Return to the Fern Fairway

Making the most of a narrow, shady space

GPOD even Cherry Ong ( Cherry ’s Containers Day 1andA Clean Slate Transformed ) is receive us back to her garden in Richmond , British Columbia .

It is a bit cold here still mighty now , so half of myannualsare store in the service department ( deplorably ) . Hope it warms up , but we ’ve had some years where the summer stayed cool and therefore was unsatisfying for summer horticulture with annuals . Fingers crossed that wo n’t be the face this twelvemonth , as I have crossed over to the other side and planteddahliasand a pink wine for the first time ever . ( Wish me luck ! ) .

Thought I would send some spring photos of the Fern Fairway . I send some photos of this strip in 2019 ( The Fern Fairway ) .

TheFernFairway is a very narrow side yard , about 50 foot long and 3 feet across , with only 14 inches of crushed rock for planting , or more accurately , sittingcontainerson . I develop this side garden out of despair for horticulture quad ! establish the dimensions , the expanse remains challenging to photograph .

I ’ve made some costly mistakes planting in thisfull shadecorridor — namely , the demise of one of myfull lunation maples(Acer japonicum , Zones 5–7 ) . I situated them in the middle of the corridor more for esthetics rather than consideration of their needs , and they surely evidence their miserableness in 2020 . Fortunately , the other has bounce back after resettlement and repotting . I have twoJapanese mapleswelcoming visitors to the flight strip on the north(Acerpalmatum‘Katsura ’ , Zones 5–9 ) and the south ends(Acer palmatum‘Ariadne ’ ) .

The middle of the strip has mostlyshorter plantsnow devote the limited lighting , and I continue to study how the perennial behave in decree to leave them with the best growing condition .

A hand - me - downhostaidentified asHosta‘Fire and Ice ’ ( Zones 3–9 ) by my social medium gardening admirer and tatting fern(Athyriumfilix - femina‘Frizelliae ’ , zona 4–8 ) are among the earlier spring riser .

I ’ve had this giant tassel fern(Polystichumpolyblepharum , Zones 5–8 ) get in a landscaper pot for many years , and it seems to be glad .

Acer palmatum ‘ Ariadne ’ ( Zones 5–9 ) on the south end of the Fern Fairway .

Apainted fernto sexual love : Athyrium niponicum‘Regal Red ’ ( Zones 4–9 )

A happy resident of the Fern Fairway even before it was born : Athyrium‘Ghost ’ ( zone 3–8 ) . The glassful mushroom cloud is the beautiful piece of work of Andrew Holmberg , a Portland glass creative person . I lastly met him at Sorticulture in Everett , Washington , one class and got to see all his awe-inspiring garden glass .

Criss - cross fern , orAthyrium filix - feminaDre ’s Dagger ( Zones 4–8 ) is one of the coolest fern ever ! The shrub behind it isLeucothoefontanesiana(Zones 5–8 ) . I have found that it do well under this full - tone garden , though it would definitely be more beautiful in a sunny situation . From a people of color standpoint , constellate the strip with amber - foliagedornamental grasshelps to brighten the area and roleplay as a nice foil for all the other foliage . I ’m grateful for all the divisions from myHakonechloamacra‘Aureola ’ ( zone 5–9),Carexelata‘Bowles Golden ’ ( Zones 5–8 ) , andCarex oshimensis‘Everillo ’ ( Zones 5–9 ) . I ’ve tried to incorporateCarex siderosticha‘Banana Boat ’ ( Zones 5–9 ) , but it is a ho-hum cultivator .

A newer and more exciting addition to the slip isFarfugiumjaponicum‘Shishi Botan ’ ( zone 7–10 ) . It made it through winter , so hopefully it ’ll be a glad resident in the space for many years to come .

Nature knits the best sweater!I’ll by all odds be moving this flabby shield fern(Polystichum setiferum‘Plumosomultilobum ’ , Zones 6–8)to a brighter localisation this class .

Feathery is fabulous ! Free is also fabulous!ThisAdiantumpedatum(Zones 3–8 ) is a division from the garden .

Corrugation is a beautiful thing ! ThisHosta sieboldiana‘Big Daddy ’ ( Zones 3–9 ) used to be a resident physician in the back garden . It was doing well and suddenly declined . I excavate it out and transfer it to a container . It seems to have bounced back and now is a young resident of the Fern Fairway . It make a with child foil for the tassels of the ‘ Dre ’s Dagger ’ .

It is difficult to photograph the long , narrow space of the Fern Fairway .

One of the benefits of having a protected side garden is storing borderline hardyperennialsduring the winter . It seems this crinodendron(Crinodendron hookerianum , Zones 9–11 ) is felicitous where it is . I do endeavor to move it to a sunnier locus during spring to show off its flowers and to take into account the plant to get some sun .

If you want to see more of Cherry ’s beautiful garden , jibe out her instagram:@cherry.ong

Have photos to apportion ? We ’d get laid to see your garden , a fussy collection of plants you love , or a wonderful garden you had the luck to visit !

To submit , send 5 - 10 pic to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photo . We ’d love to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are majestic of , failures you larn from , hopes for the future , favorite flora , or funny stories from your garden .

If you want to send picture in separate emails to theGPOD email boxthat is just fine .

silver and purple fern

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