“Because we cannot escape our ancient hunger to live close to nature, we surround the house with lawns and gardens, install windows, adopt pets and Boston ferns, and perfume everything that touches our lives.” Diane Ackerman, American poet and naturalist I moved to the Berkshires 18 months ago and did all of the above… except the pet! I improved the foundation. I cleared brush and planted perennial ferns under the pines. I bought several large Boston ferns and hung them from the front porch beams. I cleared the brush from the old farmer’s wall so I don’t have any distractions when looking at the mountains from my windows (already installed). I bought a honeysuckle plant to provide fragrance in the front entryway. A fragrant honeysuckle in bloom welcomes visitors to my front door. Photo: Harriet Ziefert I also found an antique carpenter’s bench (at Moderne on Hudson) and added it to the front porch so I could put specimen plants on the work surface. Right now, I’m looking at a variety of unusual begonias, which I’m going to bring inside for the winter months. When I finished unpacking my belongings, I was faced with a sad sight: dozens of interesting containers… all empty! There were boxes, baskets, bowls, jars and buckets, made of wood, cork, clay, metal, glass and porcelain and acquired in a lifetime. What to do? Clearly, I had to find plants to fill the containers. Not only would the containers look complete, but so would my newly acquired home. I already said I’m against pets. But plants are great company. I’ve never been limited by the idea that houseplants belong in traditional clay pots…in fact, the opposite is true for me. Any vessel can hold a plant, large or small. Bowls of all shapes and sizes, cookware, and even cups are good for gardening. Pieces of pipe, volcanic rock, driftwood—I use them all as planters. Even a broken clay pot can make an attractive home for the right plant. Photo: Harriet Ziefert A stainless steel colander doubles as a plant pot. Photo: Harriet Ziefert A deer antler fern in a mid-century modern bowl. Photo: Harriet Ziefert In a recent children’s book of mine, Is Your Head a Box for Your Brain?, I write: A half-empty box says: Put more! A full box says: You need another bin! Fortunately, the solution to my “empty container problem” was minutes away at Ward’s nursery. I have since learned that Don Ward started Ward’s Nursery and Garden Center with his business partner and friend, Matt Tomich, in 1957. He passed it on to his sons in the late 90s and, now at 64, a third generation he is at the wheel. On my first trip there, I met Eva Ward, Don’s granddaughter. He manages the indoor greenhouse and is my houseplant face. I started at the corner of the fern, which is large, and immediately pulled the newly arrived ferns. I picked one and gave myself a challenge: Can I keep this fern alive for longer than the last one… more than a month? A row of maidenhair ferns sits atop a fern table at Ward’s Nursery. Question: Can I keep one alive for more than a month? Photo by David Scribner When I asked Eva about her experience with maidenhair ferns, she acknowledged that they were difficult, but of course worth it. He approved regular misting of the fern with distilled water. Or sometimes a quick shower. The problem: Sometimes I forget and the fern expresses its displeasure by wrinkling the edges of the leaves. Ferns are unique plants. They grow from spores, not seeds. They have leaves, not leaves. Their love of moist air makes them ideal for bathrooms or kitchens. And they have great names: staghorn, lemon button, kangaroo foot, crocodile, rabbit foot, bird’s nest, Sprenger asparagus, Japanese painted, velociraptor ribbon, Jurassic stegosaurus holly. If anyone knows why the abundance of animal references in the naming of ferns, please let us know. Currently on the greenhouse tables at Ward’s are the following varieties: maidenhair, buckhorn, blue star, Boston fern, mother fern, Kimberly fern, staghorn, bird’s nest, rabbit’s foot and silver brake. A lush Boston fern at Ward’s will bring nature into any home. Photo by David Scribner Eva reports the following about Ward’s staff favourites:
Mother Fern (Asplenium bulbiferum) Also commonly known as hen and chicken fern, this beauty has a winged appearance but won’t abuse you like maiden hair (Adiantum fragrans). Upon close inspection you will notice that it actually has quite thick and almost waxy leaves. This allows him to forgive you when you miss a watering session. Blue Star (Phlebodium aureum) This stout fern, with its stunning, savory blue leaves, can tolerate quite versatile light requirements. Although it can be seen in a bright space, it can move away from the window and grow more slowly in less direct light. Mine can always spend its summer vacation outside in a shady spot. There it puts out new leaves at a tremendous rate! When it’s time to move back indoors for the fall and winter, I have this lovely hardy plant. Inside it will no longer produce new leaves at the same rate. However, it will hold the leaves it created in the summer quite well. Staghorn Fern (Platycerium) This genus has many popular species, bifurcatum (common staghorn) being one of the most common. These almost alien ferns are quite the statement piece.
A blue star fern from Ward’s. Photo by Eva Ward For those looking for a challenge, these ferns are happy to be placed on an interesting piece of wood or planted in a wire basket lined with sphagnum moss. And even if you’re not looking for a challenge, choosing to pot your fern in a non-traditional way comes with a learning curve that pays off instantly! My recent children’s book ends with the question: If a birdhouse is a box for birds, is your brain a box for words? And now I ask you: If an ant farm is an ant box, is a greenhouse a plant box? The 3,000-square-foot greenhouse at Ward’s is an exciting place, with a wide variety of indoor plants—from succulents and air plants to orchids and begonias. For the most part, the plants are sourced from local growers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.
