Fern question
 

Silly question here, sorry.

Is there any real difference between a japanese holly fern and a dwarf holly
fern or is it just the size they grow to? The leaves on both look pretty
much the same.
Thanks in advance

--
Rhiannon_s
Once you accept "because" as a valid reason the world becomes a much simpler
place.

Fern question
 

On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:26:49 +0100, "Rhiannon_s"
wrote:

Silly question here, sorry.

Is there any real difference between a japanese holly fern and a dwarf holly
fern or is it just the size they grow to? The leaves on both look pretty
much the same.
Thanks in advance

Not a silly question!

I know more about brain surgery than I do about ferns, but I do have a
book..... The Holly fern is Polystichum lonchitis, with narrow pinnate
fronds, stiff, almost imbricate, linear-lanceolate, deep green and a
somewhat glossy, while the Japanese holly fern is Cyrtomium falcatum,
with fronds oblong-lanceolate, pinnate, glossy dark green.

Which tells me that they they're definitely different (but not a lot
more! I'm no botanist), but whether different enough for your
interest, only you can decide. Judging by the diagrams, the fronds of
HF are more finely cut that those of the JHF.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Fern question
 

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:26:49 +0100, "Rhiannon_s"
wrote:

Silly question here, sorry.

Is there any real difference between a japanese holly fern and a dwarf
holly
fern or is it just the size they grow to? The leaves on both look pretty
much the same.
Thanks in advance

Not a silly question!

I know more about brain surgery than I do about ferns, but I do have a
book..... The Holly fern is Polystichum lonchitis, with narrow pinnate
fronds, stiff, almost imbricate, linear-lanceolate, deep green and a
somewhat glossy, while the Japanese holly fern is Cyrtomium falcatum,
with fronds oblong-lanceolate, pinnate, glossy dark green.

Which tells me that they they're definitely different (but not a lot
more! I'm no botanist), but whether different enough for your
interest, only you can decide. Judging by the diagrams, the fronds of
HF are more finely cut that those of the JHF.



Thanks:o) I'd bought what was labelled as a JHF from a local garden centre
last week and a friend gave me what is labelled as a DHF but they are both
quite small plants at the moment and look pretty much identical so I was
wondering if there was any mixed up labelling going on here. IYSWIM.

I seem to have aquired a lot of ferns in the last couple of weeks, I'm just
hoping they are by and large hardy.

I have a linear male fern, the possible two dwarf holly and japanese holly
ferns, japanese painted fern, harts tongue fern and finally a rosy buckler
fern. I may have to rename the house Ferngully lol.

Do ferns need a lot of soil btw, does anyone know? I'm having to grow
everything in pots on a patio here and am always a bit uncertain on big and
deep pots should be.

--
Rhiannon_s
Once you accept "because" as a valid reason the world becomes a much simpler
place.

Fern question
 

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:01:45 +0100, "Rhiannon_s"
wrote:

snip

Do ferns need a lot of soil btw, does anyone know? I'm having to grow
everything in pots on a patio here and am always a bit uncertain on big and
deep pots should be.

My book doesn't say anything about pot size, other than that the pot
should be big enough to accommodate the roots of the fern to be
potted, and that they need potting on as they grow. I guess you just
use your judgement and size the pot to the plant.

A good compost is one part loam, two parts leafmould and one part
gritty sand. Add a smidgen each of hydrated lime, JI base fertiliser
and charcoal. Omit the lime for lime-hating ferns (although how you
know which is which, I don't know. Perhaps my book says somewhere, but
not obviously). The compost should be damp but not wet. The ferns
should not be potted too hard, as they root better in light spongy
compost. Put plenty of crocks in the bottom to aid drainage.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Fern question
 

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 19:37:59 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:01:45 +0100, "Rhiannon_s"
wrote:

snip

Do ferns need a lot of soil btw, does anyone know? I'm having to grow
everything in pots on a patio here and am always a bit uncertain on big and
deep pots should be.

My book doesn't say anything about pot size, other than that the pot
should be big enough to accommodate the roots of the fern to be
potted, and that they need potting on as they grow. I guess you just
use your judgement and size the pot to the plant.

A good compost is one part loam, two parts leafmould and one part
gritty sand. Add a smidgen each of hydrated lime, JI base fertiliser
and charcoal. Omit the lime for lime-hating ferns (although how you
know which is which, I don't know. Perhaps my book says somewhere, but
not obviously). The compost should be damp but not wet. The ferns
should not be potted too hard, as they root better in light spongy
compost. Put plenty of crocks in the bottom to aid drainage.

I grow hardy ferns here in the NE. It matters not what compost you grow
them in. Mine are in cheap old potting compost and I cannot remember when I
last fed them. The size, again does not really matter as they have very
little root system. A 10-12" pot will be ample, but make sure that it has a
WIDE base otherwise it will blow over when the tops grow large and you
forget to water them. If you can keep them in shade 'all the time' they
will perform best. I have them in small pots (hart's tongue and Japanese
holly fern), up to old dustbins (with concrete blocks in the bottom to help
stability and save compost).
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
www.jimscott.co.uk