Fresh foliage is everywhere I look in the garden and it is all growing so fast with having alternating sunshine and rain. There is such a big difference in all the ferns, hostas and heucheras, in the garden since last months GBFD, kindly hosted by Christina on the 22nd of each month.
Harts tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium.
Matteuccia struthiopteris is outgrowing its allotted space, I will have to remove some of them, they are crowding out some of the candelabra primulas in the bog garden.
Maidenhair fern in the woodland, Adiantum venustum.
Oh dear, something has had a good nibble on my hosta.
Hosta Super Sagae is contrasting nicely with the plants around it.
Heucheras are also looking good at the moment with all their new growth.
The Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum, with Hosta Snowden.
Heuchera and ferns, Athyrium niponicum and the Tatting fern, Athyrium Frizelliae in the border behind the scree. I think a couple of small hostas would look nice here too.
The Male fern, Dryopteris filix-mas.
Polystichum setiferum divisilobum.
Cyrtomium falcatum, the Japanese Holly fern.
Asplenium scolopendrium Crispum
The autumn Fern, Dryopteris erythrosora.
Ferns are so versatile, so many different shapes, colours and textures and they contrast so beautifully with Heucheras and Hostas, I think these three are definitely the stars of the foliage in the garden at the moment.
Many thanks go to Christina who gets us to look at and appreciate our foliage each month, do pay her a visit at My Hesperides Garden to see other foliage from around the world.
Your ferns have fascinating forms. I resisted the lure of an array of hostas at my local garden center Friday but after seeing yours I am tempted again.
I can’t resist a nice hosta Susie, I would have had to buy some! I find ferns fascinating, such interesting shapes.
The Matteuccia must be at their best right now, such a wonderful fresh look. Thanks for naming the male fern too, there is loads of it here and I did wonder what it was. Quite distinctive with the fiddle heads bending back on themselves.
The Matteuccia are looking so fresh at the moment, the best they will be all year Jessica! There are so many varieties of the male fern, one could easily be spoilt for choice! They make such lovely shapes as they unfurl.
You took some great pictures and have so many wonderful ferns! I especially love the Maidenhair fern and the picture of the Autumn fern with a photo bomb from Forget-me-nots.
Forget me nots force their way into all sorts of plant associations Sally, but they always look so right don’t they?
What a beautiful gallery. I agree the fresh fronds of matteuccica are looking stunning in your garden right now. I also like the fascinating close up of the unfurling dryopteris, it reminds me of a seahorse.
Thank you Kate, these are the plants that jumped at me to have their photo taken! Most of the photos that I take of the Matteuccia are of the ones in the bog garden, but the ones that I planted in the ditch between the garden and the woodland are now beginning to spread too and look very happy.
Hi Pauline, your ferns make me very envious, I love the very different effect they bring to the garden. Your choice of highlighting ferns, hostas and Heuchera is perfect, three groups of plants that we definitely choose for their foliage rather than flowers. Thanks for supporting GBFD so consistently.
These three plants Christina, do so well in the garden here with all our shade and heavy soil. They also have such an assortment of colours, shapes and textures making any shady area more interesting. Right from starting the garden here, I have felt that foliage is just as interesting as flowers, must be Beth Chatto’s influence!
Ferns, hostas, and heucheras make wonderful companion plants. You have some great specimens! I am really enjoying all these marvelous foliage plants this year.
I enjoy trying to make new combinations with these three plants Deb, they bring such interest to the shade.
All so very lovely, Pauline, and aren’t we lucky when these do well and are happy in our gardens? Heucheras here could do with a bit more rain here than they get and yet ferns love it!
Thanks Cathy, when we first moved here it was a question of finding plants that like all my shade and heavy soil. Once I found plants that positively enjoy it here, obviously I bought different members of the same families. It just shows that there are plants that enjoy every different location.
Oh some of my favourite plants Pauline. You group them so well together. I’ve added a couple of ferns to the wish list. Do you grow many tiarellas or heucherellas?
I have a one or two Tiarellas in the woodland Anna, but in the main garden I feel the Heucheras make a nice big colourful show. so many of them like the shade which is wonderful for me with all our shade and means that they make good partners for all our ferns!
How gorgeous, those ferns really are so fresh and green, and that first hosta is just beautiful, I just love the early greens, so fresh….xxx
This time of year is wonderful Dina, isn’t it, my favourite time of year, when everything is so new and fresh. Every day there is something new unfurling, just asking to be photographed.
You really do have some wonderful and unusual ferns! They are a reminder that ferns can be quite different. I find that if you have Ostrich Ferns, every couple of years you have to dig out a bunch of them. You can give them to friends (which may or may not bode well for the future of the friendship), or throw them in the shrubbery (which I do with most of them).
I agree, the Ostrich Fern does spread somewhat Jason, but they are easy to remove and yes, we too have a shrubbery which hides a multitude of sins!
It is so easy to take ferns for granted when they do well in our gardens and it is good to take time and appreciate them close up like you have done in your photos – very lovely Pauline
Love ferns Cathy, there are so many different ones to enjoy in our gardens and their feathery foliage makes a nice contrast with everything else around them.
Fresh spring foliage is a joy and you have lovlies in abundance!
Spring is such a beautiful time of year in a garden Peter, everything is so new and fresh.