Join us for a day-long fern symposium held in the private garden of avid gardener Kathy Fries. Enjoy a lush garden filled with ferns and other woodland plants located on the shore of Lake Washington. At this beautiful setting, HFF board members Daniel Mount and Richie Steffen and HFF member Kathy Fries will give three unique classes focused on ferns, fern companion plants and using ferns in the garden. Lunch, snacks, beverages & water provided.
Classes will cover:
FERN IDENTIFICATION
If you have ever wondered what fern you have you will enjoy this lecture by Richie Steffen. Richie will show the telltale ID characteristics of some common fern genera as well as share traits of popular ferns that are often found in the PNW gardens.
DESIGNING WITH FERNS
Explore the Fries Garden by studying and discussing how ferns can be used in planting design. Form, texture and color will be the focus principles of this section of the Symposium. Veteran garden designer Daniel Mount will lead the group toward understanding how best to use ferns in mixed shade plantings.
CREATING CONTAINERS WITH FERNS
Ferns can be striking additions to shade containers and Kathy Fries has a talent for adding them to creative displays. Richie and Kathy will demonstrate using ferns in various containers, including creating a spectacular fern table. Along with the demos they will share their favorite tips and techniques to make your ferns look their best when used in containers.
Kathy Fries is a passionate gardener, and the garden she has created is featured on many garden tours. Photos of her garden have been published in several articles and included in the book The Plant Lovers Guide to Ferns.
Daniel Mount is a board member of the HFF, writer, recently retired garden designer and avid plant collector. Daniel’s articles are regularly featured in the HFF Quarterly as well as other regional and national publications.
Richie Steffen is the past president and long-time member of the HFF board. Richie serves as the executive director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden where he oversees the garden’s plant collections. Known for taking beautiful photos you can see many of his images on the Great Plant Picks website, www.greatplantpicks.org.