Ferns

It's beautiful out today. Well, let me clarify, it's beautiful for the end of January. I had a lovely walk around the neighborhood where I looked at all kinds of winter plant material. Coming back to my porch I noticed how nice this fern looked. It will take some digging around but this spring when I go over my plant labels I will take note of what type of fern this is and try to find more for my garden.

Ferns have been catching my eye quite a bit the last few years. Surprising to me is the many different conditions where I have found them thriving. Two years ago we traveled through Northern Germany. One of the castles we visited had real life grotto. Be still my beating heart! This combination of ferns and Wisteria is just stunning.

One of the first ferns I grew (back at Old Country Gardens) was the variety "Ghost". It grows well here in Centerport too, this last spring I learned that it's super easy to divide and hardly missed a step when replanted. I have not had the other ferns here grow as fast.

Here's "Ghost" with a purple Heuchera. I took this photo at the Peconic River Herb Farm, one of my must visit places here on Long Island. 

This nice green fern came without a name. That's because I dug it up in a field at our friends house in upstate New York. It's been happy for three or four years so I'd like to see some more come along. Maybe I have to go dig a few more...

One of my new experiments this past season was this perennial shade pot. I'm hoping these babies make it through the winter, in about 8 weeks I'll know for sure.