Growing Ferns At Home
As well as being native to New Zealand, ferns give generous, lush green foliage that compliment any style of garden. Although they are not floral plants, they are as attractive as flowers because of their texture and height. To get the best from your ferns, read our top tips...
It is a good idea to choose a relatively sheltered spot for your ferns and tree ferns. Although they enjoy light, you should avoid placing them in direct sunlight. They also enjoy fairly moist and humid conditions so lots of leaf mould and compost is the key to a successful display. Make sure to incorporate the compost well into the soil with a nice blanket of mulch on top to get the best from your ferns.
Try to give your ferns a good watering rather than a light sprinkle more often and hold back on watering them so much in the winter. Water your ferns from the top as this is where, as you already know, all of the new growth sprouts from. The stem or trunks that support the fronds do not necessarily take food and water to all parts of the plant.
It is also best to steer clear of artificial fertilisers and use mainly organic matter.....You can use sheep pellets, these will be fine.
Placement of your ferns is important too. In order to show your plants off and make them look their best, you can plant in groups. This makes a great show of the ferns and you can also do some under-planting with colour and reflection to show case and highlight your prized ferns. Astelia varieties provide a beautiful silver foliage and Clivias work well in groups.
Enjoy your lush green ferns and make the most of this beautiful native plant!
By Tony Murrell