Need advice on creating a fern garden.?

Hi everyone, after installing a new water tank i have found i have a small (2mtsx2mts) plot of vacant lawn i would like to turn into a fern/succulents garden. The area backs onto my garage and faces west. It gets shade until about 9:30 in the morning otherwise its full sun until about 3:30-4:00pm(in the summer) My soil (or lack thereof) is a horrible heavy, sticky clay - will ferns or succulents grow in this? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what types of ferns/succulents work well together? Bed preparation? Is this location suitable for its intended purpose? I should mention I'm in Brisbane (Warn to hot summers and cold/frosty nights during winter. Any comments or queries would be gratefully received. Thanks. Col.

Need advice on creating a fern garden.?
You need ferns that can do well in sun.

Thelypteris kunthii (Southern Shield Fern) %26amp; Dryopteris ludoviciana, or Florida Shield Fern are sun-loving ferns:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/count...

http://www.nichegardens.com/catalog/item...



Both Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) and Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides ) will tolerate full sun if well watered. The Christmas Fern plant can tolerate more sun than most other ferns if it is provided with adequate soil moisture.

http://www.mossacres.com/product_fern_mo...

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/fern...



Lady Ferns (Athyrium filix-femina) tolerate full sun in the North in a damp site. For the best results, plant in soil well supplied with organic matter, that doesn't dry out.

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/growing-a...

The southern lady fern is supremely adapted to a wide range of sun and soil characters. They can be quite drought tolerant, after they are established. These plants will grow in both full sun to total shade, but will require more water, and a more organic soil in the sun.

http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/landscapi...



Royal Osmunda regalis Royal ferns grow from a central rhizome, are deciduous, can be 3-5 feet tall and are hardy in Zone 3. They have upright, branching, arching fronds and send up a fertile blade. They will grow in sun to shade. They prefer very acid humus soils that stay moist to boggy.

http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/F...

http://www.floridata.com/ref/O/osmu_reg....



Sensitive Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive ferns have creeping rhizomes, are deciduous, grow 1-2 feet tall and are hardy to Zone 3. The fronds are upright and horizontally arching. Sensitive ferns will grow in sun to shade. They prefer acid humus soil that stays moist to boggy. Easy to grow.

http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/Perenn...

"will tolerate sun if sufficient moisture"

http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/feronocl.html



Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), This beauty can survive in nearly full sun to full shade, but it’s happiest in moist soil. http://www.sky-bolt.com/Spleenworts.htm



A forum discussing ferns that grow in sun: Dryopteris ferns, Osmundas, O. regalis and O. cinnamomea, Hay-scented ferns (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides)

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/...



Here's some photos of "Cloak Ferns" and "Sun Ferns" -- unlike most (shade-requiring) ferns, they grow in the open in full sunlight, and have adaptively thickened cuticle tissues for protection. Biologist Jordan Metzgar says that the Cloak or Sun Ferns shown below are now classed in the Genus Astrolepis:

http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_i/f...



A list of heat-tolerant ferns from Clemson Extension:

Sun to Full shade- constant moisture in sun: Southern Shield Fern, Cinnamon Fern ; Constant moisture: Royal Fern

Some sun to light shade, does not like wet soils: Ebony Spleenwort
Reply:http://forums.gardenweb.com/fo...

http://www.saguaro-juniper.com...

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsh... Report It
Reply:You're welcome! Some sites that didn't come up:

http://www.arhomeandgarden.org...

http://www.floridata.com/ref/O...

http://www.bachmans.com/tipshe... Report It
Reply:Hello Col.



With only a few exceptions, ferns prefer limited sun exposure. You'd be irritating both yourself and your pocket book if you opted for ferns. Succulents are the oposite of ferns in-so-far-as their desire for sun. If ferns are red heads, succulents are brunettes.



As a Yank living in Florida, I had to do a little searching on-line to get a better idea about Brisbane. From what I've found, you have some excellent sources of information in your area. I've listed a few of the web pages I found below. I cruise the web quiet a bit getting ideas for my garden, but I find that talking with other, local gardens helps fill in the gaps.



You also have 2 major gardens that you can visit to see if anything there suits your fancy. I understand that the city garden was flooded a few times over the years and they kept loosing plants, so the garden at Mt. Coot-tha was created. My guess is that would be the one to wonder though for your purposes.



Which ever plants you choose, I wish you enjoyment.
Reply:Ferns can grow just about anywhere provided they have unrestricted access to moisture, particularly during their growing season. If an individual fern is short of the essential moisture it needs it will wilt and can quickly dehydrate to the point of no return.



The trick with creating any fern garden is to provide a) the moisture in the first place, b) provide sufficient shade to reduce the evaporation of that moisture to a minimum. Finding these already available in your garden may be easier than you think
Reply:TO LOOSEN THE SOIL THAT IS MOSTLY, ADD A LOT OF SAND, SO THE WATER CAN PENETRATE THE SOIL

YOU WILL NEED A CCOUPLE OF SHADE TREES,KEEP THEM CUT BACK O PRODUCE SHADE, OR THE FERNS

WILL NOT GROW IN MOSTLY SUNLIGHT





GOOD LUCK
Reply:I would not bother. Too much work and worry. Why not go for sun loving plants?

Roses don't mind clay.