Step Into The Wonderful World Of Ferns with UK Expert Mark Border 🌿
Last year I had the incredible good fortune to be gifted many cuttings of ferns, some of which are incredibly rare, by my now very good friend Mark Border. Mark had been watching one of my videos a year ago when I was wondering why one fern in my row of Dyopteris Affinis ferns alongside the cabin looked different from the others and he commented to say it was actually a Polystichum Polyblepharum … and our friendship started from then on.
Towards the end of last year I came home to find a huge parcel in the post which was just filled with so many wonderful cuttings and he sent me extensive information on each, with its name and lots of background information such as likes/dislikes. I was overwhelmed by the time and trouble he had taken.
I planted them all up in little pots and kept my fingers crossed that I’d be able to successfully overwinter them all, and apart from one or two, I am delighted to say that they all pulled through and have survived.
Just last week I received a second parcel, this time full of rare ivies and anenomes. I was beginning to wonder where on earth I was going to plant everything - I only have a small garden - and that’s when I remembered all the planters I had stashed away behind my shed.
So in my last video I shared my revamped Woodland Courtyard area which is now home to all these beautiful newky planted out ferns and I’m so pleased with how it has all evolved.
Mark has been a member of the British Pteridological Society for more than 40 years so is truly one of the UK’s fern experts, writing newsletters for the Society. He strongly urges anyone who is interested in ferns to join. There are many meetings, journals, fern swaps and members also receive fern spores.
THE BRITISH PTERIDOLOGY SOCIETY’s website is:
https://ebps.org.uk
If anyone would like to contact Mark Border about anything fern related, he would be very happy to hear from you. His email address is:
[email protected]
He would even be delighted to show you his fern collection in person so if you are in the Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex area, do get in touch and you can arrange that with him.
I hope you enjoy today’s video looking at Mark’s collection of so many ferns. He makes everything so interesting in the way he explains things … he is THE ENTHUSIASTIC FERN EXPERT 😊 a very generous, kind and lovely man and I am honoured to call him my friend!
If you’d like to join my Facebook page, also called The Enthusiastic Gardener, you can find it by clicking this link:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Enthusiastic-Gardener-104622541169305/
I am also on Instagram @the_enthusiastic_gardener
Have fun in your gardens!
Janette, The Enthusiastic Gardener