Brrrrr! Baby it's cold outside. Or at least it is moving in that direction. This past weekend was quite cool here in the Mid-Atlantic, not reaching above the mid-fifties either day. We woke up to mid-thirties both mornings. So I decided it was time to bring in the decorative plants for the season. I started by rescuing this beautiful Kimberly Queen Fern.
A true specimen. It did very well on the deck this summer. It was in a spot where there was no direct sunlight. Only filtered sunlight in the afternoon. It grew and grew from its original size when I first bought it in the spring, so I decided I wanted to try and save it. I no longer attempt to save all of the ferns. The Boston ferns are just too needy. I have tried several times to winter them inside and it never works. But I'm willing to give this Kimberly Queen a try.
It spent the summer in the original plastic pot which was set inside a decorative pot on the deck. There was a little over growth from the pot and a few dead fronds which I simply snipped away. Kimberly Queen ferns are hardy to leave outside during the winter months only in zones nine and ten. They could potentially make it in zone eight but only with a lot of pre-season planning and then you would not be guaranteed they would live. So my advice is, bring them inside if you want to winter them and put them out again in the spring after fear of frost.
Of course, the leaves have starting falling here, so there was some clean up needed. Best thing to do here is just dive in with your hands. If you are a garden glove wearer, then put them on and start pulling out the dead leaves that have made there way in your fern from other trees. Personally, I do not like to wear gloves when gardening, so I just jump in with both naked hands. Of course you want to do this before bringing the fern inside.
I had the perfect pot for this fern. This beautiful fishbowl that I got from Horchow many, many years ago. This has made its way through many moves. Fortunately it has not been chipped or damaged in any way. It is a stunner.
And with the Kimberly Queen, even more beautiful. Filtered light for this beauty for three or four hours per day. No direct sunlight through the window. It will need to be "spritzed" with a spray bottle at least once per week; preferably twice per week. I hope I am able to winter this successfully. I'd love to be able to put it out again in the spring and hopefully have it double in size. We will discuss some other fragile plants brought in later in the week.
A true specimen. It did very well on the deck this summer. It was in a spot where there was no direct sunlight. Only filtered sunlight in the afternoon. It grew and grew from its original size when I first bought it in the spring, so I decided I wanted to try and save it. I no longer attempt to save all of the ferns. The Boston ferns are just too needy. I have tried several times to winter them inside and it never works. But I'm willing to give this Kimberly Queen a try.
It spent the summer in the original plastic pot which was set inside a decorative pot on the deck. There was a little over growth from the pot and a few dead fronds which I simply snipped away. Kimberly Queen ferns are hardy to leave outside during the winter months only in zones nine and ten. They could potentially make it in zone eight but only with a lot of pre-season planning and then you would not be guaranteed they would live. So my advice is, bring them inside if you want to winter them and put them out again in the spring after fear of frost.
Of course, the leaves have starting falling here, so there was some clean up needed. Best thing to do here is just dive in with your hands. If you are a garden glove wearer, then put them on and start pulling out the dead leaves that have made there way in your fern from other trees. Personally, I do not like to wear gloves when gardening, so I just jump in with both naked hands. Of course you want to do this before bringing the fern inside.
I had the perfect pot for this fern. This beautiful fishbowl that I got from Horchow many, many years ago. This has made its way through many moves. Fortunately it has not been chipped or damaged in any way. It is a stunner.
And with the Kimberly Queen, even more beautiful. Filtered light for this beauty for three or four hours per day. No direct sunlight through the window. It will need to be "spritzed" with a spray bottle at least once per week; preferably twice per week. I hope I am able to winter this successfully. I'd love to be able to put it out again in the spring and hopefully have it double in size. We will discuss some other fragile plants brought in later in the week.
