ferns like...

[Mr List]

are there any ferns that grow like shuttlecock ferns do?
ie
runners making new crowns rather than straight fronds on rhizomes

[Dave Brown]

erm.... shuttlecock ferns

[Leigh]

Check out Blechnums one or two of them will produce runners, not too sure about the hardiness for your area though Ken

[Mr List]

any specific blechums come to mind?

i could do with shuttlecock ferns being evergreen, don't suppose there is a evergreen relatuve or anything?

[Leigh]

Blechnum penna-marina comes to mind, though small and nothing like shuttlecocks

check out here for some evergreen ferns

https://www.bowdenhostas.com/categories ... A-%252d-Z/

[Mr List]

[Adam D]

Blechnum chilense will run around if it is happy.

The only problem with it is heavy snowfall will damage it mechanically.

[charliepridham]

Blechnum chilense does what you want and there are large impressive stands of it in many of the big Cornish gardens, so when I got a couple of plants I thought they would be easy, sadly not, they like it very wet and they also tend to die back to ground level at much below -6c so although mine are spreading they are not the wonderful sight I envisaged when I planted them!

[Mr List]

i thought Blechnum chilense was a rhizome fern not a crown forming fern?

i got one of these, they are not cheap, and it seems to have died.
i won't be trying out Blechnum chilense again if it doesn't return in spring.

[grub]

I tried Blechnum chilense Ken and lost it, this was a while back to while we were still having 'normal' winters

[Mr List]

was it in acid soil?

[grub]

Nah, the soil I've go here is brown Ken...

[greendragon]

I have a Blechnum Chilense and considering the fact that the website I bought it from said it's hardy to -12*c, I hope it's not as weak as people have said here.

On a side note, the fern I'm most impressed with while it's not a runner is the Polystichum Setiferum, mine tripled in size since being planted in March and looks stunning now while my Dropteris ferns are looking scruffy and the Osmunda/Matteuccia have died back and look ugly.

[Mr List]

woodwardia fimbriata is by far my favourite fern, a very fast growing fern too.

i keep hoping i will get some fertile fronds on the shuttlecock ferns since they are supposed to persist through winter.

[charliepridham]

i keep hoping i will get some fertile fronds on the shuttlecock ferns since they are supposed to persist through winter.

They do, but are not a thing of beauty! One of the best winter ferns here is a UK native Broad Buckler Fern, almost tree fern like, mine has a small trunk of about 15" and it stays looking good all winter.

Woodwardia unimarginata 'Emei shan' is the best introduced fern here over winter, sadly I normally lose Dicksonia fronds at some point and the Cyathia cooperi that looks so good all summer has to come in