Ferns Forum

Is there enough interest in Ferns to warrant a forum???

I love my native ferns, but there are so many which are not native that interest me.

Judy

I am interested!!

I would also be interested in a ferns forum.

I would also be interested.

Count me in!

Very interested

Me too!!!! I LOVE my ferns and seem to be working on a "fern forest" here. They spread like wildfire...aren't they wonderful?
Pati

We need more people who are interested in a Fern Forum before one will be created.

Please post on this thread if you are interested.

Judy

I would be interested in a Fern Forum.

I have located 23 indigenous ferns that I've identified in our area, and I'd love to share them and discuss on (in?) a fern forum.

Andy

Andy, that's so interesting. Do you think ferns from that part of the world would survive our Florida climate?
Pati

Wow, andy, I don't think we have that many in this area. I have incorporated several into my beds.

I would be interested also.

Looks like we're already starting our forum right here!

Ferns here are able to survive brutal winter temps of -30 to -40C, and yet come back every year, even the tiny ones growing in rock crevices (ebony spleenwort) and those growing in swampy areas (Royal).

Typical ones (common names): maidenhair, Christmas, cinnamon, royal, interrupted, ostrich, polypody, bracken. I'm giving myself a little project this year to properly document them all with photos and botanical names. I'll put them in my journal and also PlantFiles. I've never posted to plantFiles, this will be a first!

Feel free to check out my journals; one shows photos of the cottage land where these ferns grow.

Andy....I didn't know that I could grow so many differnet varieties. I do have quite a few ferns, but always seem to have a bit of zone envy as well. (I've tried the zone 5 autumn fern twice and just couldn't get it to survive the winter.)

I will definitely check out your journals.

Marie

I am interested in a fern forum, since I garden in shade most of the time!

Definately interested!
Shady

OK all you fern enthusiasts, lets get the ball rolling here! I have several ferns, including a couple that I really do not know the names of. They grew in the compost that I mix and use for potting, and some of these plants are in pots for some time so an opportunity for a fern to develop. I do get many fairly common ferns, of which I am still unsure of their ID, and as I have other ferns growing in the ground some could be setting from those.

One of these ferns is really almost like a tree fern. I use soil dug from our water drain, leafy home made compost, and bought moss peat compost. The moss peat one I have been using is Irish, but when I put the plant in the pot where this fern was growing I may have used another compost with sedge peat, so I am unsure of the peat origins, and am wondering if the spore may have originated in the peat.

It is now quite a mature fern and has been growing for possibly 5 or 6 years. The last 2 years I have noticed the most unusual fronds. Every alternate frond is much narrower, as though all the edges have been eaten off. Some look to be midway between the broader and narrower ones. I also noticed the spores are only at the top 1/3 of the fronds, and I believe I remember getting excited because they looked to be rather like my spore grown tree ferns spore, where they start as a hard blackish mound before bursting, and I think their spore is also only on the top 1/3.

I looked earlier this year after having forgotten about them, and the fronds were still there but a little tatty. I took some pics of the spores, they appear to be in singles or pairs along each pinnae. Some look to have a tightly curved 'U' shape.

I have taken the fern out of the original pot recently and repotted it, and if I remember I will be keeping a very close watch on it!

Spore

The spores can be in singles or pairs on both the narrow and broader fronds

i would join in.

wallaby1, I love the visual echo of the spore capsules and the pattern on the paper towelling. I wonder if there's a hidden message in Braille? ;>)

Kidding aside, it's hard to believe the fronds come from the same plant. I'll check my reference books when I'm next at the lake.

Looks a bit that way, funny!

I'm wondering if I have something that's been buried in peat since dinosaur days!

Thanks andy, somehow I don't think you will find it though....

Wallaby,

Can't say I have had any ferns do that before, pretty interesting though! It does this same thing year after year?
Shady

The last 2 years I have noticed it, but it wasn't a big plant before that.

Add me to those interested in a fern forum. Maybe ferns and mosses too.....

Robert.

Robert.....excellent idea. Ferns and Mosses.

Marie

How about: Ferns and Fern Allies

Yes!

Zone 8b, Broaddus, TX on Sam Rayburn Lake (southeast TX)
Please, please lets have a detailed forum, with many pics.
I have 3 pass-along ferns which I cannot begin to identify.
Also, a native fern started growing at the base of my White Oak tree. I am in Angelina National Forest in a sub-tropical temperate zone; lots of humidity.
In our area, there are patches of beautiful fern growing in the edge of wooded areas along state highways.
I have new digital camera; hopefully, I can learn how to upload several pics of ferns growing here. I am planning to make a Fern Dale down by lakeshore for ample moist air.

Keep those hands dirty,
Sunbonnet Sue

I hate to admit it, but I know next to nothing about ferns other than that I have 4 of them in my garden now and would like more. I don't understand about the spores and fronds things and it's terrible to say but ferns all look alike to me. If it weren't for the plant markers, I'd get them mixed up pretty quick. With that said, a fern forum would be a nice way to learn about them and understand the workings of these plants. Sure I could get a book or look them up elsewhere but I'm always on DG hunting out my plant info.

Erynne

Hi all, I am in zone 5. I saw ferns in my neighbors garden about 12 years ago and decided I had to have some. I counted 66 ferns last year. I started planting them 4 years ago and have added each year. My autumn fern came back last year but I can't see them doing anything this year. I would like to add more this year. I love the large ferns and also the painted ferns. My Christmas fern has stayed beautiful, the new fronds are shiny and deep green. A fern forum sounds great to me. Marie L

This message was edited May 8, 2006 8:46 PM

I'd love to see a fern forum.
Speaking of Autumn ferns; I have had no luck with them over-wintering.
I've tried twice, here in zone 5.
Bonnie

Now I don't feel so bad about killing off Autumn ferns two years in a row. I was told that they were zone 5, but I tried anyway as I am very fond of them. I think that I just may find a better spot this year. I think the trick is to find a warmer micro-zone area and then give it lots of protection. If there is anyone out there who has been successful, please give advice. I'd hate to murder another one of these lovelies.

By the way......how many more people do we need to pull together in order to get a ferns and friends forum. Invite your friends.

Marie

Mine are slow to emerge, some are starting to unfurl a little bit.

Want a pic of an unfurling Shephards Crook? It's taller now this was taken on 24th April

What a super picture!! Shephard's Crook is a new one on me, I would love to see a picture of the mature fern.
Pati

Pati it's Polystichum aculeatum, I have a sort of distant shot behind an Abutilon flower from last year, I will get a shot of it in full as it is now, not mature yet though. It is tough and easy, keeps its fronds until late winter just before the new ones start the stems get bent so I cut them off.

The full plant unfurling