On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 20:05:00 +0000 (UTC), "batgirl"
wrote:

Just seen a piece on tree ferns on GW. Does anyone know how fast they grow
in height? Our budget doesn't quite stretch to £150 for a tall one but I've
seen some much shorter ones for about £30.

I'm having a go at making a fake one!
I've got quite a collection of ferns dotted around the garden and the
surrounding coppice - and it seems to me that many of them have a
largely unrecognised beauty.

I figure that a stout pole - such as an old tree trunk, or perhaps a
hefty plastic pipe, would make a decent 'bole'. By wrapping this in
fine meshed chicken wire and then covering it in old fern leaves it
would look pretty natural.
A pot placed inside the head of the trunk would provide planting space
for a fern of choice.

OK, so it wouldn't get any higher - but then you have the option of
replacing the fern from time to time, and there must be plenty of
other plants that would look fine in this situation.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk