Friday, May 24, 2019

Project: fern bowl

I am completely in love with my new fern bowl, it makes me giddy every time I look at it. Rather than build up to an after shot I'm just going to go ahead and share one right away...

I have Alison, of Bonny Lassie fame, to thank for this big (20.75") metal bowl. Last spring she asked if I was interested in it and I said yes. Last summer it just leaned up against the back of our garage, in the shady corner (it's visible in the second half of this post). I knew what I wanted to do with it back then, but I guess I was just waiting for the right time to tackle the project.

First things first, I asked Andrew to drill three holes in the center for drainage, it's already dirty because I'd been experimenting with different plant combos to see what I liked.

Here's a close up of the edge detail.

And a side shot to give you an idea of the depth I had to work with.

Collecting of the plants that ended up in the bowl had been going on for months—since last summer. Back then I thought they were destined for the shady section of lawn I planned to remove (approx. 4ft x 3ft). Since I don't have time to tackle that project, planting them in the bowl was a great option.

Dryopteris sieboldii, from Sebright Gardens.

Two Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling', the one on the left has normal sized leaves, the one on the left has humongous leaves.

A Pyrrosia sheareri.

With the cutest new growth.

And a bonus Thalictrum 'Evening Star'. The Pyrrosia came from Cistus, purchased last November. Did the thalictrum seed in there, or in my garden? I guess I'll never know.

I have a tag for this cute little fern somewhere, but couldn't locate it in time for this post.

Pyrrosia polydactyla (blurry photo, not a blurry plant)

And a couple extra long, curly, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' which I bought for another project but didn't end up using.

Time to plant! The root "balls" on two of the ferns were too tall for the bowl, so I had to kind of split them and splay them out.

Other plants were laid on their sides.

It all made sense once I started filling up the empty bits with soil.

I bought a couple of short, wide, metal cylinders last September at BBC Steel (written about here). One of them was called into use as the base for the bowl.

Knowing metal resting on metal doesn't exactly allow for a secure grip, I added a rim of rubber tubing to the cylinder.

That's better!

And now a few glamour shots...

Rather than cover the soil with pea gravel I'm collecting bits of moss, lichen, sticks and bark.

Towards the end of planting I added a pair of Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Ogon Nishiki' for color, and so pieces of plants would fall over the edge. I had two Trachelospermum growing elsewhere that I wanted to move so it worked out splendidly.

From above...

From afar...

I'm so happy with the results. Thank you for the bowl Alison!

Weather Diary, May 23: Hi 81, Low 55/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

28 comments:

  1. You're welcome! I knew you would come up with something absolutely brilliant for this bowl. I wish the metal fit into my garden aesthetic, I figured fern bowl when I saw it but it just wasn't the right look for me (but it was so cheap I couldn't resist buying it and I thought maybe I could make it work). Yet another thing that sat around in my garage for a couple of years before I realized it wouldn't happen. The plastic tubing is so smart, such a great tip!

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    1. Lucky me that metal isn't your garden style! I use that tubing on my regular dish planters too...

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  2. What a spectactular result! It looks remarkably mature already, as if it had been in the bowl for quite a while.

    How often do you think you'll have to water? And do you know what the bowl was originally used for?

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    1. The look of mature is thanks to over planting...

      The heat will be the main factor that informs the water needs, it's been so cool and misty/rainy that I haven't had to water it much at all, yet.

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  3. I join you in giddiness. That is spectacular. Loved seeing the whole process, especially the rubber rim addition. Very clever and the type of thing Mark would do but I would never think of. I just paid very good money for that little Thalictrum so I am totally jealous that it came home with you for the ride. These kind of displays work better in your garden than mine but I need to figure out if there is a way I could incorporate something. Such a great look and plant combos.

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    1. The unplanted fern spent many weeks sitting right by my thalictrum so there's a good possibility there were seeds involved that I never bothered to notice. Doubtful, but possible. Couldn't you do something like this on your deck? With materials more suitable to your garden of course.

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  4. It looks fantastic, Loree. I love seeing how your design schemes come together.

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  5. AnonymousMay 24, 2019

    Wow! You have such a great eye for showcasing plants! Love it!
    Did the Pyrrosia polydactyla come from Cistus too? Thanks!

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    1. Thank you! The Pyrrosia polydactyla came from Secret Garden Growers. Another fabulous nursery!

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  6. It is stunning! Love the plant selection and how they look together. The fern looks like one I have called Nephrolepis cordifolia 'Duffii' - Lemon Button Fern. The tubing is a tip I will remember. Hugs

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    1. Thanks for the name, I think that's it!

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  7. It came out very well, Loree - and looks like it is well established as opposed to newly planted. You're a pro!

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    1. A pro cramscaper, even for containers!

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  8. Yowzah! A glamour shot indeed. I love all the plants you used. I'm especially enchanted by Thalictrum 'Evening Star', as the search for one is on-going ever since you used it in your fern table. The rubber tubing is brilliant!

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    1. The 'Evening Star' has become a little difficult to find hasn't it? I wonder why.

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  9. omg. Words fail. Just spectacular! Agree w/Ravenscourt, that little fern looks just like the lemon button fern I planted beside tree stump in woodland garden. Does it have a lemon-y fragrance? And that dish! Great gift. Thanks for all the plant ID's, too. :)

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    1. I've never noticed a lemon-y fragrance but you can bet I'll be checking later today when I go outside!

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  10. Wow! That's an amazing project. I love all the different plants that you chose.

    My Corner of the World

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  11. Your fern bowl is fabulous! I love all of the cool shade plants you tucked into it. Could the cute little fern with the black stems be Asplenium trichomanes Maidenhair spleenwort?

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    1. Thank you Camille, and yes! It is definitely a Asplenium trichomanes, mystery solved!

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  12. Love the look, the plant choices are wonderful. The rubber tubing is such a great idea! I really want to steal this look, you wouldn't mind would you? Now to find a nice bowl like that!

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    1. Steal away! I think she may have found it at Home Goods or Marshalls.

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  13. That looks fabulous! You are so good at this type of project.

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  14. I can see why you are so happy with this Loree-it turned out great ! I can see how a container like this will compel you to go out and stare at it quite often, and of course it will need to be groomed upon occasion in order for it to maintain it's perfection. I don't know about you, but I really enjoy grooming containers-a very soothing pastime with noticeable results.

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  15. It is beautiful Loree. It looks like the kind of presentation that might be entered in a floral competition.

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