a shady corner

I quite like ferns, especially those very colourful ones advertised in catalogues. I also have some stick insects from Peru that feed on fern leaves!

might they creep next door and frighten the neighbours?

They seem to have grown quite well over the summer ST. Your earlier pics inspired me to get 4 ferns for one of my shady/woody areas, a first for me.

oh, thats really nice, didnt know any one would think that way but thats pleased me ~ thank you ~ i came on here to get some answers myself, didnt envisage helping anyone but im really pleased.
be nice to see pictures of your woodland area too!?

I will ST

:o)) oh good

The stick insects are only small: a couple of inches long.
My garden isn't very shady and I have 1 boring green fern planted next to my fance at the back of the border.
Can you recommend any interesting ones that could tolerate semi-shade?

Like your shady corner, I have a large conifer to the back of one of my borders which creates a lot of shade may copy your planting already have ferns so will look out for some low growing shade lovers as the border isnt very deep!

i dont know all their names geraniumdad ~ i go to the garden centre and pick the ones i like the shape of ~ some are evergreen
but i do like fatsia and fatshedera which are happy in shade ~ as are hostas, astilbes and japanese anemonies, there is a rhodedendron in there and a camelia ~ the soil is slightly acid ~ which helps.
hope you find something nice ~ i just like green!!

looks nice, I like ferns but they wont grow for me,they grow on the moors here where the peat had been dug for fuel

its a shame they wont grow for you ~ why wont they?

I really dont know why but when I have tried them they just go brown and die. possibly my soil is too well drained for them

Geraniumdad - There are many ferns that will tolerate semi-shade or even a good amount of sun IF they get enough water. One of my personal faves is Onoclea sensibilis - sensitive fern - but it is somewhat of a water hog. Hayscented fern will grow just about anywhere, also - I can't remember the species name.

Thanks for the info Lauram, I shall have a look for the ferns you mentioned.

try autumn ferns, they might very well work for you. I think they're pretty versatile as far as light requirements. The best thing about them is that they are evergreen - truly truly evergreen, even when it's super cold - & they'll look great year round. Always a plus in my book. They also thrive with minimal care. I'm not a consistent waterer & we tend to have drought conditions during the summer, so my cinnamon ferns and sensitive ferns never quite reach their potential, but those autumn ferns just keep on going!

those ferns sounds very good, do you have names for any of them or do the GC label them as autumn ferns?

Autumn ferns are Dryopteris erythrosora & are very easy to find here. I think they're native to Japan. I really want to try hayscented fern, Dennstaedtia punctilobia, but I know I'll have to order those online.

oh, thank you, i shall look out for those
:o))

Sticki, I just posted a photo for you. It's a dreary rainy day here but they do provide some nice greenery.

thanks lauram ~ im on my way ~ to look at photo

Beautiful planting with a lovely combination, don't know if you knew, I only found out recently on here, that ferns grow spaws, which if inhaled causes cancer, I have 4 myself so I am weary now of buying any more.

no i didnt know

Some one said on here after being warned they will know not to breathe when going near it when the spaws come on them.

Stickitoffee:

It's beautiful! I looks nice and cool on a hot day. I like shade gardens to sit under during the very hot weather here during summer.

its definitely cool delonix, thank you! but it never gets that hot here!!

So, you can't sit in this spot when it's 105ºF (41ºC) outside?

I could have used this spot when the high temp was 107ºF (42ºC) and stayed above 100ºF (38ºC) for 9 hours straight from: 11:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m last Sept. 15th. It was horrible!!! I hate when it's that hot, that many hours!

Im sure you could sit here when its 41 outside ~ but its never that here! i think those plants would not be happy either!!

41?? not ideal!!!! i might have to stay in an air conditioned bubble and not come out!

The plants would most likely survive 105ºF (41ºC) in shade well. They may not like it so much, though.

"41?? not ideal!!!! i might have to stay in an air conditioned bubble and not come out!"
That's what I do, I don't come outside...especially in the sun.

best and probably only plan i think!

I do come out during the late evening when the sun is going down and tend to the garden and plants. It may be still very hot; however, you don't have the sun beating down on you.

the cool of the day ~ lovely, and thats when its time to do the watering?

It's actually not cool...but it's usually not as hot. :>)

Yes, that's when I water or in the very early morning.

is there no breeze when its as hot as that?

Sometimes there's a breeze. During the hot, humid monsoonal flow typically the sea breezes are pretty much non-existent. The monsoonal flow comes up from the south-east (it goes through Arizona from old Mexico).

hot and dusty then?

No, it's typically dusty when we get the normal westerly or southerly coastal eddy winds. The monsoonal flow bring very hot and humid air...which is generally very still. This is one of the reasons why we get so hot.