Fried Tree ferns!!

After weeks of waiting for the end of the (likely) frosts, and rain, rain, rain, I now find that the sun is trying to fry my tree ferns. I've never known this to happen before, and, it's not really baking hot (yet), so it's out with the shade netting. Must be the wrong kind of sunshine (sic)!!

LOL prophet
Not funny really, but glad you can joke about it.
Pretty well everything is fried here at the moment and my gardening friends and I are all doing rain dances, so far to no avail.

Hope you're tree ferns get the weather they thrive in soon......

Yes, doing the rain dance here too. Never known it so hot and dry so early....
Maggi xxxx

I lost my tree fern that my sister bought me a few yeras back, guess I didn't keep it moist enough,so I'm not even going to attempt them again, as much as I love them, rather expensive mistakes...Hope yours survives o.k.

I was talking to a woman who runs a little nursery near me, and has about a dozen polytunnels of various sizes.

she was saying that the plants aren't liking it, the sudden change in temperature.

Thayy have a load of Begonias in one, and she said that they were having to move them all outside , and they were praying that it didn't go cold again.

I have literally hundreds of plants in pots down my drive, and I'm having to water them about three times a day, sometimes while the suns on them, but unless I do, they're shrivelling up...

Wow, that sounds a task Sue. I'm trying to cut out the pots for that reason, but it's hard to do so.....
Yes, the weather really is weird this year.

Perhaps if we do a co-ordinated rain dance Maggi?? LOL

Yes, I think it's the sudden change in the weather that's caused the problem. My Black Tree Fern is scorched. That normally goes out mid May to acclimatise to life outside the conservatory, before the hot weather arrives. Dicksonia squarrosa is a bit fussy too, and, I suspect that's scorched for the same reason. The Dicksonia antarcticas are loving it, but they're outside all year round.

Rain dance? Sounds like a good idea to me!

Great idea Hilary - a co-ordinated European rain dance - although I have to say that "co-ordinated" and "dance" are not words normally associated with my clumsy self!
Maggi xxxx

LOL Moi non plus!
I thought afterwards, perhaps 'synchronised' would have been a better word.......

Do hope the tree ferns come back well prophet

O.K guys name a time that we can all be jigging along together , I must say there are a few wisps in the sky this morning maybe it'll rain today...

It has forecast thunder storms here in the next day or two, so I think I'll hold off the dancing. The neighbours probably think I'm mad already wandering round the garden slug hunting at night. I try to time my slug disposal to avoid the local drunks coming past as it is a bit embarrassing meeting them when I'm wearing rubber gloves and carrying a bucket of slugs.

It is surprising that there are still slugs about when it is so dry in the daytime, but a few nights have had quite a heavy dew so it is still moist enough for them to venture out.

I noticed when watering the garden that the areas I had added most compost were nowhere near as dry as less well fed parts of the garden, so it really does make quite a difference.

I hope your tree ferns are recovering. I have a small Japanese fern which I thought was being smothered by a rather large hosta, so I moved the hosta, and now the fern has turned brown as it doesn't like so much sun. I'll have to look for a better place for the fern now and hope I don't kill it.

We had thunder and lightening last night, but the rain seemed to miss us, and now the suns out again...guess it's out with the watering cans again

My neighbours already think me nuts so seeing me dancing around the garden would be nothing too startling...

I love the thought though of you meeting the drunks in your marigolds...maybe you could seel them to them as a delicacy...if they were drunk enough?

Tree Ferns now under TWO layers of shade netting. It seems to be nothing more than a bad case of sunburn, but, with the New Zealand import ban in place, I don't want to lose
the Black Tree Fern. (expensive loss).

Well your rain dances worked. We have had a nice heavy thunderstorm this afternoon which has wet the ground thoroughly. I even got the leeks planted afterwards. I've been holding off planting them while the weather is so hot, but they should be OK now.

Your garden sounds quite exotic prophetfive. I've not got tree ferns, but have quite a few different small ones mainly near the pond.

Here is a photo of the Japanese Painted fern that got a bit of sunburn.

You lucky lucky thing!

That fern is lovely even though slightly fried. They are a really pretty plant

Japanese Painted Ferns are mega-cool. I have five plants, dotted amongst my Dicksonia tree ferns. The New Zealand Ladder Ferns are good too. Try Blechnum fluvitale "kiwakiwa" in neutral or slightly soil. Mine are thriving beside my wildlife pond.

Just for everyone's information, the best, modern rain dance, for the 21st centruy, wash your car. :-} Works for me...

Some of us wouldn't be allowed to wash the car at present Dale LOL it's considered an unnecessary use of water and some areas have fines for such activities! At least dancing is no longer a criminal offence!

No tree ferns here, as pretty as they are you could also fill latticed tube with bark and plant a large fern in the top. A hardy and cheaper alternative to tree ferns ;)

We've been trying to plant native ferns in the dreaded front garden, fortunately the branchery is ideal for them and the few in theere have taken although the Meadow cranesbill has covered the lot and the Red valerian has colonised the top where the Cylamen coum have died down but the ferns even seem to like this close contact with their herbaceous chums.

A clear blue, cloudless sky for us today although it did shower a bit late last night.

Do you have a photo of the Blechnum fluvitale please. I'll look in the plant finder. Our soil is slightly acid, so ferns are happy here. I've quite a few interesting ones near the pond, but I've lost the labels so I'll have to look them all up again.

It has looked like rain all day today and even felt a couple of spots, but it hasn't turned into anything. The ground is very dry so I'll have to start watering if we don't get rain soon. It hasn't stopped the slugs and snails though, they were all out in force again last night munching all my newly transplanted brassicas.

I don't have a photo of this fern Pat, but, go to www.trevenacross.co.uk, and you should find one. That is where I bought my plants from, although from their stand at the Malvern Flower Show last year, not mail order. They should have some in stock. Might want a tad of winter fleecing, when small. Mine died back last winter, with no protection, but, came back vigourously once spring finally arrived.