Waiting out the ice storm and having tulip dreams of spring. Enjoy.
garden photography
Consider This: Ferns
Too much time has gone by without a post– these new working hours do not leave much time for me to formulate a decent blog post!
Currently, I have been waiting for a seed catalog I requested– Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I just recently heard about it through Twitter from my fellow gardening friends. I heard it is a great catalog and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! My husband’s co-worker gave me a couple of seed packets and I would like to look for some others. I have to admit, this winter feels like it is going much faster, given the fact we have not received nearly the snow or have had to deal with the sub-zero temperatures that made last year’s winter so darn long.
So, as I sat at work yesterday, an idea came to me. I thought I would start a new mini- series that would lead up to the upcoming growing season– I call it “Consider This”. Giving a little snapshot of certain plants/flowers/shrubs/trees that you should consider planting in your garden and/or yard if you are able to! I won’t do it every week, but as I go along I will pick out a few different botanicals that should be given some serious consideration to your landscape.
My first plant I am going to highlight are ferns. I LOVE ferns. I try to get my hands on as many varieties of ferns as I can. The simple, elegant beauty that comes from these plants cannot be emphasized enough.
Here are some quick facts about Ferns:
- They are one of the oldest living plants still alive on our planet. They literally have not changed for over a million years.
- Ferns came be as small as 2 to 3 feet high, or other varieties are actual fern trees.
- Their leaves are called fronds. If you want to see a beautiful sight, watch a fern start growing and unfurling it’s beautiful fronds.
- Ferns reproduce by spores and not leaves. I remember freaking out as I looking under the leaves of my autumn fern and saw all these brown spots. I thought it was dying, when, it was actually growing!
- You can harvest the tender little fronds of an ostrich fern just after it sprouts from the ground and eat them. They are called fiddleheads.
Ferns are a woodland plant, so they thrive in shade. There are several different kinds, as I have stated above. I will give you the list of the ones I have collected over the past few years:
- Ostrich Fern– most common fern that is readily available. You find this one most of the time in the forest.
- Maidenhair fern — very delicate fern with contrasting black stems.
Maidenhair Fern
- Japanese Painted Fern — beautiful fern that has white fronds and reddish stems.
Japanese Painted Fern
- Ghost Fern — gorgeous silver fern that when established, grows rapidly.
- American Lady Fern — this fern was very popular during the Victorian Era. Beautiful, curly fronds with reddish/orange stems.
American Lady Fern
- Cinnamon Fern — my favorite fern, by far. The fronds in the middle grow to look like “cinnamon sticks”, hence the name.
Cinnamon Fern
- Autumn Fern — fronds are orange/red and bring color to your shade and woodland garden. This is by far my most hardy fern, and one of the most beautiful.
Autumn Fern
Yes, as I said above, this is just a snapshot of the many ferns that are available. I absolutely love ferns and have always wanted to do a post all about them. I hope to keep adding to my collection, as long as I have shade, I will keep buying them!
Thank you for taking the time to read this long post!
What’s Growing On In My Garden- Early Summer
Summer is just a week old, and you would think it was Fall the way the rain and cold has been pounding down. This weather is actually a blessing in disguise, because it forces me to get indoor work done that is usually neglected when it’s gardening season!
I have a late-blooming Allium that’s getting its share of rain!
So, I just thought I would give you a rundown of what’s “growing” on in my yard this year.
First, I have to say that everything is coming along just wonderfully this year. I think this endless rain has helped speed up the lush full-grown landscape that surrounds my home. I also believe that it’s the rain that has kept the deer at bay– I haven’t had to spray my hostas and other deer delicacies only twice so far. By this time last year, I was spraying my plants every week!
As always, there is never an end to gardening. I always tell myself EVERY year that what I have done is enough and I don’t need anymore. Well, of course, I keep adding and keeping making new beds. I comb through garden magazines, peruse garden centers and research online all the different perennials I could add to my garden for my hardiness zone of 6a.
Well, these are the plants I have added this year:
Beautyberry: I have wanted one of these plants for a long time. In the fall, they will have these beautiful (hence the name) purple berries on its branches. They require part sun/shade.
I can’t wait to see these berries in all their purpley-ness!
Indian Holly Fern: I love ferns, as everyone knows at this point. So, how could I not add yet another fern to my back yard shaded area? This fern has light stripes running down the middle of the fronds.
This fern has stunning contrasts!
Creeping Thyme: I purchased four of these plants for this little brick wall I made for the flower bed directly behind the garage. I hope they will start growing over the bricks and make for an excellent groundcover look!
Some other views of my gardens that are blooming beautifully:
Maidenhair Fern
Cinnamon Fern
Yellow Loosestrife
Torch Lily
Rudbeckia
Sea Holly
Two stone crop sedum
Stay tuned at a later date for some more pictures of other plants well on their way through the season. I hope that these pictures will give you some ideas of what you would like to add in your garden as well!
Have a wonderful summer week!
