ferns

i have a small area that receives dappled sunshine and would like to grow ferns in this area.( not exotic...english varieties)
advice please and if anybody knows suppliers in east of england area i would be most grateful

 

If you know anyone who has Amateur Gardening and can give you last weeks copy...they had a very good collection of 5 ferns in last week

 

How small is small? My Mum's had a male fern I think for ten years or more now and it's got a 3-4 foot spread and that's after I split it.I love ferns but they have 2 problems 1 a lot of them look very similar so you don't know which is which 2 if you do know what it's called you probably won't be able to pronounce it. :eek:

 

Look out for the Harts tongue fern (asplenium) very different from most ferns in that it has broader strappy leaves instead of...well...ferny leaves

 

see here for pic
http://www.paghat.com/hartstongue.html

 

i can thoroughly recommend dryopteris goldieana (syn:goldiana)
it has beautiful light green leaves, with a touch of gold, and in the spring the new growth is delightfully pretty.
I have 2 around the base of an amelanchier tree, in dappled sunlight, and they look FAB!

Enjoy them, they're lovely!

 

Hi Lynne

Athyrium niponicum
The Japanese painted fern is one of my favourites,
beautiful colours for a fern
http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/04ppy.htm