
are of this make, and they have the additional advantage
of a boiler to afford warmth from below ; this boiler
requires to be filled only once or twice a day in winter
according to the severity of the weather. Ventilation
is easily effected without causing a draught by simply
tilting up the top glass.

It is a great convenience if a fern case can be
moved about without difficulty, and it is astonishing
what may be accomplished in this respect by the exer-
cise of forethought. For example, if you buy one of
Gray's cases it will be supplied on a miserable set of
legs with wooden castors, and even if a small one it
will be difficult to move it. But if you follow our plan
the difficulty vanishes, and you may take your fern cases
with you on your travels, or at all events wheel them from
room to room with a mere touch. The legs sent with
the case are converted into firewood, and the case is
put on a strong framework made by our own carpenter,
of which the annexed figure affords an accurate repre-
sentation, save and excepting one particular.

The frame figured is one on which stands a case
measuring three feet long, two feet high, and eighteen
inches wide. The frame consists of a skirting-board. A,
with neatly-moulded top edge, six inches in depth,
mounted on four neat but strong legs, which are fitted

52

The Fern Garden.

with large brass castors, all wooden and iron castors
being rubbish. From the ground to the top edge of
the skirting-board the measurement is seventeen inches.
The case does not stand on this frame, but in it, that is
to say, it rests on the half-inch ledge, B, which extends
all round inside, and which is added to at the corners
by the blocks, C, which are placed there to increase the
strength of the frame. The advantage of this mode of
mounting is not in appearance only, though that is of
some importance in an article intended for the adorn-
ment of a chamber. One important advantage is the
ease with which the case can be moved about ; an im-
moveable case is a nuisance except in some peculiar
circumstances. The engraver has forgotten to add the
castors.

That there should be means of escape for surplus
v/ater is desirable, but not absolutely necessary. The
experienced cultivator will never allow a fern case

The Fernery at the Fireside. 53

to become so saturated witli water as to be hurtful to
the health of the ferns ; but the beginner is almost sure
to fall into this error^ and the first disaster that occurs
is, nine times in every ten, to be attributed to a water-
logged condition of the roots. Make it a point to as-
certain, when purchasing a fern case, if there is any
perforation of the base to allow of the escape of water.
If there is none you must be the more cautious to avoid
charging the soil with excess of moisture. It is thought
to be impossible to provide drainage in those cases
which have boilers beneath, but I think it may be done,
and I hope some day to find time to carry out my
views.

For the benefit of mechanical and experimental
readers, here is my idea of a fern case combining means
of heating with effectual drainage.

I would go to the expense of having all the metal
work in copper well tinned ; it would be expensive, but
would last for ever. A, should be a trough for soil,
resting on a ledge all round the inside of the outer
wooden casing, and admitting of being lifted out at any
time. For the lifting there should be a ring attached
on each of the four sides. In the centre of this I would
insert a pipe, F, for escape of drainage, and this very
simple process makes an end of the principal difficulty.
The bottom of the trough might slope down every way
to the pipe, F, which would render its action more
efiectual. For the communication of heat I would have
a space, B, allowing a depth of two inches at least under
the bottom of the trough, and additional spaces under
the sloping ends of the trough. By increasing the

54

The Fern Garden

quantity of water so as to fill the ends as Tvell as the
bottom^ a maximum of heat would be obtained. Now,
to fill this reservoir need not be so ridiculous an affair
as it is at present ; my idea of the matter is to have a
whole side of the wooden frame removable at a touch,
so that we could get to the reservoir and fill it with as
much ease as one might fill a washing-tub. I have
shown a removable portion only of the end C. I must
leave it to the imagination of the inventive reader to
work out this point, confident that he will have no

A, trough containing soil for ferns ; B, reservoir for hot water ; C,
opening for filling reservoir; D, air pipe; E, tap to draw off water
from reservoir ; F, tap to draw off drainage water from soil ; G, stratum
of crocks for drainage.

difficulty in opening the side of the case so as to pour
water into the reservoir with some speed from a large
can, instead of dribbling it in as now in a way that
suggests that fern-growers ought to live for ever if only
for the sake of keeping their cases warm. The pipe, F,

The Fernery at the Fireside.

55

would have to be a fixture_, -with a close-fitting india-
rubber ring surrounding it "where it enters amongst the
crocks at the base of the trough^ A; this, of course,
prevents the water from B rising up amongst the soil

and flooding the ferns.

eoshee's feen pillar.

56

The Fern Garden.

CHAPTER IX.

MANAGEMENT OF FERN CASES,

HE Danger Signal is hoisted here to
attract attention. From first to last you
must guard against drowning your pets,
for that is the calamity that befals
thousands of ferns in cases. It is the
one only important point to be constantly
kept in mind, it is the only big rock you
will have to encounter in your pleasant
voynge of discovery round the room in
search of fern island. So long as the soil is moderately
damp water need not be given to the roots ; but at almost
any time a slight shower over the fronds by means of a
syringe will be beneficial. In winter the syringe must be
cautiously used, and if there are any gold or silver ferns
in the case, care should be taken to prevent a single
drop of water falling upon them, as the farina with
which they are covered ought never to be washed off.
Air must be given regularly and with judgment ; a brisk
breeze will do much mischief, and as dust is to be kept
out as much as possible, da not open your case while
sweeping is going on, or when, through open doors and
"windows, a young hurricane is enjoying his gambols.
Beautiful effects may be produced by a judicious use

Management of Fern Cases. 57

of mimic rockeries^ and they are useful as affording
elevated and well-drained sites for small ferns of delicate
growth. The best material for constructing rockeries,
arches, he, is common coke. It adds but little to the
weight, and it may be made to look like stone by
soaking it with water and sprinkhng it with Roman or
Portland cement. For the formation of irregular
mounds and to dot about amono;st the ferns to vary the
surface_, soft sandstone or rough and rather soft pieces
of brick burrs should be preferred, not only on account
of their suitable colours, but because they soon get
coated with natural growths of moss and add much to
the beauty of the little garden. But the grand thing
is to have a sufficiency of healthy ferns of handsome
varieties, evervthinor else must be made subsidiary to
that desideratum. Have good ferns and grow them
well, and you will not be greatly exercised about the
niceties of gimcrackery.

Vermin of many kinds occur in fern cases in spite of
all precautions ; mysterious nibblings of fronds are
noticed, sometimes the crown of a valuable plant will
be found eaten away. The marauders may be woodlice,
slugs, or the larvse of small beetles. Trap them, if
possible, by inserting fresh lettuce leaves in the chinks
you suspect they frequent. Or place slices of fresh
apple under tufts of moss. Examine the baits daily,
and keep them always fresh. If you can put a few
glowworms in a case infested with vermin, there will be
a rapid clearance made; toads are good vermin killers,
but they do not add to the beauties of the scene, and
they are apt to squat on the tender rising fronds of

58

The Fern Garden.

some delicate fern, and do more harm than good.
Green fly, or aphis, is rarely seen in fern cases, and
when it occurs it is usually a sign that there has
been neglect in giving air. The best way to remove

Or ^^^

ADIANTTJM SETULOSFM.

the aphis is by means of a soft brush or camePs-hair
pencil, and to prevent its recurrence give more air.

For suspending ferns in cases, the outside husk of
the cocoa-nut may be used, and also the hard inner
shell. For general purposes the latter is preferable.

Management of Fern Cases.

59

If broken with a clean edge half a shell makes a capital
basket. It requires a sharp saw and some patience to cut
the edge nicely if it is much jagged. The holes must be
burnt in the shell, as they are apt to split if any attempt

CAMPTOSOErS EHIZOPHYLirS.

is made to pierce them with awl or gimlet, and, besides
tliat, they are so hard that the best bit of steel breaks
like glass against them. Make three holes for drainage,
and two very small holes near the rim, exactly opposite
each other, and use for suspending a silver string of
the Spanish guitar, which will never rot, and is as soft

60

The Fern Garden,

and pliable as packtlircad. The two ferns here repre-
sented arc examples of my mode of suspending. The
Adiantum is in a cocoa-nut^ bored all over with holes a
quarter or third of an inch in diameter, and it has
pushed crowns through every one of them, so as to

smother the outside with foliage. The Camptosorus is
in a little case formed of thin bark, bound with brass
wire. To water these, the best way is to lift them out
and lower them into a deep vessel, with a stick passed
through the suspending cord and laid across the top of

Management of Fern Cases. 61

the vessel, so that they can sink the full length of the
cord and be thoroughly saturated. They can be lifted
out in a quarter of an hour, and allowed to drip for a
few minutes by again lodging the stick at each end in
a suitable place.

Thirty fine Ferns for Cases with Artificial
Heat. The best for beginners marked thus ^.

Anemidictyon phyllitidis,^ 9 inches ; Aneimia adianti-
folia,"^ 9 in. ; Asplenium bindum, 18 in.; A. fragrans,
9 in.; A. heterodon, 12 in.; A. radicans, 9 in.; A.
Mexicanum,* 6 in. ; A. polymorphum,^ 4 in. ; Blech-
num lanceolura,^ 4 in. ; B. intermedium, 6 in. ; Campy-
loneurum lucidum, 12 in. ; Cheilanthes micromera,
12 in. ; Diplazium radicans, 9 in. ; Elaphoglossum
brevipes, 6 in. ; Fadyenia prolifera, 3 in. ; Acrostichum
quercifolium,^ 4 in.; Polypodium loriceum, 12 in. ; He-
mionitis cordifolia,^ 4 in. ; Hymenolepis spuata^^ 9 in. ;
Hypolepis tenuifolia deformis, 12 in. ; Litob) ochia lepto-
phylla, 18 in.; L. pedata, 6 in.; Loniaria attenuata,
12 in. ; L. Patersoni, 9 in. ; Nothochlseiia \estita, 6 in. ;
N. tenera, 6 in.; Olfersia cervina,"^ 18 iu.; Pleopeltis
percussa,"^ 12 in.; P. membranacea,"^ 12 in.; Pteris
calomelanos,"^ 6 in.

Thirty fine Ferns for Cases without Artificial
Heat. The best for beginners marked thus ^.

Asplenium appendiculatum,"^ 12 in. ; A. attenuatum,*
4; A. crenulatum, 18 ; A. dimidiatum, 9 in. ; A. nitidum,
6 in. ; Adiantum tinctum, 12 in.; A. assimile,* 9 in. ;
A. cuneatum,* 18 in. ; A. cristatum, 9 in. ; A. formo-
sum,^ 18 in. ; A. fulvum, 12 in. ; Doodia aspera,"^
12 in. ; D. caudata,^ 6 in. ; D. lunulata,"^ 9 in. ; Las-

62 The Fern Garden.

trea acuminata,^ 8 in. ; L. glabella, 8 in. ; Niphobolua
lingua, 9 in. ; N. pertusus, 6 in. ; Nephrolepis pectinata,
18 in. ; N. exaltata,"^ 30 in. ; Onvchium Japonicum,"*^
15 in. ; Platyloma rotundifolia, 18 in.; Pleopeltis pus-
tulata, 9 in. ; Phlebodium aureum,^ 3G in. ; P. sporo-
docarpum,"^ 30 in. ; Polvstichum triangularum, 6 in. ;
Pteris crenata, 12 in. ; P. geraniifolia, 9 in. ; Pteris
cretica albo-lineata,"^ 18 in. ; P. heterophyllaj 6 in.

Twenty-four fixe Ferns for Suspending in Cases.
The best for beginners marked thus ■^.

Adiantum setulosum,"^ 6 inches ; Asplenium brachy-
pteron,"^ 6 in. ; A. flabellifolium."^ 9 in. ; A. pinnati-
fidum, 6 in. ; A. reclinatum, 6 in. ; Camptosorus rhizo-
phyllus,"^ 5 in. ; Cheilanthes sieberi, 10 in. ; Davallia
pentaphylla, 9 in. ; D. bullata, 6 in. ; D. dissecta, 18
in. ; D. elegans, 12 in.; D. solida, 6 in.; D. pyxidata,
18 in. ; D. canariensis, 12 in. ; D. decora, 6 in. ; Hu-
mata heterophylla, 6 in. ; Hypolepis amaurorachis,
18 in. ; Niphobolus lingna, 9 in. ; Nothochlaena nivea,
6 in. ; Oleandra nodosa, 6 in. ; Pleopeltis lycopodioides,
3 in. ; P. stigmatica, 6 in. ; Polypodium rugulosum,"^
9 in. ; Pteris scaberula,"^ 12 in.

Forty small-growing Case Ferns, suitable for a
Fern Pillar or Rockery.

British — Adiantum capillus veneris, Asplenium fon-
tanum,"^ Asplenium germanicum,^ Cystopteris regia*
(deciduous), Polypodium dryopteris (deciduous), Scolo-
pendrium vulgare bimarginata cordatum,"^ S. v. crista-
tum minus, S. v. divergens, S. v. geminum, S. v. glo-
raerato-digitatum, S. v. lacerato-marginatum, S. v.
proiiferum, S. v. ramo-marginatum,"^ S. v. ramo-

Management of Fern Cases.

63

proliferum, S. v. ramosum^ S. v. Wardii,^ Woodsia
alpina (deciduous) ^ "Woodsia ilvensis "^ (deciduous). —
Exotic — Camptosorus rhizophyllus^"^ Lorn aria alpina,"^
Acrophorus hispidus^ Adiantum setulosum,"^ Aspleuium
flabellifolium^,"^ Aspleuium attenuatumj"^ Aspienium
brachypterouj Aspienium nitidum^"^ Aspienium obtusa-
tum^ Aspienium pumilum^ Aspienium pinnatiiidum,
Blechnum intermedium^^ Campyloneurum csespitosum,
Diplazium plantagineum, Davallia decora, Eldpho-
glossum brevipes,"^ Gymnopteris quercifolia, Gonio-
pteris scolopendrioides, Lomaria lanceolata,"^ Xotiio-
chlsena vestita, Xothochlsena tenera^^ Pleopeltis stigma-
tica, Doodia caudata."^

PTEEIS TEENIPOLITJM..

64 The Fern Garden,

CHAPTER X.

THE ART OF MULTIPLYING FERNS.

HERE are two modes of increasing ferns — by
division and by spores. Both plans are easy
enough up to a certain pointy but we need not
trouble ourselves about the point at which serious diffi-
culty commences^ for in truth no beginner should be
troubled on that score. I will suppose you have a large
plant of the common Male fern [Lastrea filix mas) or of
the common Hartstongue [Scolopendy^ium vulgare), and
you wish to make more of it at once. The best time to
operate is when the fronds are just rising in the spring,
but it may be done at any time if proper care be taken.
We take the plant out of its pot, or lift it out of the
ground by means of a fork or trowel, and lay it on a
board or table. Probably at a glance you will discover
that a number of distinct crowns, each with a tuft of
roots attached, may be easily removed from the outside
by the use of a strong sharp knife. Separate such
offsets, carefully disentangle their roots from the mass,
and at once pot them in very small pots in the sort of
mixture already advised for use in growing pot ferns in
Chapter VI. Prepare the pots by putting in them
plenty of small crocks for drainage, over them a thin
wisp of dry moss, or a bit of fibre torn from the peat.

?^

The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 65

then put the little plant in its place and fill in round
the roots and press moderately firm. If this is done in
spring before the fronds have unrolled, you may be
content to give a little water and put them in a frame
and keep shut rather close until they begin to grow,
giving very little water until they have made some
progress. If you have no frame, the pots may be
placed in any sheltered shady corner on a bed of coal
ashes, and will almost take care of themselves. But the
old plant remains, not much diminished in size by the
removal of the off'sets. Lay it on its side and care-
fully pass the knife through the centre of it, and as it
separates into two portions, you will probably see how
to divide it yet further without using the knife again,
securing to each piece a centre or crown^ and a tuft of
roots. Treat these in the same manner as the off'sets ;
or, if you have not rashly torn the plant to shreds, you
may at once plant the divisions in the fernery, filling
in round its roots with your best mixture of sandy
peat, and pressing each firmly in its place. A little
shade, and occasional sprinkling, will assist them to
become established, and they will soon take care of
themselves.

If you were to proceed in a similar manner with the
same plants in the summer time, when crowned with
luxurious leafage, you would have to be as quick as
possible about the work, and pot all the pieces and
shut them up in a frame for a fortnight, to recover and
make fresh roots, during that time taking care to
sprinkle them frequently and also to avoid making the
soil in the pots very wet, for too much moisture to

5

66 The Fern Garden,

roots of any kind that have been disturbed and need
time to regain their wonted action is like poison.

So much for the division of ferns that form clustering
crowns. Let us now take a tuft of common polypody.
Here we find a quantity of fleshy rhizomes of the
thickness of a lead pencil entangled amongst masses
of fibrous roots. You may cut or pull to pieces this
tuft almost ad lib., provided each separate position has
its own roots reserved to it. The pieces must be potted
rather diff'erently to the others, as their roots run upon
the surface chiefly, and they thrive best in a moist
spongy material. The surest way to make plants of
them will be to prepare the pots by putting in at least
one third depth of crocks, then nearly fill them with
sandy peat, and on that spread a little cocoa-nut fibre
to make a soft bed ; then lay one of the pieces on the
bed, put some more cocoa-nut fibre over it almost to
bury it, and press it down firmly. Water and place in
frame and treat as in the first practice. They will
soon begin to grow, and will want no particular care
after a few weeks.

Now, by these two methods may the greater part
of all known ferns be multiplied ; there are exceptions,
as in the case of tree ferns, for example, but the excep-
tions are few. Those that grow in clustering crowns
may be divided as in the first practice, those that
extend by creeping rhizomes may be cut to pieces as
in the second practice.

As you extend your operations, you will not be long
in discovering how easy it is to kill ferns by one or the
other of these processes. For general guidance I will

The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 67

sav, tlien, be sure before voii becjin that you know
what YOU ousfht to do. If you cannot see how to
divide a plant without spoiHug it because it neither
offers YOU offsets^ nor a crown large enough to be
severed without danger, leave it alone, be content and
wait. The habits of different species must be observed
also if the cultivator would become expert in propa-
gating. Take for example Onoclea sensibilis, a charming
flowering fern for a damp place in a rockery out of
doors or under glass, which I hope you will obtain at
the first opportunity, if you do not already possess it.
Now, this fern propagates itself; that is to say, the
rliizoma runs along near the surface, and at some
distance from the parent plant throws up several dis-
tinct crowns. Leave the plant alone for a couple of
seasons and it will be surrounded by, or rather it will
consist of, a number of separate centres of growth
forming a large rich mass of vegetation. You may
divide this into as many pieces as you please, provided
each piece has its own centre and tuft of roots, and
make plants of them all with patience aided by shade
and moisture. Take on the other hand a potted
Gleichenia that has been in the same pot two or three
years, and you will find it dead in the centre, but all
round next the pot will be a series of crowns. Care-
fully knock it out of the pot, lay it on its side, pass
the knife through it, separate the pieces and shake
from them the old worn-out soil and pot as before;
but in this case put the plant into a warm pit or
some other place where it can have a temperature of
60 to 70^ with shade and a humid atmosphere, to encou-

68 The Fern Garden,

rage a new growth. The principle is the same in
every case^ but as dififerent classes of ferns differ in
constitution, so the practice must be varied to suit
them.

In every case of multiplying by division it must be
borne in mind that the operation severely taxes the
energies of the plants, hence the need of extra care for
some time afterwards to restore their vigour. The
soil in which small offsets are potted may with advan-
tage contain more sand than strong plants require, and
it may be quite fine in texture, whereas for strong
plants it is best somewhat lumpy. So, again, extra
warmth and occasional damping of the crowns, and a
humid atmosphere with shade from sunshine, are aids
of great importance. Begin with cheap hardy kinds,
and take as much pains with them as you would with the
most tender and costly, and you will enjoy the work,
be rewarded with success, and acquire experience for
higher flights in a most amusing pastime.

** If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again.*'

Now for the spores ; and first by way of preface. The
spores of tropical or hothouse ferns must be placed
in heat or they will not germinate. The spores of
greenhouse ferns may be raised in summer time without
the aid of artificial heat, but it is a safer plan to put
them into a propagating house and treat them the same
as the tropical kinds until the little plants resulting from
their germination have made some progress. As for
the spores of hardy ferns, they may be raised in a
frame kept close and shaded

The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 69

First secure some large shallow pans^ and bell-glasses
to fit them. Of course common flower-pots will answer
the purpose, but large shallow pans are better. Nearly
fill the pans (or pots) with broken flower-pots_, the top
stratum of which should be broken to the size of peas.
Sweep all the dust made in breaking the pots into the
pans with the smallest of the crocks, and then put in
an inch depth of a mixture of equal parts fine peat
and silver sand. Water with a fine rose, and if the
watering washes the fine stuff down, and causes the
points of the small broken pots to peep through, all the
better — that is as it should be. Now take a ripe frond
of a fern on which there is plenty of fruit, and while
holding over the prepared pan, sweep the hand over it,
or tap it smartly, and you will see the fine dust — the
veritable fern seeds — fall freely. Regulate your move-
ments so as to scatter the dust all over the surface, and
then put on the bell-glass.

The proper place for pans so prepared is wherever
they can be kept warm and dark, and yet be within
sight, so that they are not neglected. They must be
kept always moderately moist, but never wet, and as
watering with a water-pot would simply wash the seed
away, follow the neater practice of placing the pans in
vessels of water. If they are immersed in one inch
depth for an hour, the whole mass will become moist
throughout by capillary attraction, and not a grain of
sand or seed need be moved from its place.

Have patience, and you will see first a film of green
confervse, which is a good sign, next little leafy growths,
resembling the liver worts or marchantias. By-and-bye

70 The Fern Garden.

from these curious leafy things little fern fronds will
rise, and you will know thereby that you did not sow
the seed in vain.

Be in no hurry to disturb the little plants. More and
more will appear; they will crowd and jostle one another,
and they will form a sort of microscopic forest, and
very likely will appear to be very different in form to
the frond from which the seed was taken, for they do
not usually acquire their true characters until they
have made some advance. The time will come at last
to give them more room, but before you disturb them
remove the bell-glass, and habituate them to the enjoy-
ment of more air and light than they had in their
earliest infancy. I usually allow seedlings to remain a
whole year in the seed pans, and then pot them off, and
this plan will be found a safe and good one for general
adoption.

The process of potting consists in lifting each little
plant with its tuft of roots unhurt into a very small
pot nearly filled with a mixture of fine peat and sand,
and then covering its roots with the same material, and
tucking it in comfortably. Shut them up in a frame
in a greenhouse, or put them close together under large
bell-glasses; by some means or other keep them com-
paratively warm and shaded ; give gentle sprinklings or
rather dewings over their leaves, and but little water
to the roots, and they will soon grow and become
bonny little plants.

In a rather dark and damp comer of one of my
greenhouses I have a glass frame on a stand which is
used expressly as a nursery for seedling ferns. You

The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 71

might make one for yourself by taking a shallow box,
and covering it with sheets of stout glass. Make a bed
inside the box of a few inches depth of cocoa-nut fibre,
or silver sand, or clean small pebbles^ and on this bed
place the little pots and put the glass over. You have
complete command over them by this plan to kill them
by excess of shade and moisture, or by exposing them
to sunshine ; or to make them grow by giving moisture
and shade enough to keep them in the first instance,
and to admit more light and air, to strengthen them as
they advance and become strong enough to be shifted
into larger pots. Small fern cases with moveable tops
make admirable nurseries for seedlings when they are
grown in sitting-rooms.

We have spoken of ferns that run about and multiply
by means of their rhizomas. A parallel case is seen in
ferns that shed their spores, and sprout up into life with-
out aid fi'om any one, and almost anywhere. It will be
amongst your earliest surprises and delights in fern grow-
ing to find seedlings in your fern cases, on the banks,
and walls, and stones, and even pavements of your
fern-houses, and in crevices of the rockery out of doors.
Some ferns increase spontaneously with such freedom
as to become weeds, but the wise man will not despise
them on that account. He will be quickened in love
and thankfulness to God for making beauty so cheap on
the face of the earth. He will rejoice that the humblest
and least enlightened cannot fail to see that in the
mystery of life is afforded us deep and blessed impres-
sions of the direct relationship of the Divine nature
to the manifestations of the Divine will in visible thinsrs.

72

lilt Ftrit Garden.

To the observant mind there is nothing trivial or paltry
in nature, and the growth of a fern seed is the beginning
of a mysterious life, the end of which no man can pre-
dicate or understand.

Behold ! we know not anything ;

I can but trust that good shall fall
At last — far off — at last, to all.

And every winter change to spring.

ADIANTUil EXCIStm MTJLTIFIDFM.

British Ferns. 73

CHAPTER XL

BRITISH FERNS.

HE number of known ferns is about 3000.
How many are unknown we cannot even
rudely guess. The British species number 46 ;
many of these present us with varieties in great abun-
dance, that is to say^ with forms differing from their
types (or what we regard as types), and these varieties
number full 500, and no living person possesses the
whole of them. It is not the business of this book to
treat of ferns botanically, nor to speak of the British ferns
exclusively, yet it would hardly be complete — restricted
as its object is — unless it contained at least one
chapter on the Eilices of Britain, more especially as
many persons only cultivate the British ferns, and find
enough to amuse them in the fern way in making
collections of native species and varieties. Let no one
suppose a complete collection to be desired, for it is not,
except for strictly scientific purposes. It matters little
for our purpose whether it be desirable or not, for the
fact is, a complete collection has never been formed and
never can be. My excellent friend Mr. Sim, of Foots
Cray, Kent, enumerates in his last catalogue 365
British species and varieties in all — enough for us to

74 The Fern Garden.

choose from for the materials for a fern garden. If
the reader has no innate horror of statistics, a few
figures may be interesting. It must be understood
that amongst the varieties are many extremely curious
plants. Some are richly tasselled and fringed, some have
duplicated fronds, and the variations otherwise com-
prise imitations (or resemblances to) stages horns, frills,
fans, wires, bristles, embroidery, braiding, puckering,
and embossing. Some of the varieties are notched as
if a child had cut faces out of them, others are shrunk
up to mere stalks; some have spores on the Avrong side,
that is to say, on upper side of the fronds, others never
produce spores at all, and a few produce their offspring
ready made in the form of little plants at the points of
their fronds or on every part of their leafy surface.
Some varieties are so curious, so rare, and so difficult to
multiply that they range in price from one to five guineas
a plant. This need not terrify the humble fern collec-
tor, for many of the handsomest may be bought for a
shilling each. The catalogue prices of 319 kinds enu-
merated in Sim^s catalogue amount to ^130 16^. — say
if those not priced be added, £200 for one plant each of
the 365. The varieties of hartstongue alone are about 100
in number, and to buy one each would cost in the aggre-
gate £50. Here ends the statistical statement. Now let
us hastily run through the list of British ferns, saying
nothing about synonyms or knotty points in classifi-
cation, for with these matters we cannot now have
anything to do. For our purpose an alphabetical
arrangement will be best.

Adiantum. — A, capillus veneris, the true maiden-

British Ferns. 75

hair. There are a feTr varieties^ but we need not
enumerate them. The requisites for the growth of
this lovely fern are warmth, shade, and moisture. In
the damp and rather dark parts of a plant stove it soon
becomes a weed, and sows itself by spores on bricks,
stones, wood — anywhere. I have had it grow to per-
fection between the bricks inside a well. To have a
plant in a room, the best way is to appropriate to its use
a fifteen-inch bell-glass, fitted to an earthen pan of red
flower-pot ware. The soil should be sandy peat, with a
fourth part of broken flower-pots or soft broken stone
added. Give air daily for half an hour ; never leave
the glass ofi* and. forget it; do not saturate it with
moisture, and — have patience.

Allosorus. — A. crispus, the mountain parsley fern.
Coddling will kill it. It loves fresh air ; will grow
amongst pebbles or broken stone with a little sandy
peat to give it a start. Shade is good for it, but I
have seen it growing gloriously in the full sun. Beware
if there is one snail in the garden; catch him and throw
him over the wall into the next garden, or he will
gobble up your plant as a cat would a mouse. It is a
good plan to put a bell-glass over a newly planted piece
to protect it from the vermin ; the glass can be taken
away when the plant has grown a bit.

AsPLENiuM. — A. marinum is one of the best case
ferns known. It loves sand and stone, and warmth
and vapour. To plant it in the open air rockery is a
risk, but it will do well in the cool fern-house near the
floor.

A. trichomanes and A. viride are charming ferns to

76 The Fern Garden.

plant xii a cool house or a case, or in sheltered chinks
in the open rockery. If it should ever speak it would
be in such words as once startled the horticultural
community, " Give me air or I shall die." Soil to be
bricky and sandy ; fat peat is poison to it.

A. fontanum — a gem for the case.

A. ruta-muraria. — Stagnant moisture is ruin to it;
plant with the crown quite above the surface ; soil one
half broken brick or stone, the other half very sandy
peat. A lovely fern for planting in a chink in an old
wall in a shady sheltered spot.

A. septentinonale, a difficult fern to grow. Try it in
a pot in a frame, in soil three parts sand and soft
stone, and guard it with fear and suspicion against
slugs, snails, and woodlice.

Athyrium. — A. filix-foBmina is the Lady fern, and
well deserves the title. Please excuse description or
eulogy ; see it and believe. It will grow anywhere
under glass, or in the open air, if in a shady moist
position. I have a grand plant growing in the gravel
walk at the foot of the bastion, and more than I can
count in other places. A fine pot fern, growing well in
fat peat or in common loam, with sand, or in any soil
not chalky, with the help of a little cocoa-nut fibre to
mellow it. Be sure to drain the pot eff'ectually and
give plenty of water. Oh, how it will smile upon you
if you treat it kindly !

The following varieties are fine — Coronans, Corym-
biferum, diffuso-multifidum, Elworthi, Fieldice, FrizellicBf
grandiceps, Grantice, multifidum.

Blechnum. — B. spicans, the hard fern, is a noble

British Ferns.

17

and very distinct fern. Try your hand at a large pot
specimen — when four or five years old it will be grand.
A rather strong soil^ with good drainage^ suits it ; say
yellow loam three parts, leaf mould two parts, and grit

ATHYEiril FILIX-rEMINA, vav. COETMBIFEEUM.

obtained by sifting the sweepings of the gravel walks
one part. By the way_, this is a capital plan of obtain-
ing clean sharp sand. We rarely buy sand, as we sift
all our sweepings and spend the sand money in keeping
the gravel perfect.

78

The Fern Garden.

The following varieties are good — imbricatumj lauci-
folium, mult'ifurcutum, ramosum, strictum.

Ceterach. — C. ojfficinarum, the scaly spleenwort, is

^m

ATHTEIUM riLIX-FCEiinfA GEANDICEPS.

a very interesting fern. It grows luxuriantly in our
cool fern -house, in a chink of the rough wall near the
door. A good pot fern. It loves air, stone, old mortar,

British Ferns. 79

shade, andperfect drainage ; try it as an aquatic, and say
" fareweir^ to it before you begin.

Cystopteris. — C.fragilis, the brittle bladder fern, is
well adapted to plant in the front of a rockery. With
one exception, the varieties are worthless, but Dickie-
ana (fi'ontispiece) makes amends for all. C. montana,
the mountain bladder fern, and C. regia, are gems.
These do best in the open air or cool greenhouse. They
need shade and shelter, but love iTesh air. Prepare a bed
a foot square by removing the soil a foot deep. Then
partially fill up with broken bricks and charcoal, and
upon this bed place four inches depth of a mixture con-
sisting of equal parts peat, silver sand, the finest dust of
cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and soft silky loam. Place the
plant in the centre of the bed, close the soil firmly
around it, and put a bell-glass over. Take off^ the
bell-glass every morning, and wipe it quite dry, and
place it over the plant again. Keep the soil moist, and
in due time the plant will grow. After six months of
such nursing, it will take care of itself in every respect
except one, and that is, it will invite the attacks of snails
and slugs, which are very fond of it. These must be
trapped and destroyed with energy ; you must be a Thug
to such people.

Gymnogramma. — G. leptophylla is the only Britisher
of this lovely family. This little gem is an annaal.
To secure it for ever, get a plant in a pot, and keep it in
a fern-house or shady moist pit. It will shed its spores,
and the parent plant will perish. The next season it
will appear plentifully as a weed on bricks, stones,
borders, &c., &c. Pot a few to give away, and allow

80 The Fern Garden.

the remainder to attain maturity and shed their spores
for the next season.

Hymexophyllum. — H. Tunbridgense is the Tun-
bridge filmy fern, a cynosure, a paragon, a paradox. It
represents a race, all of "which require similar treatment.
They are all easily grown if dealt with in a proper
manner in the first instance. Suppose we consider
how to grow a nice patch of any of them. Get a large
earthenware pan (flower-pot ware) and a bell-glass to
fit fairly within the rim. A fifteen-inch glass would be
best, but one half that size will do to begin with.
Spread over the bottom of the pan a layer of broken
pots, then lay down a bed of very sandy peat — say peat
and silver sand equal parts. On this bed place some
blocks of stone of the size of the fist, and less, and press
them down, and fill in between them with the same
mixture of peat and sand. Make all this quite firm —
make it, in fact, hard. Now draw out a small stone,
and introduce the plant, spreading out its black hair-
like roots, which cover with the mixture, and bed it in
close, so that it will sit, so to speak, close to the general
surface of the stone. If you can plant little pieces all
over the pan between the stones, you may get the pan
fiUed more quickly, but it is a risk for a beginner to
tear up a plant as a practised hand would do. Wet the
whole by means of a fine syringe ; place the bell-glass
on, and press it slightly so as to make it fit pretty close,
and place the pan in a warm room near the window, or
in a snug, warm, shady corner of the greenhouse, or in
a cool part of the stove, and do not look at it for a week ;
then take off the glass and give another gentle sprinkle,

British Ferns.

81

^ \ ■ ... -K f. *>■ / ■>!>*, ^i^^ ?^'.Vk t.-.'^Ki

S^..il>^'-.-^-

V

.^

lASTEEA ^MFLA.

82 The Fern Garden.

and next leave it for a month. The plant begins to grow
early in the year, and continues growing till quite late in
autumn. Keep it only moderately moist at all seasons.
Take care the sun never shines upon it, and as far as
is possible — making allowances for curiosity, or the
necessity of occasionally ascertaining what is its con-
dition as to moisture — give no air at all.

Lastrea. — L. filix-mas, the male fern, is the com-
monest (and some say the handsomest) species in Britain.
It will grow anywhere and in any soil, but attains its
fullest perfection in mellow loam or peat in a shady
situation. The following varieties are fine — cristatay a
magnificent object when well grown ; crispa, a little
gem for the case ; grandicepSj a fine pot fern : polydac-
tylUy a fine- crested variety.

L. (Bmula, the hay-scented fern, a charming species
for the cool house or pot culture. When dried it is
agreeably fragrant.

L. dilatata, the broad buckler fern, should be planted
plentifully out of doors. The variety dumetorum has
a beautiful rich appearance.

L. montana or L. oreopteris, the mountain buckler
fern, common on Scottish moors, and by no means
scarce in England and Wales. It should be planted
out in loam and be freely supplied with water. It is
not a good fern to grow in pots. When the hand is
passed over the fronds a pleasant odour is emitted;
when dried it has a sweet hay-like scent.

L. thelypteris, a free growing species for the cool
house and for pot culture. It loves shade, moisture,
and spongy peat, and travels fast.

British Ferns.

83

POLTPODim rriGAEE.

84 The Fern Garden,

Ophioglossum. — O. vulgatum and O. lusitanicum are
the only two kinds of Adder's-tongue fern in Britain.
These should be kept in pots in a frame and con-
spicuously labelled, as their fronds disappear early in
the season, and the plants are likely to be thrown away
as dead. Scarcely worth growing.

OsMUNDA. — 0. regaliSy the royal fern, is a most noble
plant for the garden, but not well adapted for pots or
the fern-house. Plant in moist spongy peat or strong
loam. The variety cristata makes a handsome pot plant.

PoLYPODiUM. — P. vulgare, the common polypody,
may be grown anywhere and almost anyhow, but pre-
fers a spongy or leafy soil, an elevated position and
some amount of shade. It will thrive on the top of an
old wall in the full sun if planted small in the first
instance, and make a beautiful object on old tree stumps
in the fernery. None of our native ferns endure
drought so well as this.

The best varieties are camhricum, crenatum, cristatum,
omnilacerum, and semilacerum. The first of these five
is the ^^ Welsh polypody," the last is the " Irish poly-
pody ;" five charming plants for cool house, pot, or case
culture.

P. alpestre, the alpine polypody, closely resembles
the lady fern. It will thrive in the hardy fernery if
in a well-drained position. Scarcely good enough for
pots.

P. dryopteris, the oak fern, a lovely species, the
colour of which is a sure cure for bad temper ; it is so
extravagantly cheerful and so pleasingly delicate. If
planted out it must have a very shady, sheltered, moist

British Ferns.

85

POLrrODIOI TULGAEE, Var. CAlIBEICUir.

86 The Fern Garden.

place. It is one of the best ferns in the world for a
ledge of rock in the cool fernery, or to grow in a large
shallow pan as a specimen.

P. phegopteris, the beech fern; distinct and pretty,
growing freely out of doors with the help of shade and
moisture. A fine fern for pots and to plant near a
fountain, as it attains its fullest beauty only in an
atmosphere heavily charged with moisture. It must,
however, be perfectly drained at the roots.

P. Robertianum, or P. calcareum, the limestone poly-
pody, a pretty and peculiarly greyish-coloured plant
which loves chalk or limestone rock, but will grow in
almost any soil, and will endure the sunshine as patiently
as P. vulgare.

PoLYSTiCHUM. — P. ungulare^ the soft, prickly shield
fern, is the choicest of this section, a truly fine plant,
sporting much and good in every form. It is so
common that it will occur amongst the earliest " finds^^
of the fern hunter. It loves shade and a sandy, loamy
soil, or leaf soil, but is not particular.

The following varieties are invaluable for pot culture,
and the smallest of them well adapted for cases, —
concinnum, cristatum, grandiceps, grandidens, latipes,
plumosuMj proliferum. The last named is a charming
fern for pot culture, and thrives alike in frame, green-
house, or stove.

P. aculeatuvfiy the prickly shield fern, is at once
distinct, bold, and handsome. Plant it in a shady spot
and leave it alone for several years if you wish to see it
thrive. A fine pot fern.

P. lonchitis, the holly fern, a handsome military-

British Ferns.

87

POLTPODiril ALPE3TEE.

9S

The Fern Garden.

POLTPODIUM ORYOPTEEIS.

British Ferns. 89

looking fern, rather difficult to manage, but deserving
good generalship. If planted out give it a shaded,
sheltered spot, and at least half a barrow full of a
mixture consisting of loam two parts, peat one part,
sharp grit and small broken bricks one part. It is a
good pot plant if kept in a moist frame.

Pteris. — P. aquilina, the brakes, or bracken, is one
of the best known of all. Plant it out in good loam or
peat where it will have room to run, as it is a persistent
traveller. Ten years ago I planted a piece not so big
as my hand on a bank in my out-door fernery, and now
it covers at least ten square yards of ground; at one point
in its course it has crossed the gravel walk and come
up on the other side. It makes a good pot plant, and
also a good wall plant if planted at the foot of a shady
wall and kept up by means of horizontally placed
lengths of tarred string or copper wire. These supports
should be placed about a foot apart ; they will not be
visible, and the effect will be a wall richly fringed as
with climbing ferns. To see the bracken as it should
be seen, we must go to the breezy moorland and skirt
the warm woodside; it is, perhaps, the most truly
rustic plant in Britain.

ScoLOPENDRiuM. — S. vuJgave is the common harts-
tongue, one of the very first requisites of the hardy
ferneiy. This plant will not live in the full sunshine,
and it needs a good mellow loamy soil, or tough fibrous
peat, with plenty of moisture to attain the growth it
should, say a length of two to four feet. It is, how-
ever, an accommodating plant, as the fern hunter will
soon learn by observation, for it will be found on damp

90

The Fern Garden.

POLTSTICHUM ^XGULAEE.

I

British Ferns.

91

/'^

■yd

V,

\^

POLTPODiril PHE&0PTEEI5.

92

The Fern Garden.

banks in shady lanes_, on dry stone walls in dusty roads,
where there is not much shade for it^ and frequently
covers an old brick wall as with a felt of small yellowish
fronds. When growing between the bricks inside a
wellj and putting its huge tongues down towards the
water^ it is a splendid object^ and a good companion to
the true maidenhair^ which will thrive in a similar
position. The species and all the varieties make first-
rate pot plants.

SCOLOPEyDEirM: YITLGAEE EAMO-MAHGiyATFiT.

The most generally useful of the varieties^ and one
of the ferns which should be first of all secured by the
cultivation, is crispum, a grand pot or rockery fern.
The following are handsome pot plants, the smallest of
them well adapted for cases : — bimarginato-multifidumy
%ornutum, cristatura, digit atum, glomeratum, laceratum,
l^acrosorum, ramo-marginatum, ramo sum-ma jus , Wardii.

Trichomaxes. — T. radicans, the Bristle fern, re-

British Ferns,

93

POLTPODIUM EOBEETIAXrM.

94 The Fern Garden.

quires treatment similar to that of the Tunbridge fern.
As the roots are tough and wiry, and spread on the
surface, it will be necessary in planting a piece to
spread them out on the surface of the stone, and fix
them in their places with pegs, or by placing nodules
of stone upon them. In due time they will attach
themselves, and after that the plant will grow well if
taken care of. Small cases appropriated solely to these
ferns are intensely interesting. They ought never to
be planted in cases with ferns that need ventilation, as
nearly all other kinds do. I had a large leaky aquarium.
Instead of having it repaired, a hole was bored in the
slate bottom, and a sheet of very stout glass was cut
to fit the top. A miniature rockery was then formed
with coke and cement in one large block, and on this
Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense, Trichomanes radicans,
and the New Zealand filmy fern Todea pellucida were
planted. They have thriven and have a rich luxurious
appearance. The leaky aquarium has thus become a
grand fern case.

In a damp stone or a very damp warm dark corner
of a greenhouse, the filmy ferns grow freely if their
rhizomes are merely fixed to the walls. They soon run
up the bricks, and form a delicate felt or living wall-
paper.

WooDsiA. — W. alpina, an Alpine Woodsia, is a pretty
little fern, requiring frame or house culture.

W. ilvensis is a beautiful pot plant. It may, how-
ever, be grown in the open fernery, if in a sheltered
well-drained position, in a sandy peat soil. The
Woodsias are not adapted for beginners.

.'^X'^x^ .

GLEICHENIA RUPESTRIS GLAUCESCENS.
An elegant Fern for culture in a warm Greenhouse.

Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 95

CHAPTER XII.

CULTIVATION OF GREENHOUSE AND STOVE FERNS.

RACTICALLY the only difference in the man-
agement of the ferns of the greenhouse and
the stove from those of the frame or cool fern-
house consists in the increase of temperature propor-
tioned to the character of the climates in which green-
house and stove ferns are found growing wild. Various
as are the climates and conditions in which ferns thrive
on different parts of the earth's surface^ they all be-
come amenable to conditions nearly uniform when
subjected to cultivation. Give the most delicate fern of
the tropics treatment similar to what is advised for our
native fernSj but with a higher temperature at every
season of the year, and the chances are full ten to one
that it will succeed perfectly. But undoubtedly it
requires some judgment to assimilate conditions in
the midst of which there occurs this important difference
of temperature, and so we cannot expect to dispose of
the subject of this chapter in any offhand or very general
manner. However, we must beg the reader to recall
the main points of our advice to this extent, that for
outdoor, for frame, and for cool-house ferns, we have
constantly recommended the use of a granular and

96 The Fern Garden.

mellow, loamy or peaty soil, a considerable degree of
atmospheric humidity, shade from strong sunshine, and,
in some cases, a very subdued daylight, as the condi-
tions under which success is most likely to be secured.
These several requisites are to be considered of the ut-
most importance in the cultivation of tender ferns, and
the more so that the farther plants of any kind are
removed from the circumstances natural to them, the
more anxious should the cultivator be to provide for all
their wants.

It is a common thing to see ferns and flowering
plants mixed together in the same greenhouse or con-
servatory. It is quite possible to grow them well when
80 associated, but so few are equal to the task that
when we meet with ferns and flowers in the same house,
we usually find one or both in a deplorable condition
of disease or imperfect development.

Ferns love shade and flowers love sunshine. Ferns
thrive best in a still air, flowers usually require a moving
atmosphere, and many kinds that are most highly
prized need abundant ventilation. As to atmospheric
humidity, while ferns with very few exceptions enjoy
abundance of it, there are not many kinds of flowers
capable of enduring without injury the degree of
aerial moisture that would benefit the growth of ferns.
These are important considerations which we are bound
to place before the reader at this juncture, for indis-
criminate associations of plants in stoves and green-
houses are the causes of many and bitter disappoint-
ments. While this matter is before us, however, it
should be said that if due care be exercised, many

Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 97

kinds of flowering plants may be grown in the same
houses with ferns, if the selection is made judiciously
in the first instance^ and the best positions as to air,
light, &c., are selected for them. Thus, as to sorts it
will be found that camellias, azaleas, cyclamens, pri-
mulas, liliums, oleas, and statices, are well adapted to
associate with greenhouse ferns, if the sunniest positions
are assigned them; on the other hand, heaths, pelar-
goniums, echeverias, epiphyllums, boronias, epacris,
and kalosanthes, are far less suitable, needing more
air and sunshfne than most ferns could endure without
injury. It must be remembered, however, that many
beautiful plants, such as palms, for example, may be.
grown with ferns to afford variety, and the same routine
of treatment will suit both. In the stove it is common
enough to find achimenes, gloxinias, alocascias, cala-
diums, begonias, gesneras, and marantas, associated
with ferns without the least injury to either. Yet in the
full blaze of sunshine, where a croton or an ixora would
thrive, it would be almost impossible for a fern to live,
except in the form of a disgrace to its possessor. So
far we see that compromises are possible. There is
yet another mode of associating ferns and flowering
plants in the same house, and that is to make banks
and rockeries beneath the stages where shade and
humidity will favour the growth of ferns, and render
positions otherwise useless and unsightly as attractive
nearly as the stages themselves, on which the amaryllids
or the pelargoniums are blooming bravely. A bank of
peat faced with large burrs answers admirably for a
fernery of this sort, and the varieties of cystopteris,

7

98 The Fern Garden,

woodsia, scolopendrium, and selaginella, are pretty sure
to take to it readily, while in the most select spots, hy-
menophyllums, trichomanes, todeas, and maidenhairs,
will soon become established, and acquire a luxuriance
of growth without the least care, such as to make a
mere mockery of all our closed cases and bell-glasses,
and curious caves constructed expressly for the cultiva-
tion of these gems of the fern garden.

There cannot be a doubt that the plan recommended
in Chapter VII for the cultivation of hardy ferns under
glass is the best also for greenhouse and stove ferns,
unless it be the desire of the cultivator to have the
whole or a part of the collection in pots, in which case,
of course, something in the nature of a stage or table
becomes necessary. A spacious fernery adapted for
ferns of all climates, and for the display of them under
circumstances which we may justly describe as natural,
forms one of the most valuable embellishments a gar-
den can boast — enjoyable at all seasons, and especially
so in winter, when rough weather forbids our seeking
open-air enjoyments, and when, perhaps, if weather
permitted, we should find but little in the garden or
the field to interest us. One of the best structures of
the kind I am acquainted with is in the garden of Alfred
Smee, Esq., Carshalton. The walls are formed of solid
banks of peat, which extend on either side of the plate
on which the rafters rest, so as to form borders within
and without. The house may be about eighty feet in
length, the banks on either side are varied in outline,
and there is in one spot a basin tenanted with gold fish,
and surrounded with ferns of peculiarly novel aspect.

Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 99

which are constantly bedewed by the spray from a
fountain. The roof is a span running east and west j
the south side of it is covered with felt^ and the north
side with glass^ a plan which admits abundance of light,
and renders shading wholly unnecessary. The whole
structure is placed on a slope, the lower part being
considerably below the outside ground level. At this
lowest part is placed the furnace, and there is an extra
service of pipes there to maintain a stove temperature.
In the middle of the house there are fewer pipes, and
a greenhouse temperature is kept. At the upper end
the pipes suffice only to keep frost out. Thus in one
house the ferns of tropical, temperate, and frigid zones
are all accommodated, and though the whole structure
is rough, and has been constructed on the most eco-
nomical principles, the interior presents at all seasons
a grand spectacle, and affords a most delightful prome-
nade.

Although, as explained above, ferns and flowering
plants may be grown together, those who would do
justice to the former must appropriate a house to them
exclusively. It is possible to adapt a south aspect to
the purpose, but it is not advisable to encounter such
a difficulty. A north or north-west aspect is the best>
The house should have a roof of not very steep pitch,
a sufficient service of hot- water pipes, and ventilators
near the pipes to afford warmth to the fresh air as it
enters, and others in the roof at each end, but none
elsewhere unless the house is a large one. A frequent
change of air is essential to the health of the ferns, but
we do not want a rushing wind or so much ventilation

100 The Fern Garden.

as to render the air of the house so dry that the fronds
will lose their freshness and health.

Thousands of villas are now furnished with what are
called " conservatories/' which would answer admirably
for ferneries where they happen not to be exposed to
burning sunshine all the summer long. The sunniest
of these little glass annexes answer admirably for grape
vines and succulent plants, such as cactuses and eche-
verias ; the shady ones would answer admirably for
ferns, whether in pots or planted out in miniature
rockeries.

In the management of greenhouse and stove ferns
the most important matter is to secure a suitable
temperature for each department or group of plants.
The greenhouse kinds require a temperature of 40°
to 50° all the winter, but from the middle of April
until the middle of October artificial heat may be dis-
pensed with altogether, unless the weather is excep-
tionally cold ; and stove ferns require a temperature
ranging from 60° in winter to 90° in summer.

In every case the amount of moisture must be pro-
portioned to the temperature, the more heat the more
water, both above and below. When the plants are
growing freely the syringe should be used to produce a
fine shower over them once or twice a day, and water
should be sprinkled on the floor to cause an abundant
evaporation. They will also require plentiful supplies
of water at the roots.

There is no large class of plants in cultivation for
which we may so safely give general cultural directions
as for fernSj yet certain kinds require exceptional treat-

Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 101

ment both in heated houses as in cool ferneries and the
open air. The gold and silver ferns, such as gymno-
grammas, are for the most part highly susceptible of
injury through excess of water, especially when ad-
ministered by means of the syringe. All the tree ferns
such as Dicksonias require abundant supplies of water,
especially over their ample fronds. Most of the kinds
which have thick succulent leaves, such as Niphobolus,
require drier positions if planted out, and extra careful
drainage if in pots, than others that are of flimsy
texture.

The cultivator must be careful to regulate heat and
moisture in such a manner as to ensure to the plants
regularly recurring seasons of activity and rest. When
new growth commences in spring there should be a
gradual augmentation of temperature and humidity to
afford needful stimulus and support. When in autumn
growth should naturally cease, the supplies of heat and
moisture should be diminished ; and during the winter
rest should be promoted by keeping the house as cool
and dry as is consistent with safety. It is bad policy
to expose ferns to hardships, such as deferring the
lighting of a fire until the fronds are actually frozen or
mildew has marred their beauty, for the next season^s
growth is jeopardised by such treatment, and some
valuable plants may be lost entirely. At the same time
the cultivator may take comfortable assurance from the
fact that the majority of this class of plants are exceed-
ingly accommodating; they will at times bear without
material injury more damp, more draught, more sun-
shine, and lower degrees of temperature than a prudent

102 The Fern Garden.

adviser on their cultivation would dare to recommend
as good for them. Fully half of the whole number of
stove ferns known to cultivators have been well grown
in greenhouse temperature, and a very large proportion
of greenhouse ferns, properly so called, have been
grown to perfection, without any aid from artificial
heat, in our own garden. Our large specimens of
Adiantum cuneatum, Asplenium biformis, Blechnum
brasiliense, &c. &c., that we have exhibited in public,
have never known a taste of artificial heat from the
time when they started from spores under bell-glasses
until they attained their present dimensions of a yard
or so across. This adaptability is particularly exempli-
fied in the cultivation of ferns in closed cases, Mrs.
Hibberd's cases containing delicate ferns of the tropics
side by side with the natives of the British woods^ yet
all in the most perfect health and beauty.

The soil for pot ferns should always consist in gre^\
part of vegetable mould and sand ; mellow loam, silky
to the touch and crumbling to powder between the
fingers without soiling them ; peat of a brownish rather
than a blackish cast, and containing an abundance of
vegetable fibre, so as rather to require tearing than
crumbling to reduce it ; sand of a sharp clean nature :
these three ingredients are sufficient for the prepara-
tion of a universal fern compost. In the case of very
small delicate habited ferns use two parts peat, re-
moving all the rougher portions, and one third sand.
For full growing and rather large plants use two parts
peat, one part loam, and one part sand, the rougher
fibrous portions to be laid over the crocks, and the

Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 103

bulk to be used in a rather lumpy state. For very-
robust habited sorts of large growth the compost should
consist of two parts loam^ one part peat^ and one of
sand, with a liberal addition all through of broken
brick or tile of the size of walnuts or hazel-nuts.
Ferns that require a drier soil than ordinary should
have a compost containing more sand, less loam, and
the addition of a considerable proportion of pounded
bricks or charcoal.

No particular kind of pots is necessary for the
cultivation of stove and greenhouse ferns, but, as a
rule, they do not root deeply, and shallow pots are to
be preferred. Those we use for specimens are made
for us by Messrs. Adams, of the Potteries, Belle Isle,
King's Cross ; they are extra stout in substance, care-
fully finished, and well burnt, and in proportions wider
than their depth. A favorite size with us for medium
specimens is thirteen inches wide (inside), and nine
inches deep. In these we allow our specimens to remain
two or three, and even four or five years, without being
repotted, though, as a rule, all pot ferns should be re-
potted annually in February or [March, both to repair
the defects of the drainage and remove effete soil, and
supply fresh food for maintaining a vigorous growth.

In every case thorough drainage is of the utmost im-
portance, and no progress can be made in fern culture
unless the operator pays especial attention to this
matter. As for whatever else may be requisite to
crown vour labours with success, I will endeavour in
what follows to indicate as clearly as I can, but it is
very certain I shall leave unsaid much that might be

101

The Fern Garden.

said, but I may, even thus far, have assisted you to
read the Book of Nature to advantage, so that at the
point where 1 stop your studies will take a better
direction under authority which never fails.

" Our needful knowledge, like our needful food,
Unhedg'd lies open in life's common field."

ADIANTTJM FAELEYENSE.

Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns, 106

CHAPTER XIII.

FIFTY SELECT GREENHOUSE FERNS.

HE selections I shall make in this and the next
chapter will comprise ferns of the most dis-
tinct and various characters, essential in any
collection in which beauty and character are the qualities
most desired, and all of them suitable for beginners in
cultivation. None of the gold and silver ferns will be
included in these selections; they will be dealt with
separately, as needing more skill and care than be-
ginners are likely to bestow upon them. Technical
descriptions are not to be thought of in a work of this
kind.

Anemidictyon phyllitidis, a pretty flowering fern,
adapted for pot culture, or to plant out, or for the fern
case.

Adiantum assimile, A. cuneatum, A. formosum, A.
fulvum, A. tinctum, a charming group, requiring shade,
not rooting deep, and better if they never have water
over their fronds. They are all adapted for specimen
culture, the last is one of the most elegant in form
and has a rosy purplish tint on its young fronds.

Asplenium bulbiferum, A. caudaturriy A. dimidiatum,
A. dimorphurrij A. hemionitis (or palmata), A. lucidum,

106

The Fern Garden.

.^^jm

nfr%

ADIANTITM CUNEATrjI.

Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 107

A. obtusatum, A. prcemorsum. The two most striking
of this group are heraionitis and dimorphum, which
should be first secured. As to management, the merest
beginner can grow them well.

Blechnum occidentale, B. brasiliense, two noble ferns,
suitable for the greenhouse, yet rather tender, and
utterly incapable of bearing a touch of frost.

Campyloneurum phyllitidis, a very distinct entire
fronded fern, which forms a striking object when well
grown. It is commonly kept in the stove, but the
greenhouse is the proper place for it. The soil for this
fern should be rich and gritty, containing plenty of
fibre, but it should not be deep, as it is a shallow rooter.
Abundance of water should be given while the plant
is growing. It is not particular whether in sun or
shade, but, of course, will not bear roasting.

Davallia canariense, the " Hare's-foot " fern, D. dis-
secttty a charming pair, and the easiest of the family to
grow. It is easy to kill Davailias by means of heavy
soil and excess of water; equally easy to grow them
to perfection with plenty of drainage, a very gritty
soil, and water in moderation. The fleshy rhizomes
must be pegged out upon the surface in planting new
pieces.

Gleichenia flabellata is the only one of the genus I
can recommend to a beginner. It is a fern of large
growth, requiring to be carefully trained like a delicate
climbing plant. Plant in a shallow pot, give plenty of
water and plenty of air. When you have mastered
this one add G. dicarpa and G. speluncce.

Goniophlebium appendiculatum, a splendid edition (we

108

The Fern Garden,

mn

'SK

'<\

m

CAIIPTLONETJETTM PHTLLITIDIS.

Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns.

109

may call it) of our own common polypody; Avhen
young tinted with crimson. It requires a rather dry

DAVALLIA CA>-AEIEySI3. — THE HAEE'S-EOOT FEEX.

soil ; so add extra sand and a good sprinkling of fine

110 The Fern Garden,

potsherds to the compost. Do not wet the fronds at
all.

Hypolepis tenuifolia, a finely divided brightly coloured
fern, requiring abundance of Avater.

Litobrochia incisa, rather coarse, but worth having ;
it will take care of itself almost anywhere.

Lastrea quinqangularis ^ L. patens^ two exquisite gems,
cheap, but not common. They thrive in our cool
fernery.

Lomaria magellanicaj L. gibba, L. chiliense, grand
ferns, nearly hardy, and indispensable in even the
smallest collection. L. gibba will endure almost any
hardship except frost.

Lygodium Japonicum, L. scandens, the two best
" climbing ferns " for a beginner. They may be
trained to sticks or wires in the same way as a con-
volvulus.

Mohria thurifraga, a rich fern, good enough for ex-
hibition. It thrives in the cool fernery^ but is rather
tender.

Nephrodium molle corymbiferum, a charming tasselled
fern, like a cockscomb; rather tender, and therefore
pretty sure to be lost if kept damp and cool in winter ;
yet it is a greenhouse fern, and one of the best.

Niphobolus lingua, N. rupestris, pretty entire-fronded
ferns, requiring a dry soil, with plenty of broken brick
and sand. Well adapted also for the fern case. For
several years past we have grown a collection of ferns
of this class in a sunny part of the geranium house,
and the full blaze of the sun has agreed with them
perfectly. Any excess of moisture will kill them.

Fifty Select GreenJiouse Ferns.

Ill

Nephrolepis tuber osa is the only one of this splendid
family I can recommend for the greenhouse,, though
they are all classed as greenhouse ferns in trade cata-
logues. This, however, is so distinct, that you must
have it if you buy only a dozen.

Onychium Japonicum, a delicate fennel-like fern,

NEPHEODIUM MOLIE, var. COETaiBIFEEIJM.

fragile, fairy like, yet nearly hardy, and always in
health, if thoroughly shaded.

Platyloma rotundifolia, very distinct and fine when
in fruit. It must have deep shade.

112

The Fern Garden,

POLTPODIUM YENOSUM.

Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 113

Poly podium venosum in the way of Nipliobolus lingua,
a charming object when its ruddy fruits are ripe. This
fern requires peculiar treatment^ and if properly planted
in the first instance will occasion no trouble whatever.
In any case the roots must be extra well drained, for
stagnant moisture is certain death to this plant. The
soil which suits it best is a mixture of equal parts gritty
leaf-mould, sandy peat, and potsherds broken to the
size of peas. In such a mixture, not more than six
inches in depth (four inches is sufficient), on a bottom
of some material which will allow of ready escape for
surplus moisture, the plant will do well, and prove itself
an almost hardy fern. Obviously the best way to deal
with a plant so constituted is to suspend it. "When
grown in a basket in a warm greenhouse it soon forms
a fine specimen, the tawny rhizome creeps about wildly,
and soon covers the basket with a beautiful complexity
of cord -like windings, and from every part of it, except
the young pushing shoots of the season, barren and
fertile fronds are produced in plenty. To increase it
is easy enough j cut off a portion of rhizome with
fronds and roots attached ; pot it in the same sort of
mixture as is recommended for specimen plants, and give
it proper encouragement, and it will soon make a plant.

Phlebodium aureum, P. sporodocarpurn, two bold
glaucous tinted ferns, with ruddy rhizomes that run
upon the surface. They are both classed as stove ferns
in the books, but they are as easy to grow in a green-
house as any in this list ; at all events we can keep
them in luxuriant condition in the cool house. Plenty
of grit in the soil, and perfect drainage.

8

114 The Fern Garden,

Polystichum setosum, a lovely dark green fern, will
take care of itself anywhere in the shade.

Pteris ternifolia, P. hastata, P. cretia albo lineata,
P. scabeynda, P. flabellata, a fine group ; scaberula runs
about, and should not be put into a case for that reason ;
but in a basket, which will allow it to peep out, it is
at home ; as for the last in the list it is lovely, and
thrives in our cool house.

Platycerium alcicorne is absolutely indispensable for
its curious habit and its hardiness. It will bear seven
or even ten degrees of frost, and yet come right again,
but should never be so much punished. Get a block
of old wood, scoop out a hole, and put in it some fine
peat, and in that hole fix the plant firmly. Then hang
up the block by means of copper wire, and syringe
frequently all the j^ear round. It will in time cover
the block with its tawny shields (we call them ^^pot
lids^^), and make a grand object. A plant has hung
near the roof of our cool house for ten years, and has
several times been frozen.

Todea pellucida and T. siiperba are a pair of New
Zealand filmy ferns of the most exquisite character. I
am half afraid to recommend them to beginners, yet
they only want deep shade and moisture to succeed to
perfection, as they are nearly hardy. Plenty of drain-
age, plenty of patience, as little air as possible, and all
will be well. I have some fine plants growing in a
disused (because leaky) aquarium; they are in fine
condition. They are covered close with a sheet of glass
and never have any air at all.

Thamnopteris australasica is too good to be omitted.

Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns.

115

PTEEIS SCABEEIJLA.

116 The Fern Garden.

You may call it a sublime hartstongue. It loves warmth,
and thrives in the stove. A little practice, however,
will suffice for its management in a warm greenhouse.
Mr. Gibson had the daring to make a bed of a few
dozens of this fern in a shady spot in Battersea Park
in the summer of 1867, and not one of them suffered
by exposure to the vulgar atmosphere of this degenerate
clime.

Woodwardia radicans, W. orientalis, grand large
growing ferns that will bear many hardships, and yet
live. The first is indispensable to a beginner who can
find room for it, and as to growing it, look at it now and
then, and it will be satisfied ; the other is of smaller
growth, and scarcely less hardy ; it has a purplish tint
when growing. Both produce young plants in abund-
ance on their mature fronds.

Exhibition Greenhouse Ferns. — The following
form a rich and varied group of twelve adapted for
exhibition : Lomaria gibha, Blechnum brasiliense, As-
plenium dimorphum, Asplenium hemionitis (also known
as Asplenium palmatum), Phlebodium sporodocarpum,
Pteris cretica albo-lineata, Gleichenia flabellata, Micro-
lepia platyphyllaj Nephrolepis exaltata, Tliamnopteris
australasica, Woodwardia radicans^ Pteris flabellata
var. crispa.

-g^i^s^^^g-

ASPLENIUM FLABELLIFOLIUM.
A pretty Fern for Pots or Baskets in a cool Greenhouse.

Thirty Select Stove Ferns, 117

CHAPTEK XIV.

THIRTY SELECT STOVE FERNS.

NEIMIA coUina, a fine representative of an
interesting group of flowering ferns. It re-
quires the most commonplace treatment.

Adiantopsis radiata, a very distinct and elegant little
fern ; the divisions of the fronds radiate in a regular
manner from a common centre.

Adiantum concinnunij A. Farleyense, A. macrophyUurriy
A. tenerum, A. trapeziforme ; a splendid group^ not one
of which can be dispensed with in even the smallest
collection. A. Farleyense might in an offhand way be
pronounced the most beautiful fern known^ but the
assertion would not bear criticism^ just because there
are so many beauties of the kind ; it is impossible to
decide which is the best amongst them.

Asplenium formosum, A. serra, A. viv'iparum. The
second of these is a laro-e-o-rowino: exhibition fern :
the other two are delicate beauties.

BJechnum brasiliense, a noble fern^ well adapted for
exhibition^ and one of the easiest to manage.

Brainea insignis, a grand fern, palm-like in growth,
the young fronds tinged with a lovely rosy hue.

Davallia polyantha, D. aculeata. The fronds of the

118 The Fern Garden,

first have a rich rosy crimson tinge when young; the

DAA^ALLIA ACULEATA.

other is as thorny as a bramble, and grows in the style
of a climbing fern.

Thirty Select Stove Ferns,

119

P0LTP0DIU3I LACHNOPODIUM.

120 The Fern Garden.

Elaphoglossum frigidum, a curious and most beautiful
species, with entire wavy, pendant fronds, whicli are
covered with grey scales, giving it a hoary appearance.
Nothing in its way can surpass it.

Gleichenia 'puhescens, one of the finest and easiest
stove plants of this section. Deserves all the care that
can be given it to form a fine specimen.

Goniophlebium fraxinifoliurrij a particularly handsome
once divided fern, of a delicate pale green colour.

Goniopteris crenata, extremely pretty when in fruit,
and well worth growing as a specimen.

Hymenodium crinitum, most distinct and beautiful;
not in the least resembling any other fern known ; the
fronds are like the large leaves of some tropical tree,
densely bearded with black hairs.

Hemtoniils palmata, a distinct ivy-like fern, bearing
many tiny young plants on its fronds.

Lomaria attenuata, a very pretty little blechnum-like
fern, the young fronds of which have a delicate rosy hue.

Lygodium flexuosum, the grandest of the climbing
ferns; scarce.

Nephrodium glandulosmn, extremely pretty and pecu-
liar; the fronds once divided; shining green.

Nephrolepis exaltata, N. pectinata, the two best table
and sideboard ferns known, and first rate, too, for the
centre of a fine vase or large case group. We have
lost many fine plants of both species in the endeavour
to make greenhouse ferns of them.

Polypodiimi lachnopodum, P. Henchmanni, P. phy-
matodeSj three fine and very distinct species; the metallic
blue colour of the second is peculiar and pleasing.

Thirty Select Stove Ferns.

121

POLTPODir:M HZyCHilAyyil.

122

The Fern Garden,

POLTPODir^r PHYITATODES.

Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 123

Pleopeltis membranacea, a scarcely interesting fern
at first, but one likely to become a special pet in time.
It dies down completely in winter, and comes up again
in the spring. The fronds are undivided, and bear a
remote resemblance to lettuce leaves. We have had
some plants five or six years in an unheated case, but
it is delicate, and most at home in the stove.

Pteris argyrea, P. aspericaulis, two richly variegated
ferns, which are very subject to attacks of thrips if
kept in a dry air. P. tricolor is a favourite which I do
not recommend because troublesome to grow, and
scarcely worth growing.

Platycerium grande is the finest of the stages horn
fernsj and though usually described as a greenhouse
plants attains a far finer development in the stove. Fix
it on a block of wood, and suspend it, or put a block
in a pot, and place the plant near it, so that it can take
hold and cover the block in its own way.

Exhibition Stove Ferns. — The following form a
rich and varied group of twelve adapted for exhibition :
Adiantum Farleyense, Adiantum trapezlforme, Hymeno-
dium crinitum, Aspidium macrophyllum (also known
as Cardiochlcena macrophylld), Asplenium myriophyllum
(also known as Asplenium cicutarimn), Asplenium serra,
Drynaria morbillosa, Gleichenia dichotoma, Lygodium
flexuosnm, Nephrolepis davallioides, Platycerium grande^
and Pteris argyrea.

-+-o©^^iU^=^M-

124 The Fern Garden,

CHAPTER XY.

GOLD AND SILVER FERN'S.

i^^^OXE of the so-called o;old and silver ferns are
K^ysi\ adapted for beginners. They are so superbly
.j^T^-^.' beautiful that people altogether unaccustomed
to ferns buy tliern and put them in greenhouses^ sup-
posing that watering now and then is all the care they
wantj and in the course of a month or so the plants die,
and an absurd inference is drawn from the occun^ence
that ferns in general are impossible things. It is quite
certain that a veiy large number of maidenhair ferns
are killed by ladies who pretend to love ferns and really
have no real care for them at all ; but probably there
are more gymnogrammas killed through absurd treat-
ment than any other class of ferns whatever. Yet they
require but little more care than most others ; their
peculiarity is that if that care is denied them they die
outright ; whereas many other kinds survive neglect
and iU-treatment_, and regain their cheerful looks ^^in
no time ^^ if proper treatment is resorted to.

If we could repeat in an intensified form all the
cautions that have been given in this work up to this
point we should have a practical code for the cultivation
of gold and silver ferns. Instead of attempting that, I

Gold and Silver Ferns. 125

will sketch out a code in a very few words, begging- tlie
reader to regard each word as pregnant with meaning,
each hint and direction as involving for the ferns issues
of life or deaths as they may be observed^ trifled with,
or ignored. The pots must never be larger than the
plants can soon fill with roots. They must be very
carefully drained by means of potsherds packed with
the greatest care. The soil should consist of good
fibrous peat and a large proportion of sharp siliceous
grit ; silver sand is almost too fine, but must be used if
nothing more granular is obtainable. The plants must
be potted firmly with the crowns well above the
surface. Thenceforward the temperature and the
degree of humidity are of the utmost importance.
Only a small proportion of all the gold and silver ferns
in cultivation require the heat of the stove, but not one
of them will endure a lower temperature than that of
the house it properly belongs to. Thus, there are many
stove ferns that thrive in a greenhouse, and many green-
house kinds that do well in an unheated house. But
it is not so with those before us ; they are not accom-
modating, they are exacting, and must be humoured to
their whim. As to moisture none of them will bear
much ) to make them very wet is to put them in
jeopardy. But on the other hand to let them go dry is
certain death. The principal enemies that make war
against them as cultivated plants are imperfect drainage,
heavy soil, cold, damp, and drought. In no case should
the fronds be wetted by the use of the syringe. The
little that I have said compasses the whole subject, and
the observant cultivator, who is also diligent and con-

126 The Fern Garden.

stant in his work, will find that the secret of success
with this class of ferns is unremitting attention.

The following are the names of the best gold and
silver ferns in cultivation ;

Adiantum sulphureum, the Golden Maidenhair. This
exquisite plant only needs careful greenhouse treatment.

Cheilanthes argentea, a delicate silver fern; green-
house. C. borsigiana, golden ; stove. C. farinosa,
silver; a fine species very distinct, requiring great care;
stove. C. fragrans, a lovely little gem tinged with
orange, well adapted for greenhouse or case. When
dried agreeably fragrant. C. elegans, silvery^ a most
delicate and much prized fern, best grown in a warm
greenhouse, in a compost of lumpy peat and broken
bricks or stone. C. pulveracea, the under side silvery,
the edges golden : a fine companion to C. farinosa, and
needing the same treatment.

Gymnogramma chrtjsophyUa, the finest of all gold
ferns ; it must be grown in the stove. G. Peruviana
argyrophylla, silvery-grey on both surfaces, a splendid
stove fern. G. ochracea, slightly golden, easy to grow,
but needing to be kept in t?ie stove all winter. G. sul-
phurea, a pretty little plant, light green above, sulphur-
yellow beneath ; must have stove treatment. G. Tar-
tar ea, the under side of the fronds pure silvery-white,
the best of all silver ferns for beginners ; it thrives in
the stove, but may be kept in good condition in a green-
house.

Nothochlcena argentea, a fine silvery companion to
Cheilanthes farinosa, and requiring similar care. N.
fiavens, an exquisitely beautiful miniature golden fern;

Tree Ferns.

127

a good companion for N. nivea, which is equally
diminutive and densely powdered with silvery farina.

GONIOPTEEIS CEENATA.

128 The Fern Garden.

CHAPTER XVI.

TREE FERNS.

REE ferns have been brought within the reach
of fern growers who happen not to be
millionaires, by the enterprise of trade col-
lectors, and may be purchased according to size, rarity,
&c., at from five guineas each and onwards. Those,
however, who would like to grow their own, and who
are blest with the needful patience, may obtain young
plants to begin with at from five to fifty shillings each.
There is much to be said in favour of purchasing young
plants ; they are extremely ornamental, and the green-
house kinds will thrive in the shady parts of a con-
servatory where scarcely anything else would grow.
If it is intended to embark in the purchase of fine
specimen tree ferns it will be important to consider
first the space available, for the spread of a fine
Dicksonia or Cyathea is considerable, and it is not good
for them to rub their fronds against the glass roof,
however carefully it may be shaded.

There are no species of filices more easy to cultivate
than such as are classed as "tree ferns/^ The soil
should be the best peat in a rough state, with but little
sand added ; the addition, however, of sphagnum moss

Tree Ferns and Lycopodiums, 129

or cocoa-nut fibre improves the peat for the purpose.
Large pots or tubs are needful ; the roots will bear a
certain amount of cramping^ but as a free growth is
desirable — in fact essential — both to maintain the health
besides developing the beauty of the plants, as much
pot room must be allowed as possible, consistent with
the sizes of the plants and the place they are kept in.
Shade is of the first importance, abundance of moisture
is indispensable.

The most desirable greenhouse tree ferns are Dick-
sonia antardica, D. squarrosa, Alsophila australis, A.
excelsa, Cyathea dealbata. The first named is the
most useful and is extremely likely to prove a hardy
plant for sheltered shady dells in the south-western
parts of England and the warmer parts of Ireland. The
beginner should avoid Alsophila capensis as risky, and
the expert need be in no hurry to obtain it.

The most desirable tree ferns for the stove are
Alsophila g I auc a, A. armata, Cibotium scheidei, Cyathea
arborea, C. microlepis.

Let us now suppose that some obliging friend in
Australia makes you a present of a lot of tree ferns.
He has found some specimens with stems from four to
five, or even six feet long ; he has cut away all the
fronds, and dug them up, without taking the trouble of
saving any of the roots. In fact, they are stems and
nothing more — stems, sans fronds, sans roots, sans
everything. He leaves them out in the air for a few
days to dry, and then packs them with shavings in a
box ; let him be especially careful that this box be not
air-tight — that is their greatest danger. In this way

9

130 The Fern Garden.

they generally come with pretty good success, a large
majority of them quite safely. And now, as we unpack
them, let them be placed upright in some close, cool,
dark corner — under the stage of a greenhouse is as good
a place as they can have. Give them a syringing once
a day for the first week, and after that two or three
times a day ; never allow them to get quite dry. By
the end of a fortnight, or even sooner, you will observe
the points of new roots starting out upon the stem, and
the closely coiled-up fronds in the centre to be pushing
upwards.

They may now be safely potted. I have no faith in
exact proportions for mixing soils, and my candid
opinion is that the mechanical condition of the soil has
more influence than anything else. Let it then, above
all things, be open and porous. Use pots as small as
you can in the first place, and shift them from time to
time as the plants may require it, using rough peaty
soil as before. If allowed to become pot-bound, the
fronds soon dwindle in size. Keep them always moist
at the root, and during nine months of the year the
stem should be kept constantly moist. This can easily
be done without wetting the fronds much, which is not
always beneficial. Do not expose your plants to
draughts of dry air, and be sure to shade them from
bright sunshine. Following these simple rules, your
tree-ferns will be an ever-increasing source of pleasure.

Fern Allies, 131

CHAPTER XVII.

FERN ALLIES.

LYCOPODIUMS^ SELAGINELLAS^ PEPPER-WORTS^ HORSE-
TAILS, AND MOSSES.

OWEVER slightly the cultivator of ferns may
be interested in their technical classification and
botanical affinities, it is impossible to proceed far
in the practice without being attracted by the beauties of
certain plants which are not ferns, but cousins-german
to them. A tuft of club moss in a marsh or of horsetail
in a damp and tangled hedgerow will arrest attention,
and the beginner may ask the question — " Is this a
fern?'"' and when assured that it is not one, will pro-
bably ask again, "What is it ?^^ In the greenhouse and
the stove the moss-like selaginellas, usually called lyco-
podiums, associate with ferns as their proper companions,
requiring similar treatment and being obviously allied
in structure and habits. On this border land there is
entertainment for the curious ; a knowledge of the dis-
tinctive character of the tribes of plants that haunt it
will prove, like many other kinds of knowledge, abun-
dantly remunerative to those who will earnestly seek it,
and the lover of vegetable beauty, who may be indis-
posed to pore over books or labour with the microscope
will discover here many gratifications.

133 The Fern Garden.

The true ferns may be traced through many grada-
tions of physiological structure with comparatively
little trouble. At all events when the botanists have
classified them, it needs no subtlety of perception to
determine that the adder's tongue and moonwort ferns
are the lowest in the scale, and that their very exist-
ence is suggestive of a gradation of similar forms late-
rally or vertically separated from them to which these
least fern-like ferns serve as connecting links. The
plants that are closest allied to the ferns are the Lyco-
podiumsj the Selaginellas^ the Pepperworts, the Horse-
tailsj and the Mosses. After these we get amongst
lichens and fungi, and as we must stop somewhere,
the foregoing five families are all we shall recognise for
the purposes of this chapter. Each family contributes
beautiful plants adapted for the fern garden, and as for
the selagineilas they are all beautiful, and we make
selections from amongst them, because usually we
cannot find room for the fifty or more species and
rmeties known to cultivators.

Lycopodiums and Selagineilas closely resemble
mosses in their branches and leaves, while in many of
their general characters and aspects they bear close
resemblances to ferns. They are, however, distinct
from either, and are especially characterised by the
nature of their leaves and their fructification. There is
one broad distinction between lycopodiums and sela-
gineilas, which the beginner may bear in mind with
advantage. Lycopodiums have imbricated leaves all of
the same shape spirally arranged. Selagineilas have
leaves of two sizes and slightly differing in form. You

Fern Allies. 133

will not readily perceive these distinctions, but look at a
fresh branch of Selaginella with the aid of a lens, and
you will see that between the evident leaves which
stand right and left there are smaller tooth-like leaves
arranged in the manner of bracts ; such leaves as these
you will never find in a true lycopodium. The distinc-
tions that depend upon fructification are more subtle,
and to describe them would render these pages weari-
some. Better is it to quit this part of the subject at
once and consider the several families named above as
subjects for cultivation.

LycoPODirMs. — The British Lycopodiums are scarcely
worth cultivating, for the simple reason that the best
endeavours have invariably failed. They are not
without beauty; indeed, when we meet with a large
patch of L. clavatum, forming a green mat two or three
yards over on a tract of heath, we are compelled to
admire, and can scarcely fail to be tempted by the wish
to grow the plant to a similar state of perfection in our
own gardens. So, again, L. annotinum, the most dis-
tinct of all ; and L. alpinum, a charming evergreen tuft
that may be mistaken for a savin, are well worthy of
further attempts at their domestication. I must con-
fess that I have tried them aU and failed with all except
L. inundatum, which I have had no trouble with, for it
grows freely with me in the simple way I manage it,
which is to bring home with me some of the soil from
the bog I find the plant growing in, and having potted
it in this, I keep the pot always standing in a pan of
water. Plenty of fresh air it must have, or it will not
last.

134 The Fern Garden.

L. selago, the Fir-club moss, is a noble species, quite
common on stony mountain tracts, a plant of great
interest too on account of its medicinal properties. la
the open fernery, probably, air our British species would
thrive if taken up in large masses and planted in fully
exposed positions in soil specially prepared to resemble
that of their original sites. With them should be asso-
ciated an American species, L. lucidulum, which
closely resembles our L. selago, but is of a shining
dark-green colour. This thrives in peat soil in the
open fernery if favoured with shade and moisture.

Selaginellas. — Amongst these occur so many lovely
forms of vegetation, that we can safely say for the
guidance of the cultivator, the larger the collection the
better. The delicate cushion-like growth of S. apoda,
scarcely to be equalled by any of the true mosses, is
unique for beauty. It will suggest to the reader of
Milton the description of the home life of the matchless
pair in the happy garden —

" Of grassy turf their table was,
And mossy seats had round."

The metallic blue of S. Icevigata (S. caesium) is posi-
tively marvellous, yet the plant is common and will
grow in any moist warm close spot, scarcely needing
warmth or daylight, though growing the better for
a little of both. In S. rubricaulis we have the colours
of the red coral and the emerald combined ; in S. for-
mosa we have a charming semblance to a fern, yet a kind
of beauty which no fern possesses.

In practice we find them all adaptable to cool houses

Fern Allies, 135

and unheated cases, but to grow them in perfection
warmth is essential^ and they may all be treated as
stove plants, and wherever there is a suitable place
for them, so surely ought this class of plants to be
strongly represented, for they are quite at home, and
thrive where it would be next to impossible to keep any
other plant in a healthy growing state, even if it could
be persuaded to drag out an existence, which would
not be at all likely to compliment the cultivator for the
skill and trouble expended upon it. It greatly en-
hances the attractions of the fern house to distribute
the selaginellas amongst large specimen plants, where
they can have the advantage of the shade from them,
putting them, of course, so as they can be readily seen,
for it is no use to put a light under a bushel. They
are also well suited to stand amongst strong-growing
ferns, for the spreading nature of the fronds of
the ferns prevents the pots being set close to each
other, thus giving ample room to stand dwarf-
growing plants, which require similar treatment and a
deeper intensity of shade than the ferns. They will,
however, grow well in a house with a suitable tempera-
ture if there are no other plants of any description but
them in it, provided that the house is properly shaded.
Mv reason for susffestino; the suitabilitv of these plants
for growing between others of larger size is this — the
stove is generally of limited extent, so that every inch
of space is required to be made available for growing
something or other, and there is always space between
large specimen plants, although their fronds may meet
overhead, suitable for growing dwarf plants like these.

136 The Fern Garden.

thus leaving the other space, which has the advantage
of the full light, available for growing other subjects.

The best mode of growing fine specimens is in pans,
for they are shallow rooting plants, and do not require
a great depth of soil. By adopting pans we are enabled
to give them a much larger space to spread over than
would be practicable in pots. Pans of eighteen inches
in diameter are a very convenient size for strong-
growing kinds, whilst for the moss-like sorts of dwarf
growth a smaller size is far better. The pans should
have about an inch of drainage crocks broken rather
fine, a layer of rough peat, and then must be filled up
with a compost consisting of peat, loam, leaf-mould,
and silver sand, equal parts. This should be pressed
firm, a layer of sand put over it, and the cuttings laid
on and pegged down. The cuttings should be good-
sized pieces. I take them ofi" at the base, close to the
soil, which is better than the tops, and if they are pro-
perly attended to, they will soon take root and cover
the pans. It is best to keep them renewed in this way
than keep a lot of old plants ; for when they are old
they are bad, and get broken about, and bear no com-
parison to young healthy plants. The metallic lined
l(jevigata can be kept in good trim by cutting it down
to the pan when it becomes a bad colour, and if it has
a little fine soil and sand, or sand alone sprinkled over
it, and set in a warm corner, it will soon recover. Un-
less kept in deep shade this charming plant soon loses
its exquisite colour.

Kinds which have in<equifolia and viticulosa for their
type require a slightly diff'erent method of treatment in

Fern Allies. 137

their propagation. Instead of laying the pieces on the
top of the soil, the old plant should be taken out of
the pan, divided into small pieces, and dibbed a few
inches apart in fresh soil, in pans about nine inches in
diameter, and as they cover the pans be shifted into
larger sizes according to their requirements ; they are
slower growing than the others, and do not make large
plants so quickly. Any time of the year will do for
the propagation, but autumn is the best; for during
the winter the cuttings get rooted if kept warm enough,
and with the return of spring grow freely and soon
make handsome tufts. All the kinds which are of
moss-like growth, and form rootlets on their stems, are
adapted to cover rocky surfaces in the fern house.
Just sprinkle a little sand or peat on the rock or brick,
and upon this prepared surface press a few pieces of
denticulata, apoda, densa, obtusa, and others of like
habit, give a sprinkle daily with the syringe, and they
will soon take hold and spread and form charming
little carpets of the most delicate vegetation. Speci-
men plants in pans will need frequent syringing when
growing vigorously, but as the damp days of autumn
approach, syringing must be practised less, and during
winter must be discontinued altogether.

As there are few cultivators who can find room for
all the Selaginellas, a selection of the most distinct and
beautiful will be useful.

Greenhouse Selaginellas. — S. stolonifera, green
and tree-like. S. formosa, green, tree-like, massive. S.
microphylla, green, slender, tree-like, red-stemmed.
S. uncinata, blue, prostrate, wiry. S. apoda, green,

138 The Fern Garden.

moss-like, one of the best. S. denticulata, green, well
known, one of the most useful. There is a white-
tipped variety which makes beautiful tufts in green-
house or stove. S. Willdenoviy green, fern-like, very
hardy; one of the best. S. lepidophylla, dark green,
like a miniature cedar tree. This is the American
" Resurrection plant.^* S, ohtusa, green, moss-like,
beautiful.

Stove Selaginellas. — /S. rubricaulis, red-stemmed,
tree-like. S. laevigata, blue, a splendid climbing plant,
well adapted for the fern case or to train as a climber.
S. jamaicensisj phosphorescent, a delicate little gem.

Pepper-worts. — These plants are known in botany
as the Marsileacece ; they are for the most part insig-
nificant and would have no place in this chapter were
it not for the peculiar merit of one of the family which
many fern-growers would like to possess. This is the
Marsilea macropus, the Nardoo plant of Australian ex-
plorers, the plant mentioned as the last resource against
starvation in the tragic story of the Burke and Wills
exploring expedition. This species may easily be taken
at first sight for a large-leaved oxalis, or trefoil, owing
to the peculiar divisions of its leaves. It may be grown
with the greatest ease in a pot of spongy peat kept
constantly plunged in one or two inches depth of water.
M. quadrifolia, a native of Germany, is also a pretty
species, but it has no story to recommend it like the
other.

Horsetails or Equisetums. — There is a rather
troublesome weed, of very elegant structure and curious
history, met with in undrained clay and loamy soils ;

Fern Allies. 139

it is of a pale green colour, and consists of a tough and
rather decumbent stem, surrounded with whorls of
thread-like branches, its true leaves, if it has any, being
in the form of minute scales, placed around points or
rings which occur at regular intervals on the stems.
The plant is known to country people as the " horse-
taiF^ or '^ mare^s-tail," and in botany is called Equi-
setum arvense, the field Equisetum. Though a trouble-
some weed, and one that is detested where it grows
plentifully, it is w^ell worth a place in the fernery, and
when planted in a shady bank of peat, it spreads fast,
and makes its appearance in all sorts of places, but does
not drive better things out of the way, or even render
itself objectionable. I have some of it in a shady part
of my fernery, and very much enjoy the mixture of its
elegant light green spray with such ferns as Onoclea
sensibilis, and others that have bold-looking fronds.
Those who know this plant, as probably most of our
readers do, will be, perhaps, prejudiced in favour of the
genus to which it belongs. But whether such be the
case or not, I wish to recommend these plants to the
notice of fern-growers, as suited to contribute in a
special manner to the interest of a collection of acro-
genous plants. I have all the species that are known,
and one of them I consider the most elegant of all
plants ever seen upon the face of the earth. This gem
is called Equisetum sylvaticum, one stem of which is
represented in the accompanying figure. If the reader
can imagine a nine-inch pot, with about fifty of these
stems crowded together in it, all of them arching over
with exquisite grace, like feathers from the tails of bii'ds

140

The Fern Garden,

EQTTTSETUM STLVATICUM.

Fern Allies. 141

of Paradise, the colour the most tender shade of emerald
green, no apology will be needed for calling attention
to it in these pages, for it is, in fact, one of the most
desirable of plants for the fern garden.

Equisetum sylvaticum is a British plant, very scarce
generally, but plentiful enough in some districts. When
met with it is usually in a peaty soil, beside a water-course
in a shady wood, or on a bank beside a ditch overhung
with trees and rank herbage ; always in a moist, shady
spot, and if not in peat, in some light soil of similar
nature. My best plants in pots are kept under a
stage, and have all the drip that results from the
watering of plants above them, besides the water given
them in the usual way, and their appearance is so
delightful, they so fascinate me that I never enter the
house where they are kept without having a peep at
them. They are to me a feast which never satiates,
though I sometimes become tired of flowers, especially
after I have for weeks constantly been visiting great
gardens, and comparing and criticising bedding effects.
We have it also planted out in the shadiest and dampest
part of a rockery, in a cool fernery, and also in a
shady part of the fernery out-of-doors. It increases
fast, and may, if desirable, be parted annually in spring
when it begins to grow ; but to make a fine specimen
it should not be parted, but be shifted to a larger and
larger pot every year, and this should be done without
breaking the ball when the plant is shifted ; no, not
even the crocks should be removed.

Another grand species is Equisetum ielmateia, which
is of more robust habit than the last, with regular

142 The Fern Garden.

whorls of branches, which differ from those of sylvaticum,
that they do not branch again. This grows on dry
sandy banks, and is tolerably common, especially in the
southern parts of England. It grows finely in the
rockery if planted in a shady spot, and though found
wild in very dry positions, I have never found it suc-
ceed except in a damp position, unless assisted with
frequent watering. Sandy peat is the best soil for it.

Another and most beautiful species is E. umbrosum.
This is very distinct and very rare. The whorls of
branches are rather crowded, and they all rise at a
regular angle, and gracefully arch over at their ends.
This grows in very shady places, and requires the same
kind of cultivation.

Equisetum palustre is another exquisitely beautiful
plant. By many this will be considered more beauti-
ful than sylvaticum, for the slender branches divide
and subdivide into the most hair-like ramifications ;
indeed, it looks as if constructed of hair, but in a
manner that would be impossible to human fingers even
if only in imitation of its beauty. This grows in bogs,
and therefore when under cultivation must have a damp
position and plent}- ol water.

I have also plants of E. fluviatile, which grows in
water ; E. hyemale, also a water plant ; E. Mackaii,
which loves moisture, and E. varieffatum, which will
grow well under almost any circumstances. But these
four have no beauty. They are like rushes, tall,
rigid, without branches, very pretty in a certain sense
in their construction, but are likely to interest only
«uch as are devoted to the study of these plants.

Fern Allies. 143

Mosses. — Though we rarely meet with these as
special objects of cultivation^ a large number of the
most beautiful may be grown with but little difficulty
in an outdoor fernery, and a few are well adapted for
cool house and frame culture. TVhere ferns are well
managed mosses are sure to appear amongst them
spontaneously,, and add very much to the beauty of the
rockery by the tone of age and ripeness they give it.
In the ' Floral World ' of February, 1869, the writer
of this gave his experience at length upon this subject.
Those who are particularly interested in it may peruse
the article with advantage.

In collecting mosses for cultivation, they should be
taken with a thin slice of whatever they may be grow-
ing upon adhering to the roots. Thus obtained, they
will grow freely, and spread in all directions. But
when they are rudely torn from pieces of rock, the
roots are injured, and the specimens suffer in con-
sequence, frequently resulting in their death. All the
mosses require a liberal supply of moisture at all
seasons, to keep them in full health. A better proof
of the truth of this assertion is not wanted than to
point to the vigorous way in which they all grow natu-
rally during the humid season of November and De-
cember. To keep them in first-rate condition, they
should have a liberal sprinkling overhead three times a
day through the summer, and at other times twice will
be sufficient, unless the weather is particularly dry and
warm. There need be little fear of their receiving too
much. In the winter there will be sufficient atmo-
spheric moisture, in addition to the rains, to keep them

144 The Fern Garden,

damp enough, unless it should happen to be unex-
ceptionally dry. In that case a sprinkle overhead will
be of immense benefit to them. The planting should
be conducted so that each species gets a position that
bears a close affinity to the circumstances in which it
is found in a natural state. Those that grow on stone
or brickwork should be secured to those substances,
whilst those growing in damp pools and ordinary soil
should have like positions allotted to them. By taking
notice of the conditions under which they are found, a
good idea of the treatment they require may be formed
by those who know little or nothing about the subject.
The cultivator will find every bit of information picked
up in this way of very great service to him, at some
time or other.

The undermentioned species are all particularly
beautiful, and have the great merit of thriving un-
commonly well upon an artificially constructed rockery :
— Bartramia fontana, B. pomiformis, Bryum alpinum, B.
capillare, B. argenteum, Dicranum squarrosum, Grimmia
Doniana, G. leucophoea, G. pulvinata, Hookeria lucens^
Hypnum denticulatum, H. cupressiforme, H. purwn, H.
Schreberi, H. splendens, Leskea sericea, Racomitrium
canescens, Weissia contraversa, the principal species of
Tortula, and all the Polytrichums, and Mniums.

INDEX.

PAGE

AdiaTitum, Britisli species

of

. 74

„ exotic species

105, 117

Adiantopsis radiata

. 117

Allosorus crispus .

. 75

AlsopMla, species of

. 129

AnfiiTTiia collina

. 117

Asplenium, Britisli species

of

20, 75

„ exotic species

•

105,117

AthjrrinTn, Britisli species of ,

24,76

Basket ferns

. 59

BlecliTium, species of

, 76,107,117

„ spicant

. 24

Bracken on ruin .

14

Brainea insignis ,

. 117

Britisli ferns

. 73

Campylonem-nm phyllitidie

> • • •

. 107

Ceterach officinanrm

21, 78

Cheilantlies, species of

. 126

Climbing ferns

110, 120

Collecting ferns

4

Cystopteris, Britisli species

of ! !

21,79

Davallia canariensis

• • 1

. 107

„ polyantha and aculeata

. 117

Dicksonia, species of

• • «

. 129

Elaphoglossum frigidnm

• • •

. 120

Equisetums or horse-tails

• • •

25. 138
10

146

Index,

Fem-anies . , .. ,

. 131

Fern cases and shades , , ,

42, 63

Ferns in general . . • i

1

Fern-hunting . . . ,

5

Fern-house, construction and f umishing of «

. 33

Fireside ferneries . . . ,

. 42

Flowers and ferns in the sa.me house . ,

. 96

Formation of fernery . , ,

. 6, 11

Frame culture of pot ferns . • ,

. 29

Gleichenias . . , ,

107, 120

Gold and silver ferns . ,

. 124

Goniophlebinms . . . ,

107, 120

Greenhouse and stove ferns .

. 95

Gymnogramma leptophylla .

. 79

„ chrysophylla, sulphurea, &c. .

. 126

Hare's-foot fern . . . .

. 107

Hartstongue ferns . .

23,89,92

Hymenodium crinitum . , ,

. 120

Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense . ,

. 80

Hjrpolepis tenuif olia . • ,

. 110

Lastrea, British species of . •

. 82

„ exotic species

. 110

List of twelve ferns for pot culture .

. 27

„ sixty „ cool fern houses

. 40

, fifteen „ glass shades .

. 48

„ thirty „ heated cases . ,

. 61

, „ „ unheated cases

. 61

, twenty-four suspending in cases

. 62

, forty „ small growing case fen

13 . 62

, fifty „ greenhouse ferns

. 105

)

, thirty „ stove ferns .

. 117

, twelve greenhouse exhibition ferns .

. 116

, „ stove exhibition ferns . ,

, 123

, seventeen gold and sUver ferns ,

, 126

Localities in which ferns grow

9

Ly<

x)podiums . . . ,

. 133

Index,

147

PAGE

Majsh ferns . • • <

. 24

Mokria thurif raga • • <

. 110

Mosses . . • • 4

. 143

Multiplication of ferns . • <

. 64

Mural ferneries

. 15

Nepkrodium molle , • *

. 110

Nepkrolepis, species of . . ,

111,120

Niptobolus lingua and rupestris

. 110

Nomenclature

. 3

Notliochleena argentea, flavens, &c.

. 126

Onychium Japonicum

. Ill

Opliioglossum, British species of

. 84

Osmunda regalis . . • i

24,84

Outdoor ferneries . . . «

. 11

Pepper-worts . . . .

. 138

Phlebodium aureum and sporodocarpum

. 113

Platy cerium alcicorne

. 114

„ grande . •

. 123

Platyloma rotundifolia . •

. Ill

Pleopeltis membranacea

. 123

Polypodium, British species of

22, 84

„ exotic species .

113, 120

Polysticbum, British species of •

. 86

Pot- culture of ferns . . ,

. 26

Pots for specimen ferns

. 103

Propagation of ferns by spores, divisions, &c.

. 64

Pteris, British species of . • ,

. 89

exotic species . • ,

114,123

Selaginellas . . •

. 134

Scolopendi-ium, British species of

23, 89, 92

Silver ferns . . «

. 124

Stag's -horn ferns . , •

114,123

Stove ferns, culture of . • <

. 100

Structure and growth of ferns «

2

Thamnopteris australasica . «

. 114

Todea peUucida and superba •

. 114

"X

148

Index.

Tree ferns

Tricliomanes radicans

Tunbridge filmy fern

Rockeries and rooteries

Rock and wall ferns

Roster's fern-pillar

Vermin in fern-cases

Woodsia alpina and ilvensis

Woodwardia radicans and orientalis

PAGE

128

92

8,80

13

7,19

55

57

23,94

116

j^'^-^^
i^^ >..-^^^

•^^

University of British Columbia Library

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