Caring for Ferns Before Winter Storage
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew continue the annual chore of moving the warm-weather plants indoors for the winter.
I love ferns and grow many varieties around the farm and in my greenhouse. It's amazing that there are more than 10-thousand different species of these non-flowering perennials. They are so versatile for both planting in pots and in the landscape. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, pruned a collection of bird's nest ferns and sword ferns before transferring them into my heated and temperature-controlled hoop house.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This summer, I kept many of my sword ferns, Polystichum munitum, on the terrace outside my Green Parlor. Now that the days and nights are getting colder, it’s time to transport them to the hoop house near my trailer barn where they will spend the winter months.
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- The sword fern plant is a lush evergreen ground cover known for its bright green, sword-shaped fronds. It prefers light to deep shade, but will do well in full sun if watered regularly in summer.
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- Before placing in storage, Ryan does some maintenance work to each plant – cutting out any dead, diseased, or damaged fronds.
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- Native to North America, the Western sword fern gets its name from its elongated blade-like fronds. The robust, handsome leaves can grow several feet long and have as many as a hundred leaves. In fact, long ago on the California coast, Native American Miwoks used the long, sturdy fronds to thatch structures.
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- Here, Ryan points out an old leaf, which needs cutting. Removing the older fronds keeps the plant looking new and also helps it focus its energy on new frond production.
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- In contrast, this is a new leaf. New fronds emerge from the center of the plant – notice that the tip is curled.
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- And here, Ryan holds up a new leaf and an old leaf to show the difference in appearance.The older leaf on the right looks more raggedy than the younger one on the left.
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- And here are the spores of a sword fern. Called sori, these spores are found along the backside of the fronds. They appear as brown spots, which are clustered together in groups. In addition to spreading through rhizomes, sword ferns use these spores to reproduce.
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- As each fern is trimmed, Phurba moves it into the hoop house nearby. Many of the pots are from my gardening collection. You can find them at my shop on Amazon.
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- This year, I decided to store the ferns and the citrus into this house. A couple weeks ago, we moved all the citrus trees from the courtyard behind my kitchen. The citrus tree in front is my ‘Ponderosa’ lemon tree. This ‘Ponderosa’ citrus tree is always kept in the front just behind the doors. This plant produces huge lemons, often up to five-pounds each! We stabilized its heaviest branches with “crutches” – vertical supports with natural v-shaped notches at the top to hold the hanging limbs filled with lemons.
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- All the sword ferns are stored on the left side of the hoop house. They’re kept on our natural shelves, made from stumps and lumber cut and milled right here at the farm.
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- Here, Phurba unloads a collection of bird’s nest ferns, Asplenium nidus, which also need to be pruned and stored for the winter.
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- Asplenium nidus forms large simple fronds visually similar to banana leaves, with the fronds growing up to 20 to 59 inches long and 3.9 to 7.9 inches broad. They are light green, often crinkled, with a black midrib.
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- The bird’s nest fern gets its name from the center of the plant which closely resembles a bird’s nest. It is also occasionally called a crow’s nest fern.
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- Ryan does the same with these ferns – trims the old growth, leaving the new growth more room to emerge.
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- Here are the old leaves of the bird’s nest fern. They don’t need a lot of pruning – they maintain their own shape and size. However, it is a good idea to remove the brown leaves from the outside of the plant down at the plant’s base. It will keep the plant looking neat and tidy.
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- The plant base will look brown where the old leaves were cut.
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- In the center of the plant is all the new grown, where the energy is focused once the old leaves are removed.
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- Just like the sword fern, spores on the bird’s nest also develop on the underside of the fronds. These sori form long rows extending out from the midrib on the back of the outer part of the frond. The fronds roll back as they brown and create a massive leaf nest in the branches and trunks of trees.
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- Using a battery powered leaf blower, Phurba gently blows around the fern to remove any debris.
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- And then it is moved to its assigned shelf inside the hoop house. These plants actually spend about seven months of the year in their heated shelters – but they definitely thrive.
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- To simulate the best subtropical environment, we try to keep the temperature in this greenhouse between 60 and 80-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity. Another collection of warm-weather plants is now safely stored for the cold season ahead. But we’re not done yet – still more to store before the first frost.
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