Creating a Collection
Creating an exotic fern collection is a rewarding and absorbing hobby. It often starts with the purchase or gift of a single indoor fern; an appreciation of its beauty and ease of care leads to another, and before long a collection begins to take shape, perhaps alongside other tropical plants.
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Many collections remain an eclectic mix of favourite plants and become more extensive over time. As knowledge and interests develop, some growers choose to specialise in particular genera, types of fern, geographical regions or habitats, gradually creating a more curated collection. However your collection develops, it should reflect the plants you enjoy and the conditions and space you have available.
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Knowing where your plants came from can add another dimension to a collection. If you're interested in thinking more about how plants are acquired, propagated and shared, Towards Ethical Collections offers ideas and information to explore.
A display of Athyrium in pots for a plant show.
Displaying your ferns
An important consideration is how you want to display your collection. For indoor and tropical ferns, there are two broad approaches: keeping individual species or cultivars in separate pots, containers or mounts, or creating a more natural-looking display in part of a glasshouse, a large display pot or even a terrarium at home.
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Naturalistic displays can combine different substrates and structures, including tree fern stumps, cork, pieces of wood and prepared beds for terrestrial ferns. This allows plants with different growing habits to be displayed together, and the result can be themed around a particular geographical area or biome. Terrariums and aquariums are particularly useful for displaying smaller ferns and creating specific environmental conditions.
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Outdoors, exotic ferns can be incorporated into the garden just like other perennial plants, with species available for a wide range of aspects and locations. Alternatively, a fernery or stumpery can provide a dedicated area for ferns, using tree stumps, wood and rocks to create planting pockets and a natural backdrop. Spring bulbs make excellent companions, particularly around deciduous ferns.
A mixed fern bed in a glasshouse.
Growing in pots
Keeping individual ferns in pots makes it easy to move plants, tailor the substrate to each fern and control watering. It can be particularly practical for a botanical collection, while careful positioning on greenhouse staging or plant stands can create different heights and showcase individual specimens.
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Pots can dry more quickly than planted beds, but they also make it much easier to move plants that you plan to show at competitions or exhibitions.
Ferns growing in an artificial rock wall in a glasshouse.
Creating natural displays
A naturalistic display takes a little more planning, but there are many ways to create one.
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In a greenhouse, ferns can be planted directly into the ground. The amount of preparation will depend on your soil. Adding plenty of compost and good-quality bark will help improve the growing conditions, while compacted soil should be dug through. Heavy clay will also benefit from grit or another material that provides lasting improvements to drainage.
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Raised beds give you greater control over the substrate and bring the plants closer to eye level. They can be particularly useful for xeric ferns. Several large public collections use raised beds filled with sand, with xeric ferns grown in terracotta pots sunk into the sand to help regulate their water supply.
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At the wetter end of the spectrum, pond liner or polythene with some perforations can be added to the bottom of a bed to reduce drainage and water loss. This can suit tropical ferns that prefer consistently wetter conditions, although finding the right balance may take a little experimentation.
An Adiantum growing in a terracota pot in raised bed of sand.
Making the most of your space
Benches and greenhouse staging offer many possibilities. For a permanent display, make sure the structure is strong and resilient enough to carry the weight. Metal staging will corrode over time, so check it periodically and maintain it when necessary.
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Deep shelves can hold enough substrate for terrestrial and shallow-rooted ferns. Old tree fern trunks and lightweight or artificial rocks can be used creatively to add further depth and structure—but remember that everything becomes considerably heavier when wet.
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Don't overlook the space beneath the benches. Artificial lighting can turn it into additional growing space, while its sheltered position can be useful for terrariums, aquariums, sporelings and newly propagated ferns.
A Davallia mounted on a piece of cork bark.
Growing epiphytes and lithophytes
If you grow epiphytes, tree-like supports can be constructed above beds or benches. There are many ways to do this. Cork bark, for example, can be attached to a metal support and packed with a substrate of compost and bark, bound together with clay loam to help maintain moisture. Gaps can be filled with moss or fine bark attached with silicone sealant.
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The effect can become very natural over time, but plan the structure carefully: once plants become established, it may be difficult to change.
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A solid greenhouse or hothouse wall can also support a rock structure built rather like a dry-stone wall. Crevices can be packed with suitable substrates to create growing spaces for many epiphytic and lithophytic ferns.
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Many types of rock can be used, but the choice matters. Limestone will affect water chemistry and will not suit every fern. Lightweight rocks such as pumice can be particularly useful.
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Victorian ferneries often created this effect using an artificial rock known as Pulhamite. Today, a variety of modern lightweight artificial rocks can achieve a similar result.
Several Platycerium growing indoors in hanging baskets.
Hanging displays
Hanging baskets and other suspended structures can make attractive displays in indoor ferneries while making good use of vertical space.
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Wall hooks can support chains or metal mesh from which plaques and baskets are hung, providing useful growing positions for many epiphytes. Shelves and plant stands can also help use the available space efficiently and create different conditions for different ferns.
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Labelling and recording your collection
Keep records of the ferns in your collection. Label individual plants or make clear notes showing where they are planted—however good your memory is, don't rely on it alone.
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Many collectors develop an accession numbering system, giving each plant a code that links it to a more detailed record. A spreadsheet is one way to maintain this information and can include where a fern was acquired, its provenance, propagation notes and anything else you want to retain.
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Pteridobase provides another way to record ferns in cultivation and maintain information about a collection, as well as allowing growers to share and explore information about plants being cultivated by others.
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Whatever system you choose, check labels at least annually and replace any that have faded or become damaged. There are many ways to make labels; the important thing is that they remain legible and permanent.
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As your collection develops, good records become increasingly valuable. They preserve the history and identity of your plants and make it easier to propagate, exchange and share them with confidence.
Collections
Developing and maintaing a fern collection. How to safeguard your collection for the future.