The Fernery
The Halfway House garden has a natural fernery growing on and around a fallen macrocarpa. It is one of the most popular places in the garden, with visitors likening it to a fairyland.
In 2022 a new phase in the fernery began, thanks to the financial support of the Johnsonville Garden Club. This enabled us to buy tree ferns and ferns not yet naturalised in the garden. We have also bought supporting native plants to complement the ferns.
Fern collecting was a popular activity for men and women during the Victorian era. The ferns were collected for the outdoor garden, for indoor pot plants or the conservatory, or catalogued as pressed collections in dedicated fern books.
In 1885, Michael Murphy published a gardening handbook, 'Gardening for New Zealand with Chapters on Poultry & Beekeeping'. In his chapter 'The Fernery' he wrote "The fernery, whether under cover or out of doors, is usually the favourite spot in the flower garden or pleasure grounds."
He recommended that the fernery should occupy a quiet, shady and if possible, romantic retreat. One of his suggestions for shade and shelter was macrocarpa on the outside and a profusion of tree ferns, which is just what our fernery micro-climate has.
Dr Patrick Brownsey, writing in the Te Ara online encyclopaedia, says New Zealand has 194 native species of ferns and lycophytes. Recommended reading Which Native Fern (2019) by Andrew Crowe.
Plants in the fernery
Fuschia Procumbens - Creeping Fuschia
Ground cover. Height 0.15 m. Spread 2 m. Lovely yellow green leaves. Flowersare orientated upwards and followed by large bright red berries. Tolerant of full sun to semi-shade and dry conditions including coastal. Excellent in hanging basket or underplanting a semi-shaded area.
Supplier: Talisman Nursery, Otaki.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Jovellana sinclairii - New Zealand calceolaria
Likes growing in cracks on damp rocks, along shady streamsides and as a ground cover in damp areas. We put ours in the recesses of an stump and in a ponga pot and along the damp underside of a fallen tree. Has stems of dainty white flowers speckled with purple within.
Supplier: Otari-Wilton's Bush Botanical Garden
Planted: 2024. Fernery.
Kiokio - Blechnum Minus - Swamp Kiokio
Fern. Generally found on banks and besides streams and swamp. Each plant forms a bushy clump and spreads by underground rhizomes. Red and pink new fronds. A great landscape fern. Cold hardy. Tolerates morning and afternoon sun, providing the roots get enough moisture. Fronds reach one to two feet in length. Native.
Moth friendly.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World.
Gifter: 2 x Johnsonville Garden Club.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Kiokio - Blechnum Montanum - Mountain Kiokio
Fern. The new fronds have pink, red, orange colour. Forms clumps a foot high. A hardy fern that grows in cold wet alpine conditions. Native.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World.
Gifter: 1 x Johnsonville Garden Club.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Kowaowao - Microsorum Pustulatum - Hound's Tongue Fern
Growing naturally at Halfway House over an old macrocarpa log. Climbing fern. Thick fleshy stems the size of a finger. Glossy shiny leaves.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Matata - Histiopteris Incisa - Water Fern
Fern. Delicate looking bright green ground fern growing up to three feet (a metre or more) tall. Grows along stream banks and in damp areas and along edges of native bush.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Gifter: Jay Street Nursery.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Ngarara Wehi - Pyrrosia Eleagnifolia - Leather-leaf
Thick shiny leathery leaves. Grows almost anywhere, rocks, trees, walls. Prefers shade. Growing naturally in the fernery at Halfway House.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Peka-a-waka - Earina mucronata
Common orchid throughout New Zealand. Prefers damp areas. Grows on branches, cliff faces. Narrow, sharp pointed leather leaves hanging down. Leaves usually covered in black spots. Creamy yellow flowers in October-November.
Gifter: Ross Bicknell.
Planted: 2023. Fernery.
Piupiu - Blechnum Discolor - Crown Fern.
Fern. Bright green fronds appear to look upright then open out forming a crown appearance. Long dark brown fertile fronds stand upright in centre. Prefers moist soil and dappled light. Lovely ground cover. Grows to two and half feet. Abundant throughout New Zealand. Hardy native.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World.
Gifter: 3 x Johnsonville Garden Club.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Pōānanga. Pikiarero - Clematis foresteri – Forster’s clematis
Vine with creamy yellow flowers between March and September. Lowland forest and forest margins, especially forest margins, open spaces and streamsides.
The University of Auckland website informs its Latin name is after the German naturalists, Johann R Forster (1729-1798) and his son, Johann Georg Adam Forster (l754-1794) who accompanied Cook on his second voyage to New Zealand in 1773.
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research informs that the vine was used to bind clay in stones in pā ramparts. The flowers were used for headdresses of women.
Supplier: Forest and Bird, Wellington.
Planted: 2024. Three vines planted in the fernery.
Pohuehue - Creeping Pohuehue - Muelenbekeia Axillaris
Ground cover. Height 0.1 m.Spread 1- 2 m. Attractive groundcover than grows as a mat or forms small mounds. Full sun to semi-shade. Tolerant of coastal conditions and dry soil. Can be used in rockeries or as a ground cover under open plants such as kowhai or lancewood.
Supplier: Talisman Nursery, Otaki.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Puawānanga - Clematis paniculata white
Vine with glistening white flowers. Frost hardy. The Te Ara on-line Encyclopedia informs us that Puawānanga is said to be the child of the stars Puanga (Rigel in Orion) and Rehua (Antares in Scorpio).
Gifter: Lorna Webb, in memory of Dave Cathro.
Planted: 2021. Fernery.
A second clematis was purchased by Heritage Gardeners to plant against a stump.
Supplier: Leacroft, Pauatahanui.
Planted: Fernery, 2024.
Puhinui - Adiantum Cunninghamii - Common Maidenhair
Fern. Creeping ground fern. A soft fern on black stems. Otari Wilton Bush has a splendid example growing in their fernery. Ours was growing naturally in a stone garden wall at Paparangi. The Maori name, in various forms, refers to high ranking female, first born female and top knot of hair.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Gifter: Tina McKevett, Paparangi.
Planted: 2023. Fernery.
Rarahu - Pteridium Esculentum - Bracken
Growing naturally in the Halfway House garden in old macrocarpa stumps. In his book Which Native Fern (2019) Andrew Crowe says Maori prepared the root as a food source and used the stems for making lattice fences (kakaka), kite frames and spear-like darts (teka).
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Ruapeka - Earina autumnalis
Stout stemmed mostly erect but sometimes drooping orchid found on trees or on the ground in lowland forests. Flowers in sprays on the tips of stems from February to April. Strongly scented.
Gifter: Ross Bicknell.
Planted: 2024. Fernery.
Tarawera - Paellea Rotundifolia - Button Fern
Native creeping fern. Fronds have dark brown stems with neatly arranged dark green shiny button-like leaflets. Light rich soil. Semi-shade. Popular house plant.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World
Planted: 2024. Fernery.
Toropapa - Karapapa - Alseuosmia macrophylla
Shade-loving woody shrub with large glossy leaves. Tubular shaped drooping flowers from late winter to early summer varying in colour from dark red, pink, cream and white. Cream flower has flush of lilac. Strong pleasant perfume.
Supplier: Otari-Wilton's Bush Botanical Garden
Planted: 2024. Three planted in the fernery.
Veronica Hookeriana (Parahebe Olsenii).
Ground cover. Pretty ground cover with tidy leaves and lavender flowers in winter and early spring. Grows as a mat, also climbs.
Supplier: Talisman Nursery, Otaki.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Ponga - Tree Fern
Cyathea Dealbata - Silver Fern.
Fern. Relatively fast growing. Shiny green foliage with silvery undersides. Crown develops quickly whilst the trunk is slower. Tolerates sun Shelter from wind. Grows to 33 feet. This fern was used by Maori for sleeping on as it is soft and lies flat. Common throughout New Zealand. Native.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World.
Gifter: 2 x Johnsonville Garden Club.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.
Wheki - Dicksonia Squarrosa
Fern. Does best in wind protected and shaded areas. Grows to 20 feet. The old fronds hang down from the crown like a skirt. Wheki was used by Maori and early settlers to build huts and fence enclosures as it lasts a long time in the ground. It continues to be popular for garden fences. Hardy native.
Caterpillar and moth friendly.
Supplier: Twigland Gardeners World.
Gifter: 3 x Johnsonville Garden Club.
Planted: 2022. Fernery.