This article was provided by The Fern Society of Victoria

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Some Hardy Ferns For The Garden

Author: Chris Goudey    Founding president of our Society and respected author of several books on ferns and their culture, Chris with his wife Lorraine owns and operates Austral Ferns, a successful wholesale fern nursery near Geelong.
 
You will have to do different things to establish successful ferneries in different environments, The main thing is to provide some shelter from the elements. For example if you live up at Ferntree Gully or a similar spot in the Dandenongs you won't have to do much at all, mainly provide some protection from frost. If however, you live in the city or the western side thereof, you will have to do quite a bit to create a hospitable environ-ment for ferns, as there are more elements to contend with.
 
Most ferns grow naturally in rainforest situations. They won't tolerate drying winds or too much sun. You may be fortunate enough to have somewhere in your garden which remains damp and is fairly shaded - but it must also have protection from the drying, northerly winds.
 
70% shadecloth is ideal for most ferns, though their needs vary and you will have to consider what you are going to grow. If you plan to grow tree terns, you need a very high roof unless you are prepared to dig your tree ferns out every few years and either cut the bottoms off to lower them or discard and replace them. There are some tree ferns which will tolerate full sun once they get going.
 
You will need open, friable soil though you can use a clay soil provided it is elevated and is well drained. I like to put rocks or logs around the edge of the proposed bed and build up the soil behind these, to create good drainage.
 
Select ferns from a climate similar to your own. Natives of Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales are quite suitable for our climate, as are those from cool climate countries such as South Africa, New 7ealand and South America. Hopefully this information will be on the plant label but if it's not, have a browse through fern reference books at your local library. - or better still, join the Society and gain access to our impressive lending library.
 
Ferns are all surface rooted. Even the largest tree fern has a mat of roots near the soil's surface, not a tap root. This means they all need to be mulched with an organic material which will break down. Redgum chips and pinebark should only be used when they are very old. Think of the way leaf litter in damp forests falls continually, maintaining a thick mulch that is old and well broken down near the soil with the fresh material on top. The old material releases nutrients as it disintegrates and ferns are found growing in this rich medium. If you mulch properly there should be no need for fertiliser except perhaps a little blood and bone occasionally.
 
I suggest you put your larger ferns at the back of a bed and smaller ones in front. There are some climbing or scrambling ferns, such as Lygodiums and Gleichenias, which can go beside your poles. If you have a nice, moist environ-ment you can have ferns in hanging baskets or logs.
 
I advise the installation of a watering system that is either automatic or semi-automatic, with dripper's and/or micro-sprays on flexible lines. As ferns grow big the outlets can be moved around so that even misting and irrigation can be maintained. It is well worth installing timers to control watering, either the dial type which you set for up to two hours every time you turn your system on, or an automatic timer which can turn the water on and off at whatever interval and for whatever time you choose.
 
If you're growing sub-tropical ferns or Maidenhair ferns, ease back on the water a little bit in winter. Keep them just damp.

© 1999 'Chris Goudey'