Fernery

A fernery is a specialized garden for the cultivation and display of ferns.

A fernery at the Geelong Botanic Gardens, (1892-1902).

In many countries, ferneries are indoors or at least sheltered or kept in a shadehouse to provide a moist environment, filtered light and protection from frost and other extremes; on the other hand, some ferns native to arid regions require protection from rain and humid conditions, and grow best in full sun. In mild climates, ferneries are often outside and have an array of different species that grow under similar conditions.

In 1855, parts of England were gripped by ‘pteridomania’ (the fern craze). This term was coined by Charles Kingsley, clergyman, naturalist (and later author of The Water Babies). It involved both British and exotic varieties being collected and displayed; many associated structures were constructed and paraphernalia was used to maintain the collections.^[1]

In 1859, the Fernery at Tatton Park Gardens beside Tatton Hall had been built to a design by George Stokes, Joseph Paxton's assistant and son-in-law, to the west of the conservatory to house tree ferns from New Zealand and a collection of other ferns.^[2] The Fernery was also seen in the TV miniseries Brideshead Revisited.^[3]

In 1874, the fernery in Benmore Botanic Garden(part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) was built by James Duncan (a plant collector and sugar refiner). This was a large and expensive project since the fernery was based in a heated conservatory. In 1992, it was listed Historic Scotland for it architectural and botanical value and has been described by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland as “extremely rare and unique in its design”.^[4]

In 1903, Hever Castle in Kent was acquired and restored by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor who used it as a family residence. He added the Italian Garden (including a fernery) to display his collection of statuary and ornaments.^[5]

References

Horticulture and gardening
Gardening	History Design computer-aided Garden tool Green wall Arboretum Allotment Butterfly Community Forest French intensive Guerrilla Garden Historic conservation Landscape Native Parterre Raised bed Square foot Sustainable Xeriscaping
Types of gardens	Back Biblical Botanical Butterfly Byzantine Cactus Chinese Color Container Cottage Dutch English Fernery Floating Flower French formal landscape Renaissance Front Greek Greenhouse Hanging Hügelkultur Islamic Italian Japanese Kitchen Knot Korean Market Mary Mughal Orangery Orchard Persian Bagh Charbagh Paradise Philosophical Pleasure Roman Spanish Rain Rose Roof Sacred Scottish Sculpture Sensory Shade Therapeutic Trial Tropical Victory Vineyard Walled Water Wildlife Winter Zen Zoological
Horticulture	Agriculture stock-free sustainable urban Arboriculture Botany Companion planting Crop most valuable Flora Floriculture Fruticulture Genetically modified tree Hydroculture Indigenous Intercropping Landscape architecture Oenology Olericulture Plant breeding propagation Pomology Postharvest physiology Tropical Urban agriculture horticulture forestry reforestation Viticulture
Organic	Biodynamic agriculture List of organic gardening and farming topics Vegan organic gardening
Plant protection	Fungicide Herbicide Index of pesticide articles List of fungicides Pesticide Plant disease forecasting Weed control
Agriculture and agronomy portal Gardening portal Commons