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Ferns have lived on Earth for millions of years, and they never cease to amaze people with their beauty and diversity to this day.
It is impossible to imagine a forest without the magical patterns of their openwork leaves (wai), with the bizarre shape of which not a single plant of our strip can be compared. The use of ferns in landscape design has the broadest possibilities and, probably, the prospects for their use are far from exhausted.
It is difficult to find a garden style in which these plants would not be in demand, since they fit harmoniously into any composition. The severity of forms, expressive graphics of silhouettes of ferns find their adherents among admirers of Her Majesty Geometry and allow these plants to become a worthy decoration of gardens of a regular style. The wet shady corners of a landscape-style garden are unthinkable without ferns. On the shaded slopes of a rock garden or retaining wall, rock ferns look great. And the creators of a romantic garden will never be able to give up the mystery of this legendary wonder plant (what if it blooms?) ... Ferns are not ignored by collectors either.
By planting ferns in containers, you can create mobile gardens for decorating temporarily unsightly places, landscaping terraces and winter gardens. Openwork frond of ferns decorate hanging baskets, which have recently become very popular in landscaping gardens, as well as city streets and squares.
Ferns have no analogues among garden plants in the form of leaves. Clear graphics of the bush, fine “cutting” wai - all this makes them indispensable in garden design. Ferns make a great backdrop for flowering plants. Openwork fronds perfectly contrast with large leaves of a simple shape, such as those of Astilboides (Astilboides tabularis), Host (Hosta sp.), Rogers (Rodgersia sp.). And the bright foliage of Heuchera sp. And the host against the background of ferns will sparkle even more.
Ferns are often planted next to stones. It is a safe bet and is often used in Japanese gardens or nature parks. Ferns growing near picturesque driftwood also leave an unforgettable impression.
Ferns are favorable to the proximity of water, so a place near a pond or a stream is perfect for them, and for the composition you can add Japanese primroses (Primula japonica), rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), bamboo (Sasa tsuboana), slowly growing varietal brunners (Brunnera 'Hadspen Cream ').
Ferns grow frond rather late, at the end of May. This feature allows you to use the space between them for planting spring-flowering ephemeroids, such as Siberian redwood (Scilla sibirica), Rosen (Scilla rosenii), two-leaved (Scilla bifolia) and Mishchenko (Scilla mischenkoana), Caucasian Kandyki (Erythronium caucasica), Siberian (Erythronium sibirica) ) and European (Erythronium dens-canis), tender anemone (Anemone blanda), buttercup (Anemone ranunculoides) and oak grass (Anemone nemorosa), spring plants (Eranthis hyemalis), corydalis bracteory (Corydalis bracteory) and Hallera hallers (Corydalis bracteory). After the death of the aerial part of the ephemeroids, the vacated space will soon be occupied by the overgrown “leaves” of ferns.
Other ferns' partners in the garden can be arizems (Arisaema sp.), Low conifers, sedges (Carex sp.), Ochins (Lusula sp.), Badans, liverworts (Hepatica sp.), Slippers (Cypripedium sp.), Rhododendrons, irises (Iris sp.), Primroses (Primula sp.), Clefthoof (Asarum europaeum), lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.), Bathers (Trollius sp.), Forest onions (wild garlic), horned goats (Epimedium sp.), Jeffersonia sp.) - that is, almost all plants suitable for a shade garden.
When planting ferns in compositions, it is necessary to take into account the nature of their growth. Long-rooted ferns are capable of pushing neighbors in a fairly short time, therefore, it is necessary either to allocate significant areas to them, or to create an artificial restriction. Species with a short rhizome maintain a stable bush size from year to year, forming regular rosettes.In turn, they can be suppressed by more aggressive neighbors such as periwinkle or clefthoof.
