Ferns as Weeds
 

Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,


--
Torbjörn Svensson Diaz

Ferns as Weeds
 

Torbjörn Svensson Diaz wrote:
Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,

Any plant counts as a weed if you don't want it or it's in the wrong place.
Where are you thinking of growing these ferns?

Ferns most certainly can count as weeds, but are usually pretty easy to deal
with. Most will come up with their roots with a bit of digging. (However,
some are invasive - like bracken - as their rhizomes spread underground far
and wide.)

There are many good nurseries (eg see http://www.fernatix.co.uk/index.html)
specialising in ferns which are very attractive, with fronds which are not
only shades of green. Have a look at that and other fern sites for more
information.

--
Jeff

Ferns as Weeds
 

On 2009-05-09 23:46:14 +0100, Torbjörn Svensson Diaz said:

Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,

It rather depends on how close your fern site is going to be to your
neighbours and how big your garden is, too. They'd probably spread
under a fence, for example. We grow shuttlecock ferns (Matteuccia
struthiopteris) on the edge of two of the borders here and have noticed
this year that, far from confining themselves to the edge, they've
proliferated over large parts of the border. So they'll have to be
hoicked out before they take over. But they're absolutely beautiful
especially in spring as they emerge from the ground. They'll add
greatly to any shady garden's beauty. And if you have room for it,
grow Osmunda regalis, the royal fern. That's a bit of a show-stopper.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Ferns as Weeds
 

On May 9, 11:46*pm, Torbjörn Svensson Diaz wrote:
Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,

--
Torbjörn Svensson Diaz

The only agressively invasive fern I know of in these here parts is
Bracken (also my mothers maiden name)/pteridium aquilinum. Most of
the rest grow so slowly here that it takes quite a bit of effort to
get them going.

Horsetails are a different matter. Just reading this post without
correct protection could be risky.

Ferns as Weeds
 

Des Higgins wrote:
Horsetails are a different matter. Just reading this post without
correct protection could be risky.


Damn! A horsetail just came up through my keyboard!

--
David in Normandy.

Ferns as Weeds
 

On May 10, 12:02*pm, Des Higgins wrote:
On May 9, 11:46*pm, Torbjörn Svensson Diaz wrote:

Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,

--
Torbjörn Svensson Diaz

The only agressively invasive fern I know of in these here parts is
Bracken (also my mothers maiden name)/pteridium aquilinum. *Most of
the rest grow so slowly here that it takes quite a bit of effort to
get them going.

Horsetails are a different matter. *Just reading this post without
correct protection could be risky.

LOL.

Judith

Ferns as Weeds
 

On May 10, 12:05*pm, David in Normandy
wrote:
Des Higgins wrote:

* Horsetails are a different matter. *Just reading this post without

correct protection could be risky.

Damn! A horsetail just came up through my keyboard!

--
David in Normandy.

Nah; that was bindweed.

Judith

Ferns as Weeds
 

Torbjörn Svensson Diaz writes

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Most ferns grow in clumps, and these won't spread too aggressively (and
are easily uprooted if they do).

A few ferns spread by creeping rootstocks. The most obvious of these is
bracken, which covers a lot of our hillsides and would be a nuisance in
the garden. The other creeping ones are more delicate and less
aggressive - at least the ones that grow wild in the UK.

There are also a number of ferns which are not native to the UK but will
grow well here.

Most garden centres will have a stock of ferns.

I can't think of any ferns which grow on trees which would cause a
problem. But these ferns aren't so easy to find in a garden centre.
--
Kay

Ferns as Weeds
 

In message , Jennifer Sparkes
writes
The message
from David in Normandy contains these words:

Des Higgins wrote:
Horsetails are a different matter. Just reading this post without
correct protection could be risky.


Damn! A horsetail just came up through my keyboard!

Guess you are lucky it isn't a Russian Vine ... ;)

Jennifer

As we looked from a bird hide at Marbury Country Park today we saw some
healthy young examples of Japanese Knot Weed.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

I thought that you could identify a fern by the spores on the leaves. If that is the case, bracken isn't a fern. It just looks like one. I once lived in Wales but worked in Aston university, B'ham. I was asked if I could bring in some bracken that was wanted for some research. The arguement was that I had brought back some male fern and not bracked, Until I pointed out that there were no spores on the leaves. Does it help???

Bigal

Bracken is a fern, as this makes clear. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracken
Spores are only present at certain times, like apples on an appletree.

Although there is a very common fern known as the "male fern", it isn't actually male in the botanical sense, it is just its name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_Fern
To people who have not studied ferns, many British ferns have a certain sameness so you could understandably confuse it with bracken.

Ferns as Weeds
 

On May 10, 11:43*pm, Bigal wrote:
K;843916 Wrote:



Torbjörn Svensson Diaz writes-

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?
-
Most ferns grow in clumps, and these won't spread too aggressively (and

are easily uprooted if they do).

A few ferns spread by creeping rootstocks. The most obvious of these is

bracken, which covers a lot of our hillsides and would be a nuisance in

the garden. The other creeping ones are more delicate and less
aggressive - at least the ones that grow wild in the UK.

There are also a number of ferns which are not native to the UK but
will
grow well here.

Most garden centres will have a stock of ferns.

I can't think of any ferns which grow on trees which would cause a
problem. But these ferns aren't so easy to find in a garden centre.
--
Kay

I thought that you could identify a fern by the spores on the leaves. *
If that is the case, bracken isn't a fern. * It just looks like one. *I
once lived in Wales but worked in Aston university, B'ham. * I was
asked if I could bring in some bracken that was wanted for some
research. * The arguement was that I had brought back some male fern
and not bracked, * Until I pointed out that there were no spores on the
leaves. * *Does it help???

Bigal

--
Bigal

Bracken is a fern. Those things on the backs of the "leaves" are
sporangia which are things that cover the places where the spores come
from. In some species, like Male Fern, these are very prominent and
easy to see. In others, they are only produced on certain fronds or
at certain times of year or on specialised parts of the plant.
Bracken does produce spores and in fact there have been health scares
regarding their possible carcinogenic properties.
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2577
In Britain, it is possible that Bracken does not produce sporangia and
spores very often but they do have them:
http://www.nature-diary.co.uk/nn-ima...m-aquilina.jpg
Des

Ferns as Weeds
 

In message , Anne Welsh Jackson
writes
Gordon H wrote:
Jennifer Sparkes writes:
David in Normandy wrote:
Des Higgins wrote:
Horsetails are a different matter. Just reading this post without
correct protection could be risky.

Damn! A horsetail just came up through my keyboard!

Guess you are lucky it isn't a Russian Vine ... ;)

As we looked from a bird hide at Marbury Country Park today we saw
some healthy young examples of Japanese Knot Weed.

I don't know if I'd recognise JKW, but we have a lot of Himalayan
Balsam growing around Perth. I think it emanated, originally, from
the Moncrieff (of that ilk) estate...

It's showing again at Etherow Park, and the tedious job of pulling it
will start soon. :-(
Mavis and I spotted and puled up some young JKW there last weekend, but
the problem is that it spreads underground by the roots, and the wardens
have to apply for a licence each year to treat it by injecting it with a
special killer.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

Ferns as Weeds
 

In message , Bigal
writes

K;843916 Wrote:
Torbjörn Svensson Diaz writes-

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?
-
Most ferns grow in clumps, and these won't spread too aggressively (and

are easily uprooted if they do).

A few ferns spread by creeping rootstocks. The most obvious of these is

bracken, which covers a lot of our hillsides and would be a nuisance in

the garden. The other creeping ones are more delicate and less
aggressive - at least the ones that grow wild in the UK.

There are also a number of ferns which are not native to the UK but
will
grow well here.

Most garden centres will have a stock of ferns.

I can't think of any ferns which grow on trees which would cause a
problem. But these ferns aren't so easy to find in a garden centre.
--
Kay

I thought that you could identify a fern by the spores on the leaves.
If that is the case, bracken isn't a fern. It just looks like one. I
once lived in Wales but worked in Aston university, B'ham. I was
asked if I could bring in some bracken that was wanted for some
research. The arguement was that I had brought back some male fern
and not bracked, Until I pointed out that there were no spores on the
leaves. Does it help???

Bigal

Bracken is a fern. Some ferns have both fertile (spore-bearing) and
sterile fronds; others, I presume, have only fertile fronds. In theory a
fern could have only sterile fronds, and propagate vegetatively, but I
would be surprised if that was the case for bracken. I suspect some
misunderstanding along the line.

(Quite possibly pteridologists can identify fern species by the
distribution and shape of the sporangia.)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Ferns as Weeds
 

In article ,
says...
Hullo!

Would ferns count as weeds? Do they prolifirate aggressively? If I
plant a lot of ferns in a garden will my neighbours be mad at me? Will
the ferns spread to my neighbours? I like fern-coated trees but if
they destroy neighbours' gardens I don't like them so much anymore.

Are there different kinds of ferns, some of which are suitable for
gardening and some of which are not?

Best,



They are only likely to grow well in the wetter west of the country and I
like ferns so would never count them as weeds, mind you they are not
allowed within 3' of Clematis!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea