About our ferns
The fossil record indicates that ferns have been around for a very very long time, 300 million years. At Plantessential our own enthusiasm for these primitive plants goes way way back too, about five years! We were looking for something green to put into the middle of a bowl of hyacinths for the Christmas season and decided to grow a few ferns. In the event they looked great and we sold them all before the hyacinths were ready! We ended up using bark chips on the bowls. Finally when we did get to using ferns in mixed arrangements, it didn't go unnoticed that our customers were making their choices based on their appreciation of the fern.

These plants have superb versatility, from being breathtaking specimens, towering in architectural splendour or to providing a delicate and understated foil to small bulbs and other alpines in a trough or sink garden. They look great in gravel gardens with grasses, stumperies with hostas, pond and bog gardens, infact it's all up to your imagination. We hope using this website enables your imagination to become imagineACTion

To make your ideas become reality you may need a few tips on the culture and needs of this group of plants. Will ferns grow where you have in mind?

The majority of our fern collection requires shade or part shade, there are a few that are happy in full, day long, sun if an adequate supply of water is available. Light conditions are just one variable, moisture is another and these two combine and must be considered in making for a successful choice for a specific location. Happily it's not so difficult as it sounds. The British Isles are blessed with a fern friendly (frondly?) climate, certainly for the collection we offer, as many of our plants are native to the UK and/or Europe.

A selection of Ferns are available at our events, please click here for event information.