A New Addition: Shiny Bristle Fern

I have a new addition to my woodland garden: Arachniodes davalliaeformis, commonly called Shiny Bristle Fern.I obtained it from Myers Plants and Pottery in Pelham, Alabama, which has a good selection of interesting ferns and other woodland plants. 

Shiny Bristle Fern is a relatively new introduction that is growing in popularity. It is an attractive fern with dark green foliage with a brilliant sheen. The foliage has a stiff, almost artificial feel, and most pests won't bother it, unless they like to chew on plastic! Native to southern Japan, it will grow in USDA hardiness zones 6 to 10. In my area (zone 7b/8a) it is likely deciduous, but the fronds may persist through the winter in regions with frost free winters.

New growth appears later in spring than many other ferns, but it makes up for this fault by holding its foliage well into late autumn or early winter. Shiny Bristle Fern produces slow-growing clumps of 12 to 24 inch tall triangular fronds that are 12 to 18 inches wide. Like most ferns, it likes moist, well-draining soil in partial to full shade. It will also grow well in a container and can be grown as a houseplant. 

The spores or "fruit dots" that appear on the underside of the fronds are either sterile or else plants will not come true from seed, so Shiny Bristle Fern is best propagated by dividing the root ball.

If you are interested in how I started growing ferns or how to successfully grow them, please read my previous posts Planting a Fern Glade and Successfully Growing Ferns in My Garden.

Seasons Greetings from Alabama! Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter

Less than two weeks ago, brilliant fall colors of Japanese maples and more mellow, antique foliage of other trees and shrubs combined for a beautiful farewell to autumn. I knew winter was coming as aging leaves showered down and the woods took on shades of gray and brown. Earlier this week, I casually listened to weather reports forecasting possible snow. Snow predictions are often overblown here, but this time there wasn't the hysteria of mass school closings and a rush on grocery stores that such reports usually generate. I expected some snow flurries, maybe. We don't get much snow in central Alabama.

Yesterday I was truly surprised when I woke to this scene in the front garden:

Snow was coming down! Before it stopped 12 hours later, Lou measured 6 inches in the flat parking area behind the house. The weather forecasters had misjudged (slightly!) the amount we would get. 

I thought it would be interesting to compare images taken on November 28 to those I took yesterday. What a difference 10 days make! Do you prefer the fall or winter images? Photos in each set were taken in the same general location:

'Feelin' Blue' Deodar Cedar with Japanese maple 'Orido Nishiki' in the background.

The blue bridge in the woodland garden:

Views of the bench in the woodlands:

A side path in the woodland garden:

Woodland rabbit viewing the garden:

Looking toward the edge of the woodland garden:

The "sitting rock" in the woodland garden:

A birdbath in front of the house:

Finally, some images of a couple of birdhouses:

Our snow will be gone by tomorrow afternoon. I don't have to deal with it all winter, so I can enjoy the wonderment of it as a delightful change of scenery. And I have more snow pictures! Coming soon in my next post...