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Didn't know ferns were so tough to divide!

10 years ago

Here I thought I would just quickly dig up the Lady ferns, split them and replant. HA! They've been in place for something like 9 or 10 years, so of course they're well established, but I had to get out the knife and actually cut through the root system, shovel wouldn't do it. I'm sore today, especially my shoulders.

Comments (7)

moliep
10 years ago
No kidding about Lady ferns being tough and prolific!

Years and years ago I planted "a few" in an area with my daffodil bulbs. I thought the combo of feathery green foliage against yellow narcissus would look spectacular in Spring. Well--- it did --- for a few seasons. Then the ferns took over and completely overwhelmed the daffodils, which were choked out by the spreading ferns. Never saw those 50 bulbs again.

You're mighty determined to have conquered the ferns. Did you replant them someplace where they won't bother other plants?
mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author
10 years ago
No, I haven't replanted them anywhere yet - they're sitting on the grass in part shade. I'm going to try to get them planted in the next couple days - I get the feeling they'll be just fine in the meantime...

This post was edited by mxk3 on Sun, Oct 13, 13 at 15:03
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Wow everyone, thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot to me. Vista the wedding itself was a small affair at our home the home that my mom lived in. It was obvious to everyone at the wedding how upset I was. The guests included my step mom parents, her 6 siblings and their spouses, my step dads immediate family, a few close family friends, and amazingly a few members of my moms family! They actually planned the wedding pretty quickly like 6 weeks start to finish. At the time I was actually a university student and I lived on campus about 2 hours away. I came home every weekend. I remember the weekend that my dad told me he was getting married. He told me in private because I am pretty sure he knew what my reaction was going to be, which was of course, sobbing. I went back to school that week and continued to come home on the weekend, hoping that maybe they wouldnt actually go through with it. Step mom didnt actually move in the house until after they were married so it was pretty easy for me to just ignore what was happening by immersing myself in school during the week and then hang out with my friends on the weekends back at home. Typical selfish teenage behavior. Since it was such a small affair, there wasnt really a lot of expectations for me to participate other than to show up- probably designed that way by my dad. I guess my dad knew me well enough to know that once the initial shock and emotions wore off, that I would eventually come around and to give me time. I dont really have a clear recollection of the weeks that followed which is a good sign I guess. She moved in our home, which looked exactly the same as the day my mom died and stayed that way until they sold the house a few years ago. There were new mementos, memories, and photos added prominently displayed next to the old ones. Vista, its obvious that you have tried to reach out to your step kids and I am sure its incredibly painful to be pushed away by them. It sounds like you have left the door open to them countless times, they just have never walked through the door. I think its important to ask yourself whether their actions are the result of bad behavior or they just learned terrible coping skills to a traumatic event like divorce. My initial thought when you said the girls burst out in tears about the wedding dresses was there was still a lot of pain from the divorce. I can empathize with that pain. I admire that you are still hopeful that they will come around and the fact that you question where you could have made some changes along the way. Have you ever asked them that? Theres probably a pretty good chance that they may not have an answer for you, but maybe someday they will. Will the door still be open? Seriously, thank you for allowing me to talk about this. Its a blessing for me. Its really made me self reflect over the past day or so and has inspired me to continue to never take for granted the people that I hold so dearly to my heart.
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FrozeBudd_z3/4
10 years ago
I had moved one earlier in the season and indeed what a heck of a huge chore! When I was done, I had dug out an area of more than 2 x 2 ft and grunted and lifted out the plant with three crowns that must have weighed a good 70 lbs. ... and thatÃ¢ÂÂs even after having removed some soil from the dense fine mass of roots ... IÃ¢ÂÂm glad that I don`t have more of these buggers to move Ã¢ÂÂ¦ oh, but they sure can be beauties!

Terrance
oliveoyl3
10 years ago
Maybe you could look for seedlings instead. Iv'e never been able to cut them apart & since they sprout like weeds here in WA state once they get too large for that spot I move them to the edge of the yard or dig & toss or give away at plant swaps. Others want them huge, but I have too many huge ones.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
this happened repeatedly ... to me ....

and then one day.. i as using my grinder to sharpen my lawn mower blades.. and i knocked the shovel over as it was leaning on the bench..

i had the bright idea to SHARPEN MY SHOVEL ... and you say.. NO WAY ... and i say..YES!!!!!

even a meat clever well honed.. and welded with your forearm.. is no match for a sharp shovel and your weight on it ....

i dont suppose you have a grinding wheel??? .. if not .. the local full service hardware.. who sharpens mower blades... will do it for a few bucks..

trust me.. its REALLY WORTH IT ...

all that said.. i always enjoyed micro surgery ... nothing like the thrill of turning one into many ... and then wishing you had some friends around.. lol .. back in the day .. i had a small ... 4 by 6 foot nursery bed.. and when i gave tours.. i could pull out spares to share with visiting peeps .... based on the response.. you would think i was handing out nuggets of gold.. lol ...

take care ...

ken
mulchmama
10 years ago
When my folks were alive, they lived in Michigan's U.P. and I visited them from Chicago. They had five acres of woods, and I decided to dig up some ferns to use in my shade garden back home. Boy, did THAT turn out to be a backbreaking project! Those babies did NOT want to leave Michigan!

I didn't get as many as I had hoped for, but a few years after they were planted in Chicago, under some juniper trees, they were MAGNIFICENT. One of the things I hated most about leaving my Chicago garden was leaving the ferns from Mom and Dad's woods in Michigan. But Kansas is really the last place they'd want to be. (I'm not too crazy about it either!)
aseedisapromise
10 years ago
Sharp shovel=good. DH using it to shovel rock right after you sharpen it=Grrrr..

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