When we think of ferns, we often think of a cool forest with a canopy of trees. Indeed, the ferns we normally think of thrive in this environment. However, there are also ferns which will and do grow in sun and even in the desert. Under the direction of George Sanko, our CEO, we started a Xeric Fern bed a couple of years ago incorporating both Georgia native ferns as well as ferns from the Southwestern part of the US.
The bed in the picture above was so successful that we took that as our theme for the 2007 Southeastern Flower Show. You can view a picture of the display on the website. Like the xeric bed the garden display incorporated Georgia native ferns and ferns from Southwestern US. If we wish to use less water in our landscapes, the xeric beds show that ferns can and do survive here in Georgia. We can, therefore, consider adding them to our landscapes rather that plants which require much more water.
With the success of the first xeric bed and the garden display at the Southeastern Flower Show we decided to add three more xeric beds to the main Native Plant Garden in front of the perennial sun beds. One bed contains both Georgia natives and plants from Southwest US while the other beds contain mostly plants from the Southwest.
Would like to learn More about Xeric Ferns?