Letter F The A to Z of TV Gardening

Hello. Welcome to the A to Z of TV Gardening,

Let's find out about one of the most ancient plants on the planet.

This F is for ferns.

And we're joining Carol Klein on a trip to South Wales.

You might say that they're all green,

but those greens are so subtle and so various,

and the forms of the fronds are so diverse.

You really don't need anything else.

You could make a garden out of ferns.

And over a hundred years ago,

that's just what people did.

In a big way!

Fern fever had gripped the country.

Elaborate glass ferneries were built at grand Victorian residences.

The one at Dewstow House in Monmouthshire

fell into disrepair after the Second World War,

and was buried under rubble for nearly 60 years,

before its current owners decided to excavate

and restore this lost fern wonderland.

Keeping a watchful eye on this treasure trove

is head gardener, Peter Lane.

It's magical!

-It's fairyland, isn't it?

-Beautiful, isn't it?

It really is. And it is a grotto, isn't it?

You feel as though you're in this secret place

and you've just discovered it.

-Basically, we knew that there was something here.

-Yeah.

So we started digging, found a pond,

found a path, kept going,

and one of the grottos was this, the Tufa Grotto.

Is this what it would have looked like originally?

Up to the roof level you see now, it is original.

But with a few modifications to allow for new planting.

But it wouldn't have had a corrugated iron roof, would it?

No, there certainly wasn't.

There were beams covering this grotto, with stalactites.

All man-made.

And a rather grand Victorian domed-glass roof over the top.

It must have been really impressive in its day.

The vast labyrinth of underground grottos here at Dewstow

were started in 1895 and took over 15 years to carve out,

creating the perfect environment for moisture-loving ferns.

There are some ferns that are unforgettable,

that stay with you.

Athyrium niponicum pictum has an almost haunting presence.

Pictum means painted,

and this is the Japanese painted fern.

Just one plant of this makes a complete cameo all on its own.

It's a beautiful fern.

I suppose it's easy to assume that all ferns are pretty similar.

But when you start looking at them,

you realise just how vastly diverse they are.

And very often, you think of ferns as being these great big bold plants

with large fronds much divided.

But in contrast, some of them can be delicate and feminine.

Look at the filigree of this beautiful little maidenhair fern.

I think the point is that you don't need a grotto.

You can grow ferns just about anywhere

because they're so accommodating.

Even that grotty corner between the dustbin and the garage

is a perfect place to decorate with ferns.

And what wonderful ornamental plants they are.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd