fern bulbs from Lowes

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Unregistered, Jan 15, 2006.

  1. Hi all,

    I bought 2 packages of these bulbs for $5.98 apiece (a bag).
    They are 2 Leatherwood fern bulbs, 2 Royal fern bulbs in 1 bag.
    And 2 Maidenhair fern bulbs and 2 Cinnamon fern bulbs in the other bag.

    I think what I did was purchase some non-hardy ferns in order to get the hardy ferns for this area - Kansas City, MO. A dirty trick I'd think for Lowes to do on customers.

    Should I expect some of them to perish over the Winter?
    I haven't planted them yet. I purchased them about in Sept. 05. I thought I'd wait until this year to plant them in pots.

    Thanks
     
  2. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I'm not sure about the hardiness - you might be able to find that out by googling each name - but I do know that ferns aren't bulbs, and now that you've kept them for this long they may not grow when you do plant them. If they've been dry, they may have dried and died as a perennial would, of if they've been moist they may have rotted. Ferns are essentially like perennials, and while they can tolerate being bagged up with moist peat for a while, they don't have a dormant state in which they can be dry.
     
  3. Hmmm.. I bought them packaged, I'd think they'd have dried out in the store. I still have the receipt, I can take them back if their dead.

    Thanks
     
  4. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    They don't necessarily die in the package; thousands of perennials and many ferns are now sold this way, packed in moist peat. However, they have a limited life span, and even if they are sold within that time, they need to planted pretty darn quick once purchased. Plants are live things and they need nutrients and water. If you don't plant it, it's like buying a kitten and then not feeding it - it isn't the store's fault that it dies.

    Plants die often enough even if you buy them already planted; it's an occupational hazard of gardening.

    You might have lucked out and there might still be a spark of life in your ferns. You could pot them up, maybe indoors for now since you're in a cold climate, water them, and see what happens.
     
  5. I might give the ferns a go then. I thought they were bulbs like the Hostas that I bought Lowes 2 years before. I remember I waited about 6 mos. of them in the bag before I planted them outside, and they all came up.

    I'll keep the bags and receipts close-by in case they don't sprout. I wish I had known when I bought them that they don't have much storage life.
    They are in a bunch of peat or something light brown in the bags.

    I like ferns, I have a couple other Christmas ferns that are doing okay in pots.
    I like the evergreen characteristic of the Christmas ferns, but I think there are more attractive ferns out there, even if they aren't evergreen.
     
  6. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Wow - I'm amazed that your hostas came up after that long. They're not bulbs either, but a perennial, but because they have fairly fleshy roots I guess they hold a bit of moisture for a long time. Bulbs are things like tulips.

    There are indeed many wonderful ferns. You might check some local nurseries (as opposed to a big box store, which I think is what Lowe's is) to see what they have that is hardy in your area.

    Anyway good luck with these ones, they are all lovely ferns.
     

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