You could say that I am somewhat passionate about hostas and ferns. Ferns in particular. When I was a child I remember being taken quite often to a big public park and I recall vividly that the entrance to the park was bordered by mature trees with ferns growing in their shade . There was always a special atmosphere as I walked in, whether the day be damp or dry. There was an earthy smell and any sound except for birdsong seemed hushed. I want to imitate atmosphere in my little garden to a very limited extent, I know.
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| Hostas and Ferns bordering a path, May 2017 |
In the morning the back of my bungalow, which faces more or less east, gets the morning sun. Then, the sun's position shifts and during the day it swings over the rooftop to the front of my home which more or less faces west. In winter, the back wall of my home may get an hour or two of sunshine on a good day but in summer it can get more. What I have done is made a home for the hostas and the ferns along that east facing wall, allowing them to create a pathway which is about 7ft wide. I know for sure that the hostas will tolerate some sun, as will a few of the ferns—but not all.
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Bottom to top left, Brimcup, Sagae
Right, the fern Cyrtomium fortunei |
I grow all my hostas in terracotta pots with gravel at soil level. Seems slugs don't like sliding along sharp grit. It seems that all hostas like damp soil and some shade.
Hosta 'Sagae' is a fabulous, showy plant.
Brimcup seems to tolerate partial shade too.
Patriot is wonderful and, after buying it, I also found a
Reversed Patriot which, at the moment, is still quite small.
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| Cyrtomium fortunei, May 2017 |
Since moving the marble table into my new
garden room, I have been able to reposition the hostas against the house wall where they still face east and get shade for much of the day, but not all day.
Actually, at the top of the garden, in a border which faces north but gets the afternoon sun, I grow the border hosta,
Gold Edger. Now it's grown a bit it looks wonderful, like a green globe as it's spread is restricted within the confines of a low terracotta pot which has no base.
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Ferns growing alongside a path, May 2017. The two in pots are possibly
in a temporary position depending on whether they are happy there or not. |
Now, to get to my ferns. Opposite the hostas, I have
Dryopteris filix-mas 'Euxinensis' which I grew in a pot for years. I have now planted it into soil where it gets partial sun in the morning. Planted alongside it is the
Buckler Fern (Dryopteris atrata), the
Braun's Holly Fern (Polystichum braunii), and the
Wood Fern (Thelypteris decursive pinnata). However, I also want to grow two more ferns in that area:
Victoria Lady Fern (Athyrium filix femina Victoriae) and
Athyrium felix-femina Frizelliae (aka Tatting Fern). The latter two I have been growing in pots, in semi shade and protected against the wind. I don't know how they will take to being moved and placed with the other ferns so, for now, I have simply sunk their pots into soil and if they don't fare well I can simply remove them without disturbing their roots.
