I’ve often thought it would be nice to have a fernery. A lovely cool, shady, dim place to sit on those hot summer days – possibly sipping an icy daiquiri. Then I think of all the horrible ferneries I’ve seen during my travels, where someone’s grand idea has gone dreadfully wrong and I decide that it’s not such a good idea after all! I can recall quite a few mosquito infested, dank, lean-to’s on the side of a house where the shade cloth is coming off and all the hanging baskets are dead. This is not the sort of fernery I would like!

If you’re going to have a fernery you have to think carefully about where it is going to go, how it is going to be constructed and how you are going to water it. In these days of water restrictions, the last point may be the one that makes you realise that a fernery may not be possible after all and a point worth noting; it is not recommended to use grey water on ferns.

There are over 10,000 species of ferns around the world and they are either terrestrial (ground dwelling) or epiphytic (growing on stumps, trees or rocks).

Siting

You don’t place ferneries on the north or west side of your house if you live in Australia. The fierce summer sun will cook everything inside! The south or east side of the house is best; or you could consider creating a fernery under a shady evergreen tree. Deciduous trees are no good in frosty areas, because when they lose their leaves in winter, the ferns will be exposed to frost. Building a little fernhouse in a protected part of the garden may also be a possibility.

Construction

Ferneries are constantly moist which means unsuitable timber will quickly rot and unprotected metal will quickly rust. My mother created a fernery beneath her veranda and installed downward pointing sprays along the overhead beams. The trouble was the sprays hit the timber bearers (made of oregon) and within a few years you could push your fist through the rotten timber of the bearer. That was a very frightening discovery one afternoon! Treated pine is probably the only option if you want to construct a fernery out of wood and if you want to use steel, you will have to protect the bare metal from rust and renew the coating regularly.

Shadecloth is usually used to cover a fernery these days and you need to be aware that this comes in different grades of shade as well as different colours. While widely available domestic shadecloth comes in either 70% or 90% shade; horticultural shadecloth comes in 30%, 50%, 70% or 80%. Most ferns will be okay with 70% shade and chose a darker rather than a lighter colour. Timber lathes are also suitable for a fernery creating more of a bush-house feel.

Growing Conditions

Ferns like bright indirect light, high humidity and shelter from strong winds and frost.

Ferns growing in the ground appreciate a moist, friable soil rich in humus. If you are growing them in pots use a good quality potting mix. As a rule of thumb those in the ground don’t need any extra fertiliser especially if you are mulching them at least once a year. Those in pots will love some liquid fertiliser at half strength or a slow release fertiliser.

Humidity is provided by installing a misting system in your fernery which in summer probably needs to be turned on every day, if not a couple of times a day if it’s a 40ºC scorcher. Don’t confuse this with a watering system. The first raises the humidity of the fernery, the second waters the plants.

Following is a list of some tough native and exotic ferns that would be good for beginners. Always ask your nurseryperson for advice if you are unsure or contact the fern society in your state.

Tough Native Ferns

Adiantum hispidulum    rough maidenhair
Asplenium bulbiferum   hen and chicken fern
Blechnum nudum        fishbone water fern
Cyathea australis        rough tree fern
Dicksonia antarctica    soft tree fern
Polystichum proliferum mother shield fern

Tough Exotic Ferns

Adiantum raddianum         common maidenhair
Davallia mariesii               haresfoot fern
Dicksonia squarrosa          wheki
Pteris cretica                  Cretan brake
Woodwardia radicans        chain fern

Water Ferns

Do you recall from your schooldays that Burke and Wills the famous explorers were taught to pound the seed of nardoo by the aborigines to make a type of flour which kept them alive (well for a little while anyway)? Nardoo’s botanical name is Marsilea drummondii and it is a type of water fern. The edible ‘seed’ is actually the spores of the plant. It has attractively marked leaves which look a little like a four-leaf clover and it will do really well in a pond or aquarium or in a damp spot in the garden. You can occasionally buy it from generalist and native plant nurseries.

The following websites have some more detailed advice about how to grow ferns.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1366389.htm  http://www.anbg.gov.au/ferns/fern.spore.prop.html
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/better-homes-gardens/985/growing-ferns/  http://home.vicnet.net.au/~fernsvic/Estab.html 

And this website gives the entire story of nardoo

http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/march2007/ 

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