Danesbury Fernery

Tucked away in a nature reserve just outside Welwyn in Hertfordshire, Danesbury Fernery is a hidden gem well worth a visit. The fernery was originally created in 1859 in a disused chalk pit which was part of a large estate, at a time when fern fever or Pteridomania was at a high in Great Britain. Designed by its head gardener, Anthony Parsons, it was built with the help of a local company, using cement-based artificial stone, known as Pulhamite. Sadly, interest in ferns subsided during the 20th century and the fernery subsequently suffered from years of neglect, ending up partially filled with soil and overgrown. In 2015, a team of local volunteers decided to give the fernery a new lease of life, excavating and beautifully restoring the site, including the large Pulhamite rocks which form the grotto. The planting has been led by Sarah Marsh, a local garden designer who chose amongst others Nepeta and hardy geraniums to soften the outline of the grotto. The upper chalk slope is divided in two with an elegant bridge and has been planted with over 100 varieties of wildflowers, including ox-eye daisies. A new collection of ferns fills the shadier parts of the garden and includes Osmunda regalis, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum and Asplenium scolopendrium.