
In September we were delighted to welcome back Chris Bird for a talk on Ferns and Grasses. Chris has a lifelong interest in plants and has worked with many organisations including Hilliers, Plant Heritage, RHS and National Trust. In 1985 he became a Lecturer in Horticulture at Sparsholt College where he continues to inspire, amuse and support students today and is also a renowned author.
Our talk on Ferns and Grasses began with the question “what are they?”
Grasses are a monnocotyledon (higher plant), meaning bears a single seed leaf, similar to onions and alliums and lily, and propagates from seeds. The seeds have barbs which stick to animals and humans thereby aiding its distribution.
An example is the grass “Stipa tenuissima” which is low maintenance, soft to the touch and grows hand high and moves elegantly in the wind as well as dies elegantly without flopping over.
Ferns are Phylum Pteridophyta (lower plants), which reproduce by spores.
An example is the Tree Fern Dicksonia Antartica, which comes from New Zealand and Tasmania. It has fibrous stems and you purchase them by the foot but it’s better to start with a small one so they can acclimatise better. Its fronds can be 1.83 metres and the “Prosier” (frond) expands in a spiral. The spiral effect is also used by euphorbias, sunflowers and pinecones to enable them to capture the most sunlight. It's good next to water as it likes mist and murk but also for the reflection. By mid-November it will need to be covered or put indoors as it’s not frost hardy. It also has an RHS Award for Garden Merit, confirming it has gone through RHS trials in their gardens. Water it from the top!
The Japanese Field Fern – Dryopteris Erythrosora is an “any place, anytime, anywhere” Fern. Its new foliage is coloured then turns apple green, very attractive. Grows to up to 1 metre when it’s happy, or half that size if it’s too dry. It is deciduous, losing its fronds in winter then popping back in spring. A high impact, low requirement fern.
Alternatively, there is the “Rolls Royce” of Ferns – Athyrium Niponicum var. Pictum- The painted lady fern. It is a slow growing woodland fern that prefers deep shade, where it’s silvery purple, almost metallic like leaves light up the darkness. Also be aware that ferns can take up to 18 months to settle in and become established.
Chris then passed around some live samples of different types of ferns, as follows:
We start with the most expensive: Polystichum Setiferum (Divisilobum group) “herrenhausen”. It’s expensive due to its bulbous nature where you can cut it into small pieces which produce new plantlets. It prefers semi shade, moist in winter and dry in summer and is an evergreen with lovely fronds up to a metre high.
Next we have Athyrium Filix –Femina (Lady Fern). A British Native with large lacy fronds. Being a deciduous fern, in Autumn it has a lovely bronze colour and then collapses, but don’t clear the dead fronds as these help protect the crown of the plant over the winter. You can tidy them up from February onwards. It’s a good fern for smaller spaces.
Dryopteris filix-mas (Male Fern), also a British Native, it grows up to 1 ½ metres (4ft) in height. As the Lady Fern it is also deciduous, with its dead fronds collapsing in Autumn. Again don’t tidy him up till February!
Next is Asplenium Scolopendrium (AGM) (Hart’s-tongue fern) - Another British Native which almost went extinct, but has made a great comeback. It's a deciduous woodland fern. It likes to be close to running or still water. It has rich green strap shaped fronds and its spores are borne in conspicuous stripes beneath the fronds. Don’t breathe in the spores!
Polypodium vulgare (common Polypody). A hardy deciduous fern which prefers damp shade in woodlands. A good garden fern. Ladder like leather foliage has pimply undersides, these spots being its spores. Height of approximately 1ft (18”).
Woodwardiya Unigenmata fern. The top new growth of fronds appearing in July are purple in colour on this fern. It can reach 2ft in hight and width, needs Ericaceous soil and must only be watered with rainwater. A bit of a Diva but beautiful!
Then, we return to the grasses of which there are three families;
Cyperaceae (sedges) ; Stems are three sided or triangular (sedges have edges)
Poaceae (true grass) ; Grasses are round in cross section and with hollow internodes.
Juncaceae (rushes). Stems are circular in cross section
Bamboos are NOT included here.
The following examples and slides of grasses were mentioned by Chris:
Pennisetum Orientale “Fairy Tails” - Grows up to 1.2m tall with fountain like feathery spikes. Hardy up to –10ºC
Pennisetum Thumbergi - This is a different species to the above and is only hardy to –5ºC. Has bright red button like flowers.
Imperata Cylindrilca“Rubra” or “Red Baron” (Japanese Blood Grass) - Bright red grasses in between green. DON’T buy this one on the Internet. It takes ages to develop. Grows to 18” if it likes you. Best in a pot as it may get lost in the garden. Lovely next to water for its reflection.
Miscanthus Sinensis “Zebrinus” - It has white stripes on the green blades. Grows up to 8m tall. Used mainly for bio-fuel. Very “rufty tufty” and hardy!
Festuca glauca “Elijah Blue” - Has intensely ice blue leaves. DO NOT cut leaves in Spring, use an Afro Comb or your fingers to get dead grass out. Likes full sun!
Chris also brought in the following live samples for us to have a closer look at:
Pennisetum Macrourum – 6 to 8ft high stems with cat-tail like flower heads. (seeds are called “barbs”).
Calamagrostis Brachytricha – Softer, narrow fluffly purple tinged plume like sprays of flower. Grows 3-4 ft tall.
Pennisetum Thumbergi “red buttons” - See above description
Deschampsia Cespitosa (tufted hairgrass) - Acidic grass, semi circular, likes wet and moist.
Hakonechloa Macro “Aureola” - Golden Japanese grass, dances in the wind. Deciduous.
Pennisetum Orientale “Karley Rose” - Height of 3 ft with soft fluffy rose pink head.
Miscanthus Ferrera - Grows 5 to 6 ft high with several seed heads of silver feathers.
Chris then moved on to other requirements for Ferns and Grasses such as:
Site and Soils and Design features – These plants thrive on neglect. They can work well on changing levels such as in Hilliers Gurkha Garden where they are growing out of slate blocks, and in architectural and wildlife uses. In deep shade a “stumpery” (old pile of wood) covered in moss is an excellent feature to use with ferns in the middle. They can work well with water (like Hart’s Tongue Ferns). Hakonechloa Macro “Aureola looks great in drifts, a golden swathe moving in the wind. They can be used as windscreens and some even look nice when dead (like Panicumvirgatum “Northwind”. Some grasses also make a lovely sound when blowing in the breeze. Be careful with Pampas grass and children, the leaves are very sharp, to control them burn them!
Quality Marks – Look for RHS Award of Merit. Go to Specialist Nurseries. DON’T buy on the Internet. Be aware of a change in labelling with regard to ultimate height and spread, it was after 10 years, but now it is only after 5 years time, as apparently most people move house in this amount of time.
Propagation –
Ferns use Spores and Division. Spores have different stages at first it becomes wet and mossy and gooey (the sexual stage) then the asexual stage when the little ferns grow.
Grasses propagate by seeds or division. When using division, don’t overdivide! Discard the centre (the old bit) use the outside bits.
And that ends our introduction to Ferns and Grasses, time to decide which to add to our gardens! Thank you, Chris, for a fun and informative talk!
Katrien Burrows
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