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Beneath a curved Victorian glass roof, lies a hidden pleasure garden that turned 100 years old in June, 1999. The Dorrance H. Hamilton Fernery is the only remaining freestanding Victorian fernery in North America. The Fernery documents a time when Victorians were consumed with ferns and glasshouses. Designed by the original owner and namesake of the Arboretum, John Morris, the Fernery embodies some of the many passions of the Victorians: a love of collecting, a veneration of nature, and the fashion of romantic gardens. The Fernery nestles in a curve of land below the Rose Garden, its filigree roof sparkling in sunlight.

Entering the Fernery through stone columns, you descend into a verdant world filled with lush ferns and the trickling of a mountain stream and waterfall. Descriptions of the Fernery in garden publications of the day judged it as the ideal: "The blending of the artful design and the terraced rockwork...the descending winding paths, connecting waterfalls and pools...creates an effective composition of art and science."

Fern-Mania and the Victorians

Morris, an avid horticulturist, delighted in the study of exotic ferns, which represented high culture and worldliness. In the latter half of the 19th century, an obsession with the study of ferns--"fern mania" or pteridomania -- immersed Victorians in cultivating ferns and constructing glasshouses to grow them. A graduate of Haverford College with a degree in engineering, Morris built our one-of-a kind glasshouse in 1899 as a magical world to transport visitors to a mountainous Eden. Morris strived for a structure that would "...relieve the spectator from the impression that he is walking under glass." Instead of using floor-to-ceiling poles to support the roof, Morris designed wrought iron roof braces, described as a feat of engineering genius at the time. Morris hired Japanese landscapers to arrange weathered Wissahickon stone in the Asian tradition -- a Victorian flourish symbolizing the meeting of the East and West.

Restoration to the Original Completed

Over the decades, the Fernery fell into disrepair and was renovated a number of times. In 1957, Arboretum staff spared the Fernery from certain destruction by replacing the unique curved roof with a traditional sloping roof and updating the heating system. To return the Fernery to its original Victorian essence, the Arboretum completed a meticulous restoration in 1994, funded by board member Dorrance H. Hamilton and other donors who responded to a major matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The $1.2 million renovation included reconstruction of the curving roof using stainless steel and aluminum that could withstand the corrosive moisture of the environment. Other repairs included replacing the electrical and heating systems as well as restoring the waterfalls, pools and stone walls. The rustic wooden bridge was replaced with a new structure hewn from Arboretum cypresses. In front of the Fernery, an elegant bluestone plaza now welcomes visitors.

What are Ferns Anyway?

"What are ferns and how do they reproduce?" is one of the most common question asked by visitors. A fern is a green plant with stems, roots and leaves but without flower, fruit or seeds. Ferns reproduce from spores contained in tiny brown patches on the underside of fern fronds. Ferns alternate between sexual and asexual generation. Spores are eventually released into the air as fine dust. If a spore lands in a moist habitat it develops a prothalium, a multi-celled structure with male and female reproductive features. In the presence of a film of water, the sperm swims to the eggs and fertilizes them. The fertilized egg then begins to divide and grows into a spore-producing fern. The Fernery is part of the Arboretum's research division, housing rare ferns collected from Asian expeditions. Arboretum Director Paul Meyer and his staff collect spores on trips to remote regions of China for research and identification. We sow the spores, then wait until they are big enough to have identifying characteristics. We plant some in the Fernery and others outside to help us determine hardiness and cultural requirements. Currently two rare ferns from Hubei Province, grown from spores in the greenhouse, are making their home in the Fernery.

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