- Season 1 : June 2019
- Season 2 : extension of the surface area in May 2020
- 14th May 2020
- 25th May 2020
- September 2020
- May 2021
- July-August 2021
Season 1 : June 2019
Under the pergola, a lattice had been occupied for 3 years by a garrya elliptica which had grown in all directions, but without ever blooming. Maybe a specimen that never blooms? In any case, tired of this waiting, I decided to replace it with a decor that would have a more immediate effect.
I was inspired by Jack Wallington’s blog and his ferns wall (Fernatic: 50 fern species, 1 living wall). As an experiment I have started on a modest scale, with only about ten different species or varieties. 8 ferns were purchased and potted in mid-June. I added a fern (unidentified) from the nearby forest and a splinter of my Athyrium niponicum fern ‘Metallicum’, which grows in the ground under the pergola.
Square pot with 2 holes at the back 
A pair of slate hooks…. 
…placed in the holes 
And a fern in place!
For the containers I opted for terracotta pots, made on request and to measure by my gardener’s assistant / potter / ceramist. These square pots have 2 holes at the back, and the hanging system consists of a pair of slate hooks.
This combination is ideal for hanging the pots on the mesh.
Here is the result, 10 pots of 10 varieties of ferns, hung on the lattice in the shade of the pergola. The shade comes from the akebia quinata, which completely covers the pergola and even overflows a little. In the middle of summer only the ferns in the upper row see a bit of the morning sun.
With this hanging system, we have the same problem as with the system used by Jack Wallington, namely that the pots are inclined forward, and therefore the water tends to come out of the pot from the front. So I added (temporarily) cleats to raise the pots, which are now almost vertical. It’s better for watering.
After a month and a half, the ferns are in great shape. They are entitled to their daily watering, at the rate of one and a half litre bottle for the whole, or even 2 bottles during the heat wave.
Click on the pins to display the names of the species.
Second season
Second season: extension of the surface area in May 2020
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Papi Jo decided to significantly increase the surface area of his fern wall…
Since it was impossible to go to the store to buy a new trellis, I added up the pieces of trellis (square mesh) that had been lying around in the shed since the pergola was built. This more than doubled the size of the original fern wall. New “made to measure” pots are ordered and executed by the “resident” potter-gardener’s helper. All that remained was to furnish them with new species and varieties of ferns.
The photo shows, a little in random order, the current ferns and empty pots waiting for fresh fronds. The new trellis has a narrower mesh, which will make it easier to place the pots precisely where you want them, while maintaining the correct inclination.
At a plant festival in Cardroc a few years ago I happened to notice the booth of a fern grower. But no plant festival this year, at least not immediately, so I ordered directly from the nursery: Les jardins d’écoute-s’il-pleut, located in the Vouvant-Mervent forest area.
14 May 2020
14 May 2020
The ferns ordered from the nursery Les jardins d’écoute-s’il-pleut arrived this morning, by Chronopost. The journey took longer than expected due to the current circumstances. But thanks to the very careful packaging of each pot, all specimens were fresh and in good shape. Only a few broken fronds to be deplored, on the most fragile specimens, but they will grow back.
Now all that remains is to arrange all these little specimens in the pots waiting on the fern wall.
Opening the package 
In the process of unpacking 
Unpacking completed 
Finished unpacking
May 25, 2020
May 25, 2020
Hanging up over!
Click a pin to see the related info and then click on thumbnail to zoom or on the link to view the plant’s full record (right-click to open the plant record in a new tab)…
September 2020
September 2020
A few more specimens added in September 2020
Struthiopteris spicant 
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum ‘Crested surf’ 
Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Densum’ 
Coniogramme emeiensis 
Dryopteris affinis ‘Polydactyla Dadds’
May 2021
May 2021
This winter of 2020-2021, the weather has been harsh and above all very changeable. March was too hot, there were significant frosts at the beginning of April, and May was miserable… Anyway, several specimens on the fern wall did not like it and did not emerge from their containers in Spring. So it was necessary to fill the gaps, with a new order from the Ecoute-s’il-pleut nursery. Here is the list of new purchases, which includes both replacement specimens and new plants (for varieties not available).
Adiantum pedatum, Adiantum venustum, Arachniodes standishii, Asplenium trichomanes ‘Cristatum’, Coniogramma intermedia, Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Densum’.
July-August 2021
July-August 2021 :: Papi Jo in the Amazon?
The superb rainy weather from mid-June to mid-July was much welcomed by my ferns. Some views of my “fern garden” which looks like a tropical jungle…
Due to the poor lighting conditions under my pergola it is not easy to photograph the fern wall. So I grouped the most beautiful specimens on the fence next to the pergola for this “class photo”, in anticipation of the new school year…
