FERN PLANTS GALLERY PAGES
Site Map for pages with photo content (o)

Fern Culture
from Sections 1-10 of Ferns and Fern Culture by J. Birkenhead, F.R.H.S.
Published by John Heywood in Manchester in
May, 1892 with
Rules for Fern Culture
followed by
Sections
1 Modes of Growth
2 Compost
3 Compost for various Genera, growing in pots, pans or baskets
4 Various Habits of Ferns
5 Various Modes of Cultivation
6 Light
7 Temperature
8 Ferns in Dwelling-Houses
9 Propagation (in Use in Brackish Water in Coastal District Page)
10 Selection of Ferns

with

British Ferns and their Allies comprising the Ferns, Club-mosses, Pepperworts and Horsetails by Thomas Moore, F.L.S, F.H.S., Etc. London George Routledge and Sons, Broadway, Ludgate Hill. Hardcover published in 1861 provides details on British Ferns

TYPE OF FERN TO GROW
....Aquatic
....Boston/ Fishbone/
Lace/ Sword
....Cloak/Lip/Hand
....Filmy and Crepe
....Lacy Ground
(o)Lady
....Maidenhair
(o)Miscellaneous
(o)Primitive/ Oddities
....Scrambling/ Umbrella/ Coral/ Pouch
....Selaginellas
(o)Shield/ Buckler/ Holly
....Squirrel/ Rabbit/ Hare's Foot
....Staghorn/ Elkhorn/ Epiphyte
....Tassel, Clubmoss
....The Brakes
....The Polypodies
(o)The Spleenworts
....The Tree Ferns
....Water/ Hard/ Rasp/ Chain

Where to see

UNITED STATES
San Antonio Botanical Garden.
San Diego Botanic Garden.
San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Tyringham Cobble.
UNC at Charlotte Botanical Gardens.
University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.
USCS Arboretum.
Whitehall Historic Home and Garden.
Wild Gardens of Acadia.
Zilker Botanical Garden.

WALES
Aberglasney Gardens.
Dewstow Gardens.
Dyffryn Gardens.

USE OF FERN
(o)Cold-hardy
(o)From Lime-hating Soil
(o)From Limestone Soil
(o)Hanging Basket
(o)Indoor Decoration
(o)Outdoor Pot
(o)Terrariums
(o)Wet Soils
(o)Ground Cover
(o)Pendulous Fronds

Where to see

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Botanic Garden.
Brisbane Botanic Garden.
Mount Lofty Botanic Garden.
Royal Botanic Garden, Melbourne.
Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.

CANADA
Le Jardin Botanique de Montreal.
Les Jardins de Metis.
Van Dusen Botanical Garden.

ENGLAND
Biddulph Grange Garden.
Brodsworth Hall and Gardens.
Cambridge University Botanic Gardens.
Chelsea Physic Garden.
Harlow Carr Botanic Gardens.
RHS Garden Wisley.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Savill Gardens.
Sizergh Castle and Garden.
Southport Botanic Gardens.
Tatton Park.
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens.
University of Oxford Botanic Garden.

FRANCE
Jardin Botanique de Lyon.
Parc Phoenix-Nice.

GERMANY
Arktisch-Alpiner Garten.
Botanischer Garten und Museum.
Flora und Botanischer Garten Koln.

IRELAND
Caher Bridge Garden.
Kells Bay Gardens.

NETHERLANDS
Hortus Botanicus Leiden.

SPORE COLOUR
Spore

BED PICTURES
Garden
 

Where to see

NEW ZEALAND
Franz Fernery at the Auckland Domain Park.
Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust Garden.
Pukekura Park.

SCOTLAND
Arduaine Garden.
Ascog Hall Gardens and Victorian Fernery.
Attadale Gardens.
Benmore Botanic Garden.
Glasgow Botanic Garden.
Inverewe Garden and Estate.
Linn Botanic Gardens.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

UNITED STATES
Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Balboa Park.
Barnes Foundation Arboretum.
Bartholomew's Cobble.
Bellevue Botanical Garden.
Berkshire Botanical Garden.
Bloedal Reserve.
Bok Tower Gardens.
Botanical Gardens at Asheville.
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Cailfornia State Unversity at Sacramento.
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Chanticleer.
Chicago Botanic Garden.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
Denver Botanic Gardens.
Elandan Gardens.
Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden.
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.
Fern Canyon.
Ferndell Canyon in Griffith Park.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Garden in the Woods.
Garvan Woodland Gardens.
Ganna Walska Lotusland.
Georgeson Botanical Garden.
Georgia Perimeter College Botanical Gardens

All Hardy Fern Foundation members have unlimited access to our spore exchange and can choose from a wide variety of ferns. Our resource pages include publications and books about ferns as well as useful websites.

A Natural History of Britain's Ferns by Christopher N. Page. Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd in 1988. ISBN 0 00 219382 5 (limpback edition) provides details of Coastal, Man-made Landscapes, Woodland, Wetland, Grassland and Rock Outcrops, Heath and Moorland, Lower Mountain Habitats, Upper Mountain Habitats and Atlantic Fringe Ferns.
I have provided a brief summary in the Ferns in Coastal District with associated plants and Ferns for Man-Made Landscapes with associated plants pages and provided you with the Chapter number for the others, since the information within this book is so comprehensive, that it would need to be completely copied to be of most use.

Tree Ferns by Mark F. Large & John E. Braggins. Published by Timber Press in 2004. ISBN 978-1-60469-176-4 is a scientifically accurate book dealing with Tree Fern species cultivated in the United States and the Pacific, but little known and rare tree ferns are also included.

The Observer's Book of Ferns, revised by Francis Rose, previous editions compiled by W.J.Stokoe. Published by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd in 1965 provides a comprehensive guide to 45 British species of Ferns. It provides details of habitat and how to use those ferns.

The Plant Lover's Guide to Ferns by Richard Steffen & Sue Olsen. Published in 2015 by Timber Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60469-
474-1. It provides details on designing with ferns and details on 140 ferns for the garden in the USA.

Success with Indoor Ferns, edited by Lesley Young. Reprinted 1998. ISBN 1 85391 554 8. It details the care of indoor ferns with their position, choice and fern care.

See
Ferns in Britain and Ireland
or the

British Pteridological Society
for further details and photos.

Mail Order UK Fern Nursery
Shady Plants has ferns for
Vertical Fern Gardens and Companion Plants for growing with Ferns.

Where to see

UNITED STATES
Harry P. Leu Gardens.
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
Holden Arboretum.
Honolulu Botanical Gardens.
Huntington Botanical Gardens.
Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden.
Inniswood Metro Gardens.
Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.
Lakewold Gardens.
Leach Botanical Garden.
Leonard J. Buck Garden.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Longwood Gardens.
Lyndhurst Gardens.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
Memphis Botanic Garden.
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.
Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.
Michigan State University.
Missouri Botanical Garden.
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mount Pisgah Arboretum.
Mt. Cuba Center.
National Tropical Botanical Garden.
New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skyland.
New York Botanical Garden.
Norfolk Botanical Garden.
North Carolina Botanical Garden.
Olbrich Botanical Garden.
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden.
Rotary Gardens.

 

TYPE OF FERN - Spleenworts Ferns Page 3 of 3
The Spleenworts are a large genus, represented in the British Isles by no fewer than 10 species. The name of the genus is the Greek Asplenon, from splen, the spleen, several of the species being anciently prescribed as medicine in ailments of that organ and the liver.

"A popular group of ferns prized for their frond symetry, fron texture and sheen and neat growth habit. They generally succeed very well in cultivation and include many highly decorative ferns.

Habitat
Aspleniums may grow along stream banks, but prefer large, mossy boulders. Most aspleniums grow in a moist, humid environment but a few can withstand 4-6 months of dry weather.

Cultivation

Uses
Aspleniums make excellent pot subjects and prefer to be underpotted than overpotted.
The larger growing types can be used in tubs (Asplenium oblongifolium, Asplenium australasicum).
Many epiphytic species are well suited to hanging baskets, especially those with drooping fronds (Asplenium bulbiferum, Asplenium polyodon).
Some are excellent for indoor decoration (Asplenium dimorphum, Asplenium simplicifrons).
Robust, large growing species are useful in a general garden situation (Asplenium oblongifolium, Asplenium scleroprium) and
the more delicate types can be grown in rock gardens, walls etc (Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Asplenium trichomanes)

Soil Types
In the garden, Aspleniums and their relatives need well-drained loam fortified with organic matter. Most species prefer an acid pH (5.5-6.5) but some require neutral to alkaline conditions. Organic mulches are very beneficial.

Potting Mix
An open but fibrous mix endowed with organic matter is generally suitable. A mix well fortified with tree-fern fibre or osmunda fibre is usually to their preference. As a group they resent poor drainage and must be repotted as soon as the mix shows sign of breaking down.

Watering
Aspleniums like plenty of water during the warm growing months but are best kept on the dry side during winter. This is especially important in the UK where winter temperatures are low and the photoperiod short.

Fertilizing
Slow-release fertilizers in the potting mix are beneficial. Potted plants also respond to liquid fertilizers applied during the warm, growing months. Plants in the ground like a spring dressing of blood and bone, well-rotted animal manure (Cow manure contains no weed seeds since the cows have eaten the food 4 times) or compost.

Situation
Aspleniums generally like well lit conditions but must be protected from excessive hot sun. Exposure to morning sun or filtered sun is ideal. They also need fairly high humidity and appreciate air movement, but not excessive wind, draughts or stagnant conditions. Frosts are tolerated by the hardy species from temperate regions but are very damaging to those from the tropics. In temperate regions these types will need the protection of a heated greenhouse." from Chapter 25 of The Encyclopaedia of Ferns An Introduction to Ferns, their Structure, Biology, Economic Importance, Cultivation and Propagation by David L. Jones ISBN 0 88192 054 1."
The following ferns come from that chapter:-
 

Fern

Foliage Colour and
Shape/ Division

Height x Spread in inches (cms)
(1 inch =
2.5 cms,
12 inches =
1 foot
12 inches =
30 cms,
24 inches =
2 feet,
3 feet =
1 yard,
40 inches = 100 cms)

Type of Fern to Grow

Use of Fern

Comments

Frond

Credit
is usually for Denver Botanic Gardens,
Wikimedia Commons,
Courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden, Dana Kelley Bressette of Nativeplants PNW.com ,
Kwan with his copyright © www. NatureLoveYou.sg
or
Chris Garnons-Williams

Form

Asplenium normale (Asplenium boreale ;
A. minus ;
A. multijugum ; A. normale var. boreale ;
A. normale var. shimurae ;
A. opacum ;
A. pavonicum ; A. pseudonormale ; A. shimurae)

Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; tropical Africa, Australia, Pacific islands].

倒挂铁角蕨
dao gua tie jiao jue

In this Asplenium normale aggregate, three distinct taxa have been distinguished on the basis of the presence or absence of one to several buds on the rachis. At the tip of many fronds of typical A. normale sits a single gemma, often developed into a small plant.

Plants 15-40 cm tall. Rhizome erect, short, apex scaly; scales blackish brown, narrowly triangular, costate, with or without median opaque zone, margin fimbriate or entire. Fronds caespitose.
Sori 3 or 4(-6) per pinna, linear-elliptic, 2-2.5(-3) mm, median on subtending vein; indusium brown or grayish brown, semi-elliptic, membranous, entire, opening toward costa. Spores with lophate (cristate to alate) perispore, with perforated crests.

Spleenworts Ferns (Asplenium)

Propagation:

Suitable for

Terrarium.

In soil or on rocks near streams, forests; 400-2500 m.

Asplenium normale. Illustration from Flora of China. It may be cited as 'eFloras (2008). Published on the Internet http://www.efloras.org [accessed 14 May 2019]' Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Asplenium oblongifolium
Shining Spleenwort

Spleenworts Ferns (Asplenium)

Propagation:

Suitable for

House Fern.

Asplenium incisum (Asplenium elegantulum)

Japan

Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea, Russia].

虎尾铁角蕨
hu wei tie jiao jue

Asplenium incisum is an ancestral diploid (Kurita, J. Jap. Bot. 35: 269-272. 1960; Rep. (Annual) Foreign Students’ Coll. Chiba Univ. 41-56. 1967) that hybridized with A. ruprechtii to form a diploid sterile hybrid, which via polyploidy led to the tetraploid A. castaneoviride (= A. kobayash

Plants 10-30 cm tall. Rhizome short, erect to shortly creeping, occasionally gemmiferous, apex scaly; scales dark brown to black, narrowly triangular, margin fimbriate with short glandular hairs or entire. Fronds caespitose.
Fronds herbaceous, often dimorphic and sterile fronds small, green, subglabrous; rachis green or stramineous when dry or base shiny castaneous abaxially, subglabrous, adaxially sulcate, apical part with narrow lateral wings. Sori median to submedian on veinlet, linear, ca. 1 mm

Spleenworts Ferns

Propagation:
Greenhouse species by spores sown in sandy peat at any time.
 

Suitable for

Spleenwort. Stove, greenhouse and hardy fern. Height varies from 6 -48 inches (15-120cms).
Culture of Greenhouse Species: Compost, equal parts peat, loam, leaf-mould and sand. Pot March. Water freely in summer, moderately in winter. Temperature, greenhouse, Sep-Mar 50-55F (10-13C), Mar-Sep 55-65F (13-18C).
 

Greenhouse Species.

On wet rocks in forests or on buildings or walls; sea level to 1900 m.

Asplenium incisum. Illustration from Flora of China. It may be cited as 'eFloras (2008). Published on the Internet http://www.efloras.org [accessed 14 May 2019]' Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Asplenium nidus (Asplenium neohainanense ; Neottopteris hainanensis ;
N. nidus ;
N. rigida ;
N. salwinensis ; N. vulgaris ; Thamnopteris nidus)

Bird's-nest Fern

Asia, Polynesia

?Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam; tropical regions of E Africa and Australia, Pacific islands (Polynesia)].

巢蕨
chao jue

Plants 1-1.2 m tall. Rhizome erect, thick and short, woody, apex scaly; scales dark to purplish brown, narrowly triangular to linear-subulate, margin ciliate to fimbriate. Fronds caespitose.
Sori linear, 3-5 cm, on acroscopic side of veinlets, running from near their base up to 1/2 of their length.

Spleenworts Ferns

Propagation:
Stove species by spores sown in sandy peat at any time.
 

Suitable for

House Fern.

Spleenwort. Stove, greenhouse and hardy fern. Height varies from 6 -48 inches (15-120cms).
Culture of Stove Species: Compost, equal parts peat, loam, leaf-mould and sand. Pot March. Water freely in summer, moderately in winter. Temperature, stove species, Sep-Mar 60-70F (15-21C), Mar-Sep 70-80F (21-27C);
 

Stove Species.

Clustered on tree trunks or rocks in rain forests; 100-1900 m.

Asplenium nidus. Illustration from Flora of China. It may be cited as 'eFloras (2008). Published on the Internet http://www.efloras.org [accessed 14 May 2019]' Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Asplenium ebenoides (Asplenosorus ebenoides)

Scott's spleenwort

USDA Zones 5a to 8b

Ala.

The above description applies to the sterile hybrid Asplenium platyneuron × rhizophyllum and its allopolyploid derivative. The allotetraploid form is known only from Hale County, Alabama, where it occurs with A . platyneuron (but not with A . rhizophyllum ) on conglomerate boulders.

Roots not proliferous. Stems ascending to erect, rarely branched; scales dark brown to blackish throughout, narrowly deltate, 2--4 × 0.25--0.45 mm, margins entire. Leaves weakly subdimorphic, fertile leaves taller and more erect than sterile leaves.
Sori 1--10(--15+) pairs per pinna, on both acroscopic and basiscopic lobes. Spores malformed (sterile form) or 64 per sporangium (fertile form).

6 x 10
(15 x 25)

Spleenworts Ferns (Asplenium)

Propagation:

Suitable for

Conglomerate boulders; 70 m

This unusual yet naturally-occurring evergreen fern hybrid from Alabama (formerly xAsplenosorus) is the result of a conjugal visit between two native species, Asplenium platyneuron and the walking fern, Asplenium rhizophyllum (formerly Camptosorus rhizophyllus). The 6" tall x 10" wide, rock garden-sized clumps prefer slightly moist alkaline soils. When established, Asplenium x ebenoides will occasionally produce plantlets on the leaf tips. Prefers Light Shade.

Asplenium ebenoides. Illustration from Flora of North America. It may be cited as 'eFloras (2008). Published on the Internet http://www.efloras.org [accessed 12 May 2019]' Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Asplenium ebenoides. Photo Courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden.
 

Asplenium scolopendrium (Phyllitis scolopendrium)
Hart's-tongue Fern/ Scollies

Very widely distributed throughout the British Isles. It is commonest on rocky, shady banks in woods or by sunken lanes on limestone or other base-rich soils in the south and west, and less common, though still frequent, in the Midlands and east. It is absent from much of the Scottish Highlands in 1965.

Their fronds are undivided and strap-shaped. The rootstock is short, stout and more or less erect, from which the fronds spring in a tuft. The fronds are ordinarily from 12 inches to 24 inches (30-60 cms) in length, including the stout, scaly petiole, but stunted specimens may sometimes be found on dry walls only 4 or 5 inches (10-12.5 cms) long, while on moist ditchbanks and about wells and springs they may measure over 36 inches (90 cms)!
Its old fronds do not die until the new ones have expanded.

Spleenworts Ferns (Asplenium)

Propagation:

Suitable for

Other Asplenium scolopendrium
cultivars

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Cristatum'
in USDA Zones 5a to 9b. 10 inches (25 cms) tall. Prefers light shade.

Spleenworts Ferns (Asplenium)

Propagation:

Suitable for

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Cristatum' is a selection of the European form of Asplenium scolopendrium that makes a tight rosette of 1' long, shiny, evergreen tongue-like leaves, each ending in a crested petticoat. Remember that moist, well-drained soil and a pH toward 7.0 will help to ensure success...both in the ground and as a houseplant.

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Cristatum'. Photo Courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden.
 

If you grow and sell ferns in any country, please tell me so that I can put them on this website and inform others where they can be bought online via mail-order.

If you would provide photos and fern details to be only used by me on this website, they would be gratefully received, since I could assume that the photo was a valid one in regard to its name of fern in its filename to that fern in the photo.

Site design and content copyright ©January 2009.
Page structure amended December 2012.
Gallery structure changed November 2018.
Chris Garnons-Williams.

DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site.  

Fern Grower's Manual by Barbara Joe Hoshizaki & Robbin C. Moran. Revised and Expanded Edition. Published in 2001 by Timber Press, Inc. Reprinted 2002, 2006. ISBN-13:978-0-88192-495-4.
"This book is mainly written for people seriously interested in growing ferns, knowing their names and what makes them similar or different, and appreciating their diversity. It is not a coffee-table book, nor a chatty type of garden book meant for light reading. Beginning fern amateurs may find more information than they need, but they will also find information useful at their level. Although this book primarily is a reference, it is also for browsing and gleaning bits of information not readily found elsewhere.
The core information in this book will be particularly helpful to plant people who want to grow or identify different ferns and fern allies." from the Preface to the above book.

STAGE 4C CULTIVATION, POSITION, USE GALLERY

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Poisonous Plant

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STAGE 1
GARDEN STYLE INDEX GALLERY

Fragrant Plants adds the use of another of your 5 senses in your garden:-
Sense of Fragrance from Roy Genders

Fragrant Plants:-
Trees and Shrubs with Scented Flowers
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Leaves
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Trees and Shrubs with Aromatic Bark
1, 2, 3

Shrubs bearing Scented Flowers for an
Acid Soil
1, 2, 3, 4

Shrubs bearing Scented Flowers for a
Chalky or Limestone Soil
1, 2, 3, 4

Shrubs bearing Scented leaves for a
Sandy Soil
1, 2, 3

Herbaceous Plants with Scented Flowers
1, 2, 3

Herbaceous Plants with Scented Leaves
1, 2, 3

Annual and Biennial Plants with Scented Flowers or Leaves
1, 2

Bulbs and Corms with Scented Flowers
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Scented Plants of Climbing and Trailing Habit
1, 2, 3

Winter-flowering Plants with Scented Flowers
1, 2

Night-scented Flowering Plants
1, 2

Scented Aquatic Plants
1

Plants with Scented Fruits
1

Plants with Scented Roots
1, 2

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Wood
1

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Gums
1

Scented Cacti and Succulents
1

Plants bearing Flowers or Leaves of Unpleasant Smell
1, 2
 

STAGE 2
INFILL PLANT INDEX GALLERY 3

Fan-trained Shape

From Rhododendrons, boxwood, azaleas, clematis, novelties, bay trees, hardy plants, evergreens : novelties bulbs, cannas novelties, palms, araucarias, ferns, vines, orchids, flowering shrubs, ornamental grasses and trees book, via Wikimedia Commons

Ramblers Scramblers & Twiners by Michael Jefferson-Brown (ISBN 0 - 7153 - 0942 - 0) describes how to choose, plant and nurture over 500 high-performance climbing plants and wall shrubs, so that more can be made of your garden if you think not just laterally on the ground but use the vertical support structures including the house as well.

The Gardener's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Climbers & Wall Shrubs - A Guide to more than 2000 varieties including Roses, Clematis and Fruit Trees by Brian Davis. (ISBN 0-670-82929-3) provides the lists for 'Choosing the right Shrub or Climber' together with Average Height and Spread after 5 years, 10 years and 20 years.

Use of Fern

Use of Fern