IN part two of our now regular gardening column ROSEMARY WARD, pictured, of Gardening Which? magazine takes a look at the Victorian favourite - ferns.

VICTORIAN gardeners fancied ferns to the point of obsession, building dedicated ferneries outdoors and dedicating great swathes of their conservatories to them too.

Until recently they've been completely out of fashion, but they are becoming popular again and certainly deserve a place in the garden.

Ferns do best in cool, shady spots, sheltered from strong winds, and most need a reasonably moist root run.

Those with coarser foliage are more resilient in exposed positions, and evergreen types tend to cope better with dry soil.

They benefit from an annual mulch of well-rotted compost but otherwise need little attention.

Best of all they rarely suffer pests or diseases and are untroubled by slugs and snails.

One small drawback is their Latin names - many of the best don't have English versions, so we just have to try to get our tongues round them.

Some favourites include: Gymocarpium dryopteris, a graceful spreading fern resembling a miniature pale green bracken; Polysichum setiferum Pulcherrimum Bevis with upright fronds 1.2m tall and finely divided like carved fretwork; Dryopteris erythrosa is a classic fern shape but the new fronds, produced all year, are a startling pink, gradually turning green; Asplenium scolopendrium has undivided, strap shaped leaves that are evergreen - this is a British native so does have a common name, hart's tongue. If you can't find a good choice in you local garden centre, try these specialists The Fern Nursery 01472 398092, J&D Marston 01377 254487, Rickards Hardy Ferns 01248 602944.

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