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Danesbury Fernery

Researching and Restoring the Danesbury Victorian Fernery

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You are here: Home / Garden Design Objectives

Garden Design Objectives


This is the first draft planting list for the Fernery, produced on 15th February 2018 by Sarah Marsh and approved by the Borough Council. It is planned that these will be purchased and planted in April 2018 – but some bare-rooted specimens will be purchased in February 2018 for earlier planting.

We will endeavour to maintain an up-to-date Planting List

Overall Design 

Perennials for the centre of the fernery which are in keeping with the Victorian era that the garden was created for and then leaching out with small shrubs i.e. Sarcoccoca, hypericum etc to the edges of the fernery with the larger shrubs and 2 or 3 small trees with a view to cutting down the wind but leaving various vistas open for the views

Spring interest
Snowdrops
Cyclamen Coum
Violet odora. Purple
Denis canis. Dog tooth violet pink
Primula denticulata
Primrose
Oxslip
Pulmonaria angustifolia azurea Lung wort
Erathroniums. Winter aconitie yellow
Narcissi native
Crocus tomansianus. Delicate pale blue crocus
Hellebores orientalist. Lent rose evergreen
Libertia grandiflora evergreen

Early summer
Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ evergreen
Alchemilla mollis
Nepeta racemise ‘Walkers Low’
Rosmarinus officinalis.  Rosemary trailing and bush
Geranium macororrhizum
Tellima grandiflora
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’
Hostas  large tough varieties
Geraniums various flowering varieties

Summer interest
Liriope muscari  evergreen
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Bergenia  cordifolia
Fushias hardy varieties
Persicaria

Ferns
Asplenium scolopendrium Evergreen. Dry shade
Polystichum proliferum
Polypodium vulgare. Dry shade
Dryopteris felix mas. Dry shade
Matteuccia struthiopteris. Shuttle cock fern
Polystichum aculeatum Evergreen
Polystichum ‘Herrenhausen’. Dry shade

Trees
Trachycarpus fortunii. A Victorian must have !
Araucaria Araucanian.  Monkey puzzle and another!
Ilex aquifolium  Holly
Malus ‘John Downie’. Crab apple
Crataegus laevigata ‘Rosea Flore Pleno. Double hawthorn pink
Prunus Adium. Spring flowering
Euonymus Europaeus
Euonymus Alatus. autumn colour
Cotoneaster frigidus ‘Cornubia’ Evergreen red berries

Shrubs
Viburnum x burkwoodii  scented flower Spring
Viburnum Davidii  Evergreen
Sambucas nigra ‘Instant Karma’ variegated elder
Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ yellow summer flower
Hypericum x moserianum
Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’ orange blossom flowing in May
Elaegnus x ebbingei. Evergreen
Ribes sanguinium ‘King Edward’. Spring flowering
Olearia x haastii.  Evergreen
Scuba japonica ‘Roseanne’. Evergreen
Osmanthus x burkwoodii evergreen
Sarcococca confusa. Evergreen
Prunus Lusitania angustifolia. Evergreen
Viburnum Tinus. Evergreen
Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’. Red stem dog wood
Cornus stolonifrta ‘Flaviramea’  Green stem dog wood
Corylus aveliana   Beech
Prunus Spinosa Black thorn
Viburnum oculus. Guelder Rose
Rosa rugosa  ‘Alba’
Rosa canina. Single dog rose
Ligustrum ovalifolium. Privet
Taxis baccata. Yew

 

The Parson’s Bed – A Special Situation

The Parson’s Bed is in full sun for long periods of the day, and much drier than the Central Bed.

Sarah Marsh, our Garden Adviser, has therefore selected plants which will thrive in those conditions, selecting plants that the Victorians themselves would have chosen for that position, and designed to complement the planting in the Central Bed.

A membrane has been laid to suppress all endemic weeds and the Parson’s Bed will be mulched as for the Central Bed.

Planting List

Planting out took place on Tuesday 2nd October 2018 by volunteers working under Sarah’s direction.

Together with purchased stock plants, some beautiful plants were donated by the volunteers themselves and included:

yucca gloriosa,

purple sage,

cistus,

sedums,

carex grasses,

phormiums,

euphorbia,

bluebell ‘river’ ferns (various) including dryopteris and asplenum.

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Copyright © 2022 Friends of Danesbury Fernery (FODF). Non attributed photography by John Roper.