How to Grow Ferns

How to Grow Ferns David Epstein: Hi, I'm Dave Epstein. This is Growing Wisdom. We’re going to talk ferns today with Scott LaFleur from the New England Wild Flower Society. And Scott, I know there are literally thousands and thousands of ferns in the world. There’s hundreds in New England. Let’s talk a few of your favorite varieties, some unique varieties and what's the best way to grow some of the ferns. Scott LaFleur: Ferns have also it’s a different condition they grow in. So we’re actually standing in a limestone out cropping here at Garden in the Woods. So all the ferns growing in this area really like that alkaline soil, so things like the maidenhair fern, the hart's tongue fern, even this really cool and kind of walking fern which throws a tip out and starts to walk all over the limestone rocks. There are so many ferns as you said that just thousands but they like all different conditions and they are those like really dry conditions like the Hayscented fern. David Epstein: And if you went to the weather areas, what fern would tend to like some moisture soil? Scott LaFleur: New York fern, Marsh fern, Massachusetts fern, those are all really grown in some really nice moist areas. David Epstein: So Scott, what if we we’re talking about tall ferns. Let’s say someone wanted a fern for the back of the boarder. What’s one of the taller ferns? Scott LaFleur: A cinnamon fern is a great one. It’s a real architectural presence, really height to it and it has this really nice cinnamon brown stick that’s come right up in the middle of it, so that’s a great fern to have. Interrupted fern is also a fantastic one for that. Goldie's fern which has really nice sort of yellowed edges to it, it really makes a nice contrast to it. So one of the things you have to remember about ferns and especially where you’re planting them, it’s a lot to do with texture. It’s a lot to do with slight changes in the color of green so it gets a really different tapestry going all the time. David Epstein: Can we use ferns in containers? Scott LaFleur: Oh, absolutely. Ferns and containers are fantastic. There are so easy to grow. And when they come back -- if you had a container that you could winter over, will the fern come back each, year? You could even have a really great fern like the Christmas fern which is almost semi-evergreen. You could leave that in the container and that look fantastic right up to around Christmas. David Epstein: So it really is a fern for almost every habitat that somebody could possibly have. Scott LaFleur: Absolutely. And ferns are ancient. They’re one of the oldest plants we have. They really date back to prehistoric times. David Epstein: How many fern type do you have in the Garden in the Woods? Roughly. Scott LaFleur: Roughly, I would say we probably have about 50 species of ferns at least in the Garden in the Woods. David Epstein: So folks could get a good idea of what they wanted to plant in their own garden by seeing what is in your garden. Scott LaFleur: Absolutely. David Epstein: So ferns really are a great edition to any garden or container whether you have a small space or a large space. Scott LaFleur: Definitely. David Epstein: There’s no real excuse to not have a fern in your garden. Scott, thanks a lot, I appreciate it. Come back every week for all our tips and some helps at Growing Wisdom.