The objective of a Stumpery is to create a garden feature from ferns, logs and old tree roots. The Victorians started a trend to build Rooteries, Ferneries and Stumperies as romantic woodland places to grow exotic ferns and woodland plants. If you have a dark corner or want to collect ferns then you could start your own Stumpery quite easily and add to it as the fancy takes you.

Construction

• Old trees are the basic raw material.
• Up rooted tree stumps like those after a big storm or pulled out by chains form a great base
• Gnarled and twisted shapes work well to create form and shape
• just cutting trees down to stumps can be enough in a small garden
• If you live in or near the countryside finding logs and tree stumps should be relatively easy.
• In a suburban gardens a few pieces of trunk from felled sycamore can form the basis for a mini-stumpery.
• Drift wood old branches or any wood artfully arranged can also be used
• Bark chippings can unite the feel for the area

Planting Up with some Ferns to Try

• Mosses and lichen can be encouraged by painting uncovered surfaces with yoghurt
• Ferns should be planted in spaces between stumps and roots. They like dark places without fertiliser but some leaf mold can be added to the soil.
• Chose a variety of ferns for shape, size and colour.

1. Matteuccia Ostrich feather fern upto 3 feet
2. Dyopterarias erythrosora has elegant fronds that emerge bright orange and change to lime-green as they age.
3. Harts Tongue fern Phylitis has a smoother leaf and sword shape
4. Athyriums like the Japanese painted fern (niponicum pictum,) and Lady fern are smaller but can  light up very dark places.
5. Adiantum pedatum is a small maidenhair fern with a fragile appearance but a hardy nature. It has a running rootstock that quickly makes a respectable clump.

• Snowdrops, celandines,primroses and foxgloves may grow well in semi shaded areas or on the edge of the Stumpery.
• If planting Bluebells make sure they are the native kind not the hybrid or Spanish variety

More information on Ferns is available on http://www.ferns.com/

This is not to be confused with your own garden compost made from decomposed plant matter. Commercial compost is the range of products sold in plastic wrapping in garden centres, DIY shops and sundry retailers. The contents of these types of compost vary and can affect the growing result considerably. All have a base which has no or negligible nutritional value plus additives that make it useful for a specific purpose.

Typical Compost Constituents - Base

• Peat base of small fibers of bog peat is excellent for many purposes but now seen as none ecofriendly due to the over extraction of peat and lack of replenishment of the resource which isn’t sustainable.
• Coir as a peat substitute for the base. Coir is made from the hairs & fibers of coconuts and such compost are widely available. There are special compost products approved by the vegan society from http://www.fertilefibre.com/vegan-approved.html
• Read the rest of this entry »

Tips on what can be turned into Compost

• Add a thin layer of garden soil to your heap to help activation.
• You can add a proprietary activator like Garrotta if you wish.
• Have more nitrogen base items than carbon to help rotting
• Use the following table as a guide

Hot compost heaps are just that, hot, they can be so hot you can’t keep your hand in (though why you should want to put your hand in the middle of a compost heap I am not sure). The heat is generated by the decomposition process helped by all the biological activity. Microbes, worms and insects need food, air and water to generate this activity. They feed on the plant matter or one another so that takes care of food. Much garden refuse contains enough water but if the compost is dry or the weather dries the compost out then some extra water can be added.

Turning The Heap

• To get air into the compost as it rots down the heap needs to be turned after an initial decomposition period say 8-10 weeks
• Special ‘Tumbler compost makers’ and spinners are now available so that compost can be turned within a plastic drum. You turn the drum daily or weekly to aerate the rotting compost. This speeds up the composting process significantly.
• Turning the compost stops the top forming a crust that fails to rot
• The compost should be turned so that any compost at the sides or back is brought into the middle so decomposition is even and homogenious
• Turning the compost gives a chance for excess water to be redistributed so the heap doesn’t smell
• If the heap is large turning the top two thirds on to a separate pile may leave one third compost ready to use.
• Compost compacts and reduces in size by at least a third as it rots. Without turning it can be more compacted than your own soil.

Leaves should be composted separately to other garden waste. They can take upto 2 years to decompose properly, but, it is worth persevering because they make an excellent soil conditioner. They will decompose in plastic bags or a custom made leaf bin. Often these custom made leaf composters are made with a simple wire mesh. The advantage of using open bins is that they enable worms to enter and help the process of decomposition. It is important to have 2 bins / bags on the go at the same time, as they will not be ready within 1 year.

Accelerators for Composting Leaves.

It is possible to buy a special liquid which helps to speed up the process of decomposition. These accelerators are worth adding as they will speed up the process. Basically, these accelerators help add nitrogen to the leaves. If you have access to manure, this will work very effectively

Digging in Half composted Leaves.

If you don’t want to wait 2 years to decompose leaves, you can simply add them at the bottom of a trench and then add soil, they will naturally disintegrate over time.