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Paul Spracklin
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:55 pm Posts: 2564 Location: North Thames delta UK
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Re: fern suggestion
That is scarily fantastic. Or fantastically scary. Both, even.
_________________ visit my website - www.oasisdesigns.co.uk
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Sun Mar 12, 2017 1:42 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Thanks guys it's nice to know all my neighbours can't be right I have rocks that develop similar moss and then the ferns grow into the moss without any soil straight onto the rock. I am hoping this will be the case in the future. Alex, I don't put anything to encourage the moss it grows on the hypertufa by itself. It's strange that some are so furry green and others are still grey. The growth tends to happen on the top of anything big....the reason why the very top is not as green is that I could not make my mind when I first made the arch on whether I wanted to attach an extension to the top but decided against it consequently adding the skulls a year later. I never considered putting any ferns in the ey sockets ( a sentence both of us will probably never say again)...but if i find any self seeded ferns I will try and see. Hopefully the moss will make it easier to establish ferns. Storm Doris knocked over an extremely heavy hypertufa pot causing some damage but for the life of me I can't see how it fell as is so heavy so begs the question of how i would balance a pot on top to get ferns to self seed below still might give this some thought. These skulls are a year ahead of the arch so hopefully might have this to look forward to next year Next time i will take some blurry pics...it really pushes Kev's button
_________________ Regards,
Mo
Last edited by themes on Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:09 pm |
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Steven
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:02 pm Posts: 2486
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Re: fern suggestion
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Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:33 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
I've waited for a while as I wanted to be sure. Things look promising with regards to establishing ferns. Perseverance has paid off it seems. The encouragement helped as I was going to give up. July and August gone the hotter months and ferns still alive. Ceterach albeit small are alive and I can see asplenium spores self seeded but tiny. I've plonked various small ferns into crevices and they are still alive. Not all survived but some are actually getting bigger. Self seeding plants like ivy (i may pull this out but promising that it's self seeded) and weeds . Hopefully I can build on this next year. The moss is getting thicker so I would hope now it can act as a medium for ferns to spore onto it and grow. Thanks for all your help guys. Will Keep updating hopefully with more good news One image refuses to load Keeps saying internal server error. It's not the size of the image as I have bigger sized ones uploaded with these pics. I've tried moving the file to a different folder reuploaded with no success. I've renamed the file and failed . Not meant to be I guess. ....................................................... success
_________________ Regards,
Mo
Last edited by themes on Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:35 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Wow nice Mo once you have that moss growing you have endless possibilties of getting ferns to establish. Thanks for the update much appreciated
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Fri Sep 01, 2017 8:48 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
I know I keep droning on about this but it's really exciting for me. This is pics of the skull planter. Check out all the aspleniums self seeded!!!!!!!!
_________________ Regards,
Mo
Last edited by themes on Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 3:34 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Scary stuff Mo you certainly need patience getting ferns to establish on your skulls. I am guessing they will get more prolific as the moss grows over the heads giving the ferns something to establish onto trapping the spore as it drops down into the moss.
Have you tried any more unusual spore to see what happens?
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 4:44 pm |
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Paul Spracklin
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:55 pm Posts: 2564 Location: North Thames delta UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Mo - ferns self seeding must mean you are doing something right - you should be justifiably excited!
_________________ visit my website - www.oasisdesigns.co.uk
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 4:47 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
_________________ Regards,
Mo
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:42 pm |
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David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
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Re: fern suggestion
That looks exciting.
I agree with Paul. This is what you get when you do things right. Many spp. of fern will love this sort of crevice. And of course, a few of them will be Goths and will be especially keen on growing on a skull.
The fern sp. that I have seen most rampant in vertical, soil-free crevices is Asplenium trichomanes. In western Ireland, it covers whole dry-stone walls. Stick a few of them in there and you should have quite a colony in a few years.
These images are also a monument to the importance of patience in gardening.
_________________ 51º33'07"N x 0º07'21"W
43m (142 feet) ASL
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Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:16 am |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Asplenium trichomanes was suggested early on so I acquired 4 and placed on the arch. Only 1 survived but it had got bigger and established. Polypodium vulgare, ceterach also suggested and I acquired then too. I do follow up on suggestions. Very grateful for all the suggestions and excited to see how this develops. A spring jaunt to fibrex may be in order.
_________________ Regards,
Mo
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:11 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: fern suggestion
Pentagrammis triangularis is a very hardy west coast small fern. They colonize bare clay soils even in shady wet spots. Our most common small fern..and there are nice variety's. One has a gold under leaf.
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:59 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Thanks Stan. i've googled Pentagramma triangularis. I can't find a source for this in the UK. Also hardiness would be another concern as I've combined the Uk in the search and only a couple of possible matches grown in polytunnels. I want to go to fibrex and cgf with a possible list of candidates I could try but ideally I would like plug plants rather than plants the typical nursery here would sell . I've got the biggest success when the fern is small and able to groiw into the recesses which are extremely small. I think this is why I had such a bad success rate with asplenium trichomanes as this is a tough fern. I want to minimise transfer shock. I've looked at various woodsia and Araiostegia so far.
_________________ Regards,
Mo
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:38 pm |
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Paul Spracklin
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:55 pm Posts: 2564 Location: North Thames delta UK
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Re: fern suggestion
I've bought from this place, Mo - nice little plants. Sometimes plugs, sometimes just 9cm.
Polypodiums should be good. Not sure if you could get away with P. scouleri but it is a beaut. Might be worth trying Cyrtomium falcatum and/or fortunei - these both do ok here and can self set as well.
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Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:28 am |
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ArtV
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 3:46 pm Posts: 151 Location: Middlesex, UK
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Re: fern suggestion
Some of the Cheilanthes and Pellaea are also worth considering.
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Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:42 am |
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