I cannot help myself!  I wander around our gardens and want to share what I am seeing with you all.  Today I am seeing ferns.  I see Japanese Holly ferns that I planted to honor my mother.  They thrive in the toughest of circumstances.  In our garden this fern is an evergreen and forms into a beautiful mound.

I also see a Cinnamon fern and Southern Wood fern taken from a friend’s garden (with permission, of course!) and there is a Southern Shield fern that decided our garden was to be their home. 

 

The Cinnamon fern has the most unusual stems with little hairs growing from the center stem.  So beautiful and interesting!

I’ve been in awe of ferns since my college days.  It was the only plant that I was aware of at the time that would grow in the very shaded back area (it was too small to call a yard) of the townhouse I shared with friends.  I was immediately smitten with the way a fern unfurls its fronds.  Looking to me like a small infant, each stem unrolls its delicate and intricate fronds into the world (parts of the fern).

Most of our ferns provide ground cover and are in the understory and shade of large shrubs and trees.  Seeing these beautiful and gracious plants in our garden brings to me wonderful memories of family and friends.

I hope your garden is full of wonderful memories, too!

Sandra