The Victorians loved ferns and in recent years we have rediscovered them, thanks to their year-round interest, tolerance to shade and perfect backdrop that they provide to bulbs such as snowdrops in winter, or placed next to astilbes beside a pond or foxgloves in a woodland setting.

Most ferns like partial-to-deep shade and the soil requirements vary greatly from those that need damp soil to others which can tolerate dry sites.

Try the evergreen Asplenium (spleenwort) if you want one which tolerates dryness, or Blechnum spicant, a native species, which is easy to grow in moist, acid conditions like a shady shrub border or woodland.