Has it finally started to warm up in your neck of the woods?? Here it is May 15th and we can barely crack open a window for fear of getting the house too cold! It’s really slowed us down with our plans to spruce up the outside of the cabin, but truth be told there is still sooooooo much to do on the inside it gives me the perfect excuse to stay indoors and get some much needed things taken care of.
Are you the kind of person who first takes care of the outside of your home, then the inside? While I love a nice landscape, I’ve always been more motivated to take care of the interior of our houses first. Maybe that’s because it is where we spend most of our time. Perhaps if we lived in a warm climate I would feel differently. In the house we lived in for 27 years, we lived there for almost 10 years before addressing the outside, and believe me, it needed it! Once we did we hit the ground running and while I’m a long way from calling myself a gardener, I learned a thing or two about different plants and how to care for them and we ended up with a garden that was featured on the cover of a local magazine!
One of my most viewed posts was about shade tolerant and deer resistant plants which you can view here (and you will also get a peak at our previous home while you’re there). Not unlike our former home, the cabin has plenty of shade due to lots of trees, and while we do have our fair share of hostas, because of the deer I’m going to come up with some low maintenance, deer resistant alternatives. In doing some research I’ve decided on ferns…but not just any fern. Nope. I need something that will tolerate drought, will spread and is deer resistant.
Enter the Hay-Scented Fern
Source
Let me first tell you the ‘pros’ of this particular variety:
- It will tolerate both shade and sun
- It is deer resistant
- It is drought resistant
- Useful as a ground cover
- Low maintenance
- Spreads quickly
- Relatively inexpensive
Now for the ‘cons’:
- It can be invasive
That’s it! Now, I’m not undermining the fact that it can be invasive. That can be a big deal in most gardens. But if you have a large area that you want to cover fairly quickly and don’t plan on placing other plants nearby, this plant may be just the ticket. (If you would like more information about this fern, click on the ‘source’ link under the picture.)
I love colorful gardens as much as anyone, but there’s something about a shade garden that draws me in. Maybe it’s because they often tend to look like Mother Nature intended…wild but cohesive. Does that make sense??
Columbine and sweet woodruff are some of my favorite shade plants. What are some of yours? I like the way columbines provide a slash of delicate color in this landscape, and the sweet delicate flowers of the woodruff are a perfect ground cover.
Don’t limit yourself when it comes to plantings ferns, or anything else for that matter. Containers come in all shapes and sizes and can house just about any kind of plant you can think of.
Yes, even bathtubs can be used as planters…
There are lots of articles on how to work with ferns but this one is very short, simple and straightforward and perfect for beginners. If you’re looking for more inspiration, head on over to my Pinterest ‘Gardens’ board for some serious eye candy!
Pictures Sourced at BHG
Vashti Quiroz-Vega says
Wow! I love the pictures! You have some great ideas for outside the cabin. I even like the worn tub it actually looks great. I guess it all depends on the look you want. I tend to finish with the inside of the house before working with the yards too. 🙂
Amy @ StowandTellU says
I’ve always loved the lush foliage on the floor of a wooded area, as shown quite beautifully in these photos. Ferns are one of my favorites in those shady areas, but I still have trouble growing it in my front yard. It’s probably a different type, so I’m going to be on the look out for the hay scented Variety. Thank you, Doreen!
Angela says
Gorgeous pictures!! I LUV the bathtub!!! Ferns are a favorite of mine…..I’m usually able to keep them alive pretty much year round but this last winter was much colder for us so I lost most of them……guess what I was just at the home store buying??!!!~~Angela
Julie says
I love the photos and the bathtub looks great! My brother in law uses one for their herb garden. Wishing you a wonderful day and week and thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
Julie
Sue says
Great article and tips. We have a lot of Hosta, Periwinkle, and Pachysandra in the yard that are doing well. Husband keeps spliting the hosta and putting it everywhere. I remember years ago we dug up some ferns and planted them and like you say they became too invasive.
Cynthia says
What gorgeous pictures. In our old home we had some really shady spots and I never thought about ferns. Wish I have because they are so pretty. We used pachysandra which grew like wildfire.
Cynthia
Poppy says
Hi Doreen,
Gorgeous photos of your wonderful garden, with its bright and colourful inhabitants, as well as its gorgeous green, shade plants. Your talent for creating beautiful spaces, both indoors and out, is evident once again, as is your hard work. I so enjoyed all your savvy tips and like you, I never really gave that much attention to the outside of my home, until I realized that it definitely takes quite a lot of work, in the upkeep, mostly. Living in Greece, we spend most of our time outdoors, eating our meals al fresco and socializing with friends, family and our neighbours, so if one is aesthetically oriented, like myself, the atmosphere is important, which means flowers, greenery, outdoor furniture, and other features that make outdoor entertaining fun and fabulous!
Thanks for the advice and hoping that you are enjoying the fruits of your labour!
xxxx
Poppy
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
Not much shade here but the ferns remind me of the shady portion of my grandmother’s garden…she’d collect them, driftwood, etc from the woods and a summer vacation area and then transplant and accent into her rock garden.
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
Great inspiration pics…I love ferns…the birds love them too!…I have a nest in each one of my hanging ferns!
Andi says
I love all these pictures. I’m so nervous with my blank canvas because I have no idea what I’m doing.
-andi