Florists who like to decorate their garden with unusual plants have always thought about getting ferns at least once. This amazing plant, which most of all loves darkened and humid places, can become a real pearl of the flower garden, favorably shading its most unattractive corners. Surely you met him while walking in the forest. Simple and at the same time like lace branches involuntarily attract attention. I immediately recall pictures of prehistoric times when the climate was humid and warm, and ferns and horsetails dominated the planet. Today, the climate allowed only the finest of them to survive, but still beautiful.
Instead of joining
The ability to tolerate partial shade attracted the attention of design masters and flower growers. Moreover, there are about 200 species of ferns in the world, and only ten of them are suitable for growing in gardens and parks. This number also includes female coder, the most amazing representative of the plant world. What does the botanist tell us about this plant? This shy person belongs to the Shchitovnikov family. Why is it that a female coder is interested in us?
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This species has relatively recently settled in central Russia. A female coder in spring appears above the surface of the soil. These green shoots are called vayas. Delicate, curved, they eventually turn into very beautiful leaves, thin and delicate. A female coder skirt grows about 1 meter high. He prefers garden or forest soil. It tolerates partial shade. This is a perennial that in one place can grow for decades in a row.
origin of name
The female cobbler fern still bears an ancient, Roman name. It has a ritual significance and at the same time indicates a comparison, since male fern is also found in the forests . However, it has a less luxurious look. Its strong, erect and less finely-fleshed leaves do not seem so lacy and tender, although they are also quite beautiful. Moreover, they belong to different genera and are nothing more than distant relatives.
A bit more about the view
To date, the female coder skier (the photo fully confirms this) is one of the most beautiful forest plants. It has a creeping rhizome covered with scales. The roots are very characteristic of representatives of this family. They are thick, black and dense.
Leaves - this is what distinguishes the female fern from all the others. Tall, lacy and weightless, they, like a green spider web, delight the eye. Sterile leaves hardly differ from fertile leaves, and from the moment of plant ripening they are all spore-bearing. Many beliefs exist about the flowering of this amazing plant. However, we hasten to disappoint you. It does not bloom. But the leaves are very elegant and decorative, for which the gardeners liked the plant. Moreover, they perform a number of functions.
Life cycle
Fully formed leaves live one season. At the same time, they both perform a vegetative function and provide reproduction. And at the first frosts the leaves die. However, this does not end the life cycle of such an amazing plant as a female coder. The fern, the photo of which we will give in the article, scatters mature pores in August-September, from which the gametophyte grows in the same fall. This is the haploid, multicellular phase in the plant’s development cycle.
Gametophyte develops from spores and produces germ cells. Outwardly, it is heart-shaped and completely unlike the future plant. However, this small creeping plant can survive any conditions and turn into a beautiful fern in spring. This is exactly how the female coed skier reproduces. Pollen and pestle are enclosed in one spore, which ripens and transforms into the germ of a new plant. That, in turn, undergoing stratification and hardening during the winter, grows in the new warm season and becomes a lush bush.
Varieties
What could be a female coder? The description would be incomplete, if not to say that in nature this plant is very variable. Species may vary in shape, size and density of leaves. More recently, about twenty varieties could be counted. Then this material served as the basis for hybridization. If today you count hybrids, including hybrids and varieties of female ferns that are found in nature or in culture, you get about 300 varieties. Today we will not talk about everything, but try to mention the most popular, beautiful and easy to care for.
Kochevizhnik female "lady in red"
This is one of the highest representatives of the class. Rhizomes are dense, black, and with them there are straight, ascending or creeping, membranous. They perform different functions. On the one hand - to stay in the ground. And the second function is the collection of moisture and nutrients from the surface of stones, earth and tree bark. That is why ferns can survive in almost any environment.
But back to our plant. The leaves are collected in a bunch, they are twice and thrice pinnate, with dissected feathers. This creates a very attractive look, delicate and airy. This variety belongs to the forest, so the plant prefers light nutrient soil. An ideal option would be a forest humus mixed with land. He avoids marshy places, although he loves light partial shade and normal soil moisture. It also takes out raw lowlands, so if you have places on the site that have long been empty for this reason, take them into ferns.
But arid places are fatal for him. In this case, you will quickly see how the plant loses its decorative effect. The leaves will turn brown, begin to fall, growth will slow down. Most often, the peak occurs in mid-summer. Bushes multiply most easily by dividing, as growing in a pot from spores is long and difficult. This variety is planted in shady places, and you can stop at the planting of individual bushes or make a multi-tiered embankment and plant a bush at each step. And under the canopy of the fern, you can plant snowdrops, blueberries and other forest flowers.
Gorgeous small fern
Female co-skier Victoria is another great member of her class. The maximum height is up to 100 cm, so with its help you can draw close, small corners of the garden. The leaves are large, delicate, light green. And the petioles of this species are yellowish or reddish. Leaf plate twice or thrice pinnately divided. Vayas are unbroken, but the roots will calmly endure the cold period and by the beginning of next summer will release new leaves.
This is the most unpretentious fern for shady gardens and normally moist soils. On sandy areas it will not grow. "Victoria" - a low grade, with narrow leaves. Their narrow feathers are directed alternately up and down, due to which the correct chains are formed on both sides of the axis of the sheet. This is a great option for shadow flower gardens, which can be supplemented with hosts and cereals.
Landing
Let's talk in more detail about what kind of land is needed for a female coder. First of all, you need to get parts of the bush. If there is a forest zone nearby, you can find an adult plant and, dividing the root into several parts, plant it in your garden. Or you can buy seedlings in a gardening store. Now you need to prepare the landing pit. To do this, dig the earth and add humus (preferably leaf) to it, as well as wood ash. If the soil is heavy, you can add some river sand. The mixture is thoroughly mixed.
The depth and diameter of the planting pit depends on the size of the seedling. After planting, be sure to water the plant abundantly, as well as to mulch the soil. In the first year, the plant is watered and weeded as necessary, and the soil is loosened. But from the second year of life, the need for watering practically disappears, only in case of severe drought it is worth pampering the plant with a shower. Weed grass in the shade, and even under the magnificent leaves of the fern, practically does not grow. However, the gardener needs to know that spores ripen on the back of the leaves, and self-seeding occurs. Therefore, do not confuse the gentle curls of the willya of a wanderer with weed grass. They can be planted in other corners of the garden or delivered to a pet store for sale.
Plant care
It is minimal, in fact, in the second year after planting you will not have to do almost anything. Ferns do not need to be fed, garden and forest soils completely satisfy their needs. Despite the apparent tenderness, this plant tolerates even the most severe frosts. To do this, the yellowed leaves are cut off before the onset of winter, and the soil is mulched by about 15 cm. But if the frost in your region is very severe, it is recommended to add a layer of foliage.
When planting a fern on a plot, the gardener receives a noticeable bonus. He will not have to fight diseases and pests, because this plant simply does not have them. This gives a significant advantage over other plants that need constant supervision.
Practical use
Today, fern has only one practical value - this is landscape design. But in this he has practically no equal. Try to find another plant that does not require the sun and watering, weeding and regular treatment from pests. In addition, it will grow in one place for many years, which means that these corners of the garden can remain pristine for a long time, every year delighting you with their appearance.
There is evidence that it is used as a medicinal plant. However, officially a co-skier is not considered so. Most often, rhizomes are used, a decoction of which has an anthelmintic effect. It is also used for stomach upsets, and alcohol tincture against uterine bleeding. Water infusion of leaves is used as an expectorant.
We will not recommend using a coder for medicinal purposes, but as the main decoration and highlight of your garden, it fits perfectly. And if you have a shaded front garden, then this plant will be an ideal option for decorating it.