Tom Velardi
August 9th, 2009, 11:21 PM
One my of my many fixations is ferns. I LOVE tree ferns with their ancient look and large size. I don't stop there though. My second favorite fern group are epiphytes. Having said that, I really love most of them. A sampler of my collection:
Cyathea australis, a fairly cold hardy Australian native. This one has been with me for 4 years now. It was bought as a large sporling and is has just 8" of trunk so far. Reliably hardy down to around -5 C (23 F), but it defoliates below - 3 C or so.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/CyatheaAustralis709.jpg
Another Australian native is Dicksonia antarctica. This plant was bought three springs ago as a salvaged "log" from Tasmania. I won't even tell you what I payed for it. Many within this genus can be cut down leaving a rootless trunk and crown only to be rerooted by simply burying the trunk back into the soil - kind of like a huge cutting! Hands down the most cold hardy tree fern withstanding up to -10 C (around 16 F) for short periods.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/DicksoniaMonstera709.jpg
Cyathea tomentossisma, a native of the highlands of New Guinea where it can be found at over 4000 meters elevation (~13,000 feet). At these elevations it can receive frost almost any time of the year even though the region is tropical. It is a more dwarf fern getting no more than 3 meters tall (~10 feet). This little guy is another sporling who's growing fast. As the name suggests, the plant is very hairy - actually it has tons of scales.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/CyatheaTomentossisima709.jpg
Here are two Australian staghorn ferns that have done well, withstanding frosts to around -3 C (27 F) with minimal damage.
The common Platycerium bifurcatum, now four years growing at my place. It was much smaller back when it started!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/PlayBifurcatumSpr09.jpg
And P. superbum, a sub-adult plant with only shield fronds (sterile) - it looks like this one could grow fertile fronds next season. This plant can get huge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/BackYardMay09SM.jpg
I've been working on a website about Japanese orchids and ferns for three years now. Maybe one day I'll actually get the site up for you all to see. These shots will have to do for now!
Tom
Cyathea australis, a fairly cold hardy Australian native. This one has been with me for 4 years now. It was bought as a large sporling and is has just 8" of trunk so far. Reliably hardy down to around -5 C (23 F), but it defoliates below - 3 C or so.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/CyatheaAustralis709.jpg
Another Australian native is Dicksonia antarctica. This plant was bought three springs ago as a salvaged "log" from Tasmania. I won't even tell you what I payed for it. Many within this genus can be cut down leaving a rootless trunk and crown only to be rerooted by simply burying the trunk back into the soil - kind of like a huge cutting! Hands down the most cold hardy tree fern withstanding up to -10 C (around 16 F) for short periods.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/DicksoniaMonstera709.jpg
Cyathea tomentossisma, a native of the highlands of New Guinea where it can be found at over 4000 meters elevation (~13,000 feet). At these elevations it can receive frost almost any time of the year even though the region is tropical. It is a more dwarf fern getting no more than 3 meters tall (~10 feet). This little guy is another sporling who's growing fast. As the name suggests, the plant is very hairy - actually it has tons of scales.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/CyatheaTomentossisima709.jpg
Here are two Australian staghorn ferns that have done well, withstanding frosts to around -3 C (27 F) with minimal damage.
The common Platycerium bifurcatum, now four years growing at my place. It was much smaller back when it started!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/PlayBifurcatumSpr09.jpg
And P. superbum, a sub-adult plant with only shield fronds (sterile) - it looks like this one could grow fertile fronds next season. This plant can get huge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/tvelardi/BackYardMay09SM.jpg
I've been working on a website about Japanese orchids and ferns for three years now. Maybe one day I'll actually get the site up for you all to see. These shots will have to do for now!
Tom