Got Ties?
For those of you who frequently tie up plants, here is a great money saver. In the photo you will see a ball of paper wrapped wire. For $9 you can buy almost 700 feet of paper wrapped 26 gauge waterproof wire. So, you are basically paying 1 cent per foot. I would say, even if you have been prolific in your family propagation, you will have enough tie wire for your life time, as well as that of all your progeny.
The wire can easily be cut with scissors or a pruner. The ties will weather the weather and can be reused. I hope you can see the 3 ties I used to secure a passion vine to the green stake. Pictured is the natural color, but green and brown are also available.
Stan, The Amazon Ordering Man
I can’t remember ever recommending a particular plant before . . . well, except for LaVille’s Abutilons and Passion Vines. But I have had such success with Holly Ferns, that I can’t help but mention them. I probably have a dozen of these ferns now—on the south side of the house under a solid cover, on the west next to a solid fence, and on the north side near the front of the house. The key element is shade.
The first photo is poor because of the partially blocked winter sun, but in the summer, shade is complete because of a Wisteria overhead. The second photo shows what happened when the hot summer sun snuck around the north side of the house and burned a few leaves. The third photo shows that the weak winter sun shoots under a 12 foot cover to strike the plants. That last photo also shows the yellowing caused by a lack of magnesium in the soil. I recently treated with Epsom salts which will solve the problem for a couple of these plants.
Happy Holly Ferns will spread to an excess of 3 feet. Moisture needs are moderate in well-draining soil, so yes, this is not a native plant if that’s your calling. But if you are an evil lawn lover like me, and have a shady planting area, the Holy Fern may be your dream come true, especially since they seem to be heat and cold tolerant and very low maintenance.