0:00:00 > 0:00:03Hello. Welcome to the A to Z of TV Gardening,
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Let's find out about one of the most ancient plants on the planet.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29This F is for ferns.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33And we're joining Carol Klein on a trip to South Wales.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34You might say that they're all green,
0:00:34 > 0:00:39but those greens are so subtle and so various,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and the forms of the fronds are so diverse.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45You really don't need anything else.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47You could make a garden out of ferns.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And over a hundred years ago,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52that's just what people did.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54In a big way!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Fern fever had gripped the country.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Elaborate glass ferneries were built at grand Victorian residences.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05The one at Dewstow House in Monmouthshire
0:01:05 > 0:01:08fell into disrepair after the Second World War,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and was buried under rubble for nearly 60 years,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15before its current owners decided to excavate
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and restore this lost fern wonderland.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Keeping a watchful eye on this treasure trove
0:01:22 > 0:01:24is head gardener, Peter Lane.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28It's magical!
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- It's fairyland, isn't it? - Beautiful, isn't it?
0:01:32 > 0:01:36It really is. And it is a grotto, isn't it?
0:01:36 > 0:01:40You feel as though you're in this secret place
0:01:40 > 0:01:41and you've just discovered it.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- Basically, we knew that there was something here.- Yeah.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48So we started digging, found a pond,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50found a path, kept going,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55and one of the grottos was this, the Tufa Grotto.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Is this what it would have looked like originally?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Up to the roof level you see now, it is original.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04But with a few modifications to allow for new planting.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But it wouldn't have had a corrugated iron roof, would it?
0:02:07 > 0:02:10No, there certainly wasn't.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13There were beams covering this grotto, with stalactites.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15All man-made.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And a rather grand Victorian domed-glass roof over the top.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22It must have been really impressive in its day.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The vast labyrinth of underground grottos here at Dewstow
0:02:28 > 0:02:34were started in 1895 and took over 15 years to carve out,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38creating the perfect environment for moisture-loving ferns.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47There are some ferns that are unforgettable,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49that stay with you.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54Athyrium niponicum pictum has an almost haunting presence.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Pictum means painted,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and this is the Japanese painted fern.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04Just one plant of this makes a complete cameo all on its own.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06It's a beautiful fern.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25I suppose it's easy to assume that all ferns are pretty similar.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28But when you start looking at them,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33you realise just how vastly diverse they are.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39And very often, you think of ferns as being these great big bold plants
0:03:39 > 0:03:42with large fronds much divided.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47But in contrast, some of them can be delicate and feminine.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Look at the filigree of this beautiful little maidenhair fern.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I think the point is that you don't need a grotto.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58You can grow ferns just about anywhere
0:03:58 > 0:04:01because they're so accommodating.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Even that grotty corner between the dustbin and the garage
0:04:06 > 0:04:10is a perfect place to decorate with ferns.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13And what wonderful ornamental plants they are.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd