Ferns are a crucial part of our Olympic Peninsula ecosystem, providing shelter, food, shade, erosion control and habitat for our green spaces. They are also a beautiful addition to home gardens adding, contrast and texture. Find out more on fabulous ferns and their role at Heronswood Gardens in Kingston. Join Heronswood Director Dr. Ross Bayton for the Green Thumb Education Series presentation, “Shade and Stumps: Gardening with Ferns at Heronswood.”

Ross will discuss Heronswood’s Renaissance Garden, home to their vast collection of fern species. He will look at the history of the garden and the philosophy behind its creation, plus the connection between this garden and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. “I will also focus on ferns, an important group of plants for all gardeners in the Pacific Northwest. As the Heronswood Director, I’ve overseen the development of this garden, which began at around the same time I started work here,” Ross said.

London-born botanist and gardener Ross gained his PhD at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, studying the classification of tropical palms. He is the author of several books on horticulture including New Trees: Introductions to Cultivation (with John Grimshaw), Plant Families: A Guide for Gardeners and Botanists (with Simon Maugham), and most recently The Gardener’s Botanical: An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names, as featured in the New York

Times. Formerly the Gardening Editor of the UK’s best-selling gardening periodical, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, he is now the Director of the world-renowned Heronswood Garden in Kingston, WA and is developing a five-acre garden at home in nearby Bremerton.

The Green Thumb Education Series presentation “Shade and Stumps: Gardening with Ferns at Heronswood” will be held in person on Thursday, Oct. 24, from noon – 1 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Avenue in Port Angeles.

Or you may join via Zoom from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://wsu.zoom.us/j/93629898830?pwd=UnRkYjdwSGNmTnA4Y2hxVFBuRHVkZz09

Meeting ID: 936 2989 8830

Passcode: 676224

Or join by phone: 253-215-8782

The Green Thumb Education Series, sponsored by the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. In November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2678.