I'm nuts about ferns as they are so frilly and have such a fab green colour. I love watching fern fronds unfurl in Spring. And because I love ferns so much I decided to make a stumpery in a shady part of the Bliss garden.
For a stumpery you need, no surprises there, stumps and quite a lot of them. But where to do you get your hot little hands on them? Fortunately, as we are now in the process of removing the horrendously ugly Leylandii hedge that has been a visual pest from day one, I have a plethora of stumps.
This is 5 meter of bug ugly hedge bordering the front garden.
And this is what it looks like now that the first 5 meters are gone. Only 25 meters more to do. Argh! As you can see the Leylandii hedge is/was both ugly and ginormous. There is so much more space in my front garden now that the hedge is gone. But enough hedging, lets return to the latest addition to the Bliss garden: the stumpery.
To create a stumpery you dig a big but shallow hole in the ground. Bung some tree stumps in, preferably in an artistic way, fill up the holes inbetween with 50% soil and 50 % leafmold. Plant ferns in the holes and stand back to admire the view.
In time the stumps will rot away but before that they will provide lots of insects, toads and hedgehogs with much needed shelter and not only that, but they offer ferns a wonderful place to grow in and provide such a nice setting too. Apart from ferns I've also bunged in some Lilies-of-the-Valley, blueberry shrubs and a hazelnut tree. More will follow such as snowdrops, primroses, foxgloves, hydrangeas etc.
Not bad eh, that I've turned a bunch of ugly stumps from a most revoltingly ugly hedge into a thing of beauty.
It's a thing, a Bliss thing!
copyright 2010 Y.E.W. Heuzen
21 comments:
Thanks for the advice. I am looking forward to removing about 50 leilandis next year so it's good to know I can put them to good use! I love ferns too - I look forward to seeing more of yours :)
Absolutely stunning, will the ferns come through the winter?
There is a patch of ferns in my garden, and though I really love them I've been quite unsure how to handle that space. Thanks for a great idea!!!
hi hi, hier is de lelijke leylandihaag gelukkig ook al verdwenen.
Ik ben ook een liefhebber van varens, heb nu zo'n 20 soorten, blijf het geweldige planten vinden,
Maar ik heb ze alleen niet zo 'moeilijk' geplant, gewoon in de grond, zonder boomstronken, en dat gaat ook goed.
From the way you were planting stumps, ferns etc. perhaps it could also be called the 'bungery' ;) Ferns are very 'frondly' and often their waving tips add graceful movement to a garden as well. Many ferns grow here, and I like to transplant them from little spots where they are hidden away into the shady edges of the property. It sounds like you ex-hedge area will be a lovely spot of perennial favorites.
Your fernery is going to be gorgeous. Getting rid of the hedge that was hogging your front garden is a good move. It will look so much more lively with all the plantings you are preparing.
Great work YE! Making something beautiful from something not so much. I always wondered what a stumpery was, now it is no longer a mystery. :-)
xxoo
Frances
Wow, it definitely gives a lot of new space. And great you put them to good use, they look great
Uhhh, that was hard work, girl! However I'm already curious how it will look in spring with all the snowdrops and the bluebells. I hope you will show us a picture by then.
Take care
Alex
Mmmm, double bubble there; a win win siuation. I so agree about ferns.
That's a great idea. I have some stumps and think I'll try it in the Schouten Garden.
x Jenny
Wow, it's amazing how much space those shrubs took up!! I love the idea of growing something up along the stumps. The ferns look very fitting there. :) And I like the term stumpery; it's very British and not at all American.
Good for you, Yolanda. Bet it's great to get that hedge out of there. And all this wonderful space to plant what you want!
I have this annoying stump of a chaenomeles out in the front garden, that I had to cut down because there was an invasive miscanthus (not sinensis, sacchariflorus)wound in around it. I broke one shovel, have to get my big loppers resharpened, and the roots still reach down to Australia. However, after a lot of sweatin' and cussin', it's almost buriable. Then I'll plant perennials around it, because I don't want more shrubs there.
You have given me eyes to see, thanks. Now that pile of stumps and tree rubbish we have in the back can be transformed to something beautiful.
Gosh, those leylandii are hideous and huge! Congratulations on removing them. When it's all gone, it would be lovely to see a before and after post of the whole lot.
What a grand idea. I have just the spot to establish a stumpery and I'm sure that the ferns that are already there will greatly appreciate it.
The change from the leylandii to "not"-leyelandii is amazing. I can hardly wait to see what you decide to put in place of it.
Well, gosh, Yolanda, it's been way too long since I've visited, so now I'm catching up on your activities. I love this idea of using stumps in this way. I actually have one right now from a juniper that we had to take out for construction of the conservatory. I love ferns so perhaps I can do something a bit similar. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hello Yolanda
Ferns are very beautiful plants and there many to choose from.
I believe ferns belong to a group of about 12000 species.
I have a small collection growing under our old apple tree, a very damp and shady area. Often overlooked because of large hosta plants growing in the same area.
Good luck with your new fern garden beds. Perhaps you can share some "stompery" pictures in the future.
Hope all kitties are happy and healthy?
- Cheers Gisela.
Aaahhhh....
that is how to make a stumpery.
i thought it was much more complicated!
Liking the absence of enormous hedge.
I love ferns. I have even gone into our woods to dig some up or where we have a lot of them growing made walk paths through them.
I am a bit late in replying here, but just thought I'd let you know that you inspired me to plant some bulbs. I chose narcissus and daffodils as the deer chomp the tulips up as fast as they grow! Although I didn't roll up the grass this year, I had a square patch dug up last year for potatoes. I used that patch to 'bung' in 66 bulbs, which hopefully will look lovely in Spring. The patch is now covered in snow!
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