A Surprise

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richnkim

New Member
I had a little surprise come up! I have a couple of ferns that were here when we moved here. They are growing well, in the front bed. It was a mess and I had to clean it out shortly after we moved here. The other day I saw something coming up and just watched it to see what it was. I knew there were 2 ferns but there is a 3rd. I guess with all of the cleaning and the watering and ground breaking it stimulated it to start growing. I think they are really nice. They give a very natural look. I don't know a lot about them but I am learning. :)
 

richnkim

New Member
Our summers are very dry. I hear that they like moisture and shade. They are in the front bed which faces south but there is a very large tree for shade. I guess they like that. I love to water by hand and they seem to like that. I

I will take every "volunteer" I can get.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
For most ferns:
Partial shade to full shade;
Moist, rich well draining soil;
Rarely need dividing, depending on species (some send out underground rhizomes a foot, or more, from the parent plant, while others form slowly spreading clumps);
Soil ph doesn't seem to matter with most ferns but are best grown in neutral ph conditions.
Most can stand tolerate dry spells.
 

richnkim

New Member
For most ferns:
Partial shade to full shade;
Moist, rich well draining soil;
Rarely need dividing, depending on species (some send out underground rhizomes a foot, or more, from the parent plant, while others form slowly spreading clumps);
Soil ph doesn't seem to matter with most ferns but are best grown in neutral ph conditions.
Most can stand tolerate dry spells.

Hey Ron. I think that describes where mine are. Maybe that is how this one came to be, from and underground rhizome. It is abou 1 1/2 ft. from the other one. My plants have small fronds coming out all over the place.

There are some round ball like tings all around them. I though it was snalis when I first saw them, then I realized that they are part of the plant. Would it be best to cover them with a little soil? :confused:
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hey Ron. I think that describes where mine are. Maybe that is how this one came to be, from and underground rhizome. It is abou 1 1/2 ft. from the other one. My plants have small fronds coming out all over the place.

There are some round ball like tings all around them. I though it was snalis when I first saw them, then I realized that they are part of the plant. Would it be best to cover them with a little soil? :confused:

You will need to leave that dark knob shaped structure as it is. It is the way your particular fern grows.
Are the leaves a pale green?
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'm SO jealous. Ferns hate my arid summers. I only have one outside that hasn't given up the ghost.

I have found that you can grow them in the shade , especially if you have a mist dripper. Just a tiny irrigation line with a sprayer on the end. It runs all the time just as a mist.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Kim,
I love ferns I have several types growing naturally around my place. I have actually left them where thay picked to grow and worked around them. They do attarct snakes both good and bad so be careful when working around them. I always take a stick and just kind of shake the bushes before I stick my hands in;)
 

richnkim

New Member
CG, Thanks for the warning about the snakes. I can't stand snakes. Where we live there isn't a great chance of them but I will watch.
 

latebloomer

Active Member
Kim,
if you're in a residential area you most likely see a gopher or milk snake,if you are in a wooded area (like me) rattlers are what you watch for. We had to kill a pine rattler last year. I went outside at night without a flashlight and he was coiled right by the steps. Needless to say,I'm a lot more careful now!!!
 

richnkim

New Member
Ron. Thanks for the information. I saw some ferns at WalMart and that is what mine look like. I don't remember what the name of them were.

I do live in an urban area. We used to have some gopher snakes out in the coun try where we lived.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
We have to go further south and further east to get into rattlesnakes. In our immediate area there are no poisonous snakes. Garter snakes are the most common and we also have a variety called a "rubber boa". I never saw one of those until I saw them at the Portland Zoo. But since I saw those, I have seen several right here on our place.
 

richnkim

New Member
We have to go further south and further east to get into rattlesnakes. In our immediate area there are no poisonous snakes. Garter snakes are the most common and we also have a variety called a "rubber boa". I never saw one of those until I saw them at the Portland Zoo. But since I saw those, I have seen several right here on our place.

LOL, Randy! We had some of those and our kids put them in our bed one night! :eek:
 
R

RiverRock

Guest
We have the occasional rattler here but mostly we have gopher snakes....but from what I undestand those can give a nasty bite and make a person pretty sick. Last summer my parents had a nest on their property and they found several baby gopher snakes on their back patio..eventually mom snake wondered to close and my dad got her..that snake was over 5 feet long! My parents were glad to have gotten the momma snake, they were pretty worried about their dogs becase they could not find the nest but they knew it was close when the babies kept showing up.

RR
 

richnkim

New Member
One time may hubby and dad were moving the hay and found a nest under it. Gopher snakes but I still can't stand them.
 

Blueaussi

New Member
I love having nonvenomous snakes in the yard! Unfortunately my neighbor thinks the only good snake is a dead snake, so I mostly catch the ones I see and take them out of suburbia. I did put a fair amount of energy into explaining the the garter snakes we were seeing last summer were good snakes, that they would eat some of the bugs plaguing his small veggie patch.

I think I mostly nourished my "odd, eccentric neighbor" reputation.
 


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