Green Thumb Corner

Fern - Japanese Holly, Cyrtomium Fortunei, has a beautiful and distinctive shape with a few fronds forming a vaselike crown. The fronds are four to seven inches wide and a beautiful glossy dark green with four to ten pairs of leaves per pinnae. The individual pinnae are leathery, serrated with sharp points, and have a remarkable resemblance to holly leaves - thus the common name. (Older plants may have a four foot spread.) It prefers partial sun to full shade and needs soil that is moist, humus rich, with good drainage. This fern can take more sun than most ferns so you can use it in pots or in beds as a border where you normally couldn't put a fern. However, it must be kept out of strong afternoon sun in warmer climates.