On 4th August, Robin Pearce of Worlds End Nursery came to speak to us about ferns.

 

Ferns are primitive and vascular (ie sap moves up and down the stems). They were hugely popular during the Victorian era: from stumperies and fern gardens, to Wardian cases that could display ferns inside the house, to decorative motifs on furniture like the famous Colebrookdale garden bench. Sadly, they collected from the wild, in some cases, to extinction.

 

Ferns in the most part prefer a slightly acid soil, rich in humus and damp but not actually standing in water. They are happy on slopes where water trickles through - so they are perfect for Herefordshire. They can cope with full sun if they are damp. The golden and fancy varieties (like Painted Lady ferns) tend to prefer more shade and shelter and are generally fussier.

 

They have few pests and diseases (occasionally slug damage).

 

Robin showed us the huge range: from only a few centimeters up to 4ft tall fronds, and we particularly liked looking at the samples he had brought to hand round.

 

It was good to see so many people come on the evening. Robin remarked that we were a "younger and livelier group than most garden clubs he visited".