The world’s largest public stumpery is a joint creation between the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington, USA and the Hardy Fern Foundation. 

On visiting Fernwood, the selected site for this new stumpery garden might be familiar to some, perhaps most of our regular visitors. Just northeast of the 2018 constructed Sims Education Center, The Stumpery will welcome you through a lively hedgerow planting into a unique “garden room” comprised of windswept and uprooted “old-growth” stumps and hardwood tree elements that evoke a sentiment of a changing landscape- one being retaken and returned to the unbridled wild of the forest. Within this garden, microclimates will showcase native ferns and mosses growing alongside historic stands of ephemeral woodland wildflowers and the showstopping Japanese Primrose glade.

The Stumpery

2025 promises new life in the gardens at Fernwood Botanical Garden, and with that, a new teaching garden concept will be introduced on the site of the former Nature Center. Alongside renowned American Plantsman and Garden Designer Daniel J. Hinkley, Fernwood will present a stumpery garden that showcases native ferns and highlights the regenerative cycles of the forest for both native wildlife and native flora. 

Stumpery gardens date back to the mid-1800’s coinciding with the Fern Craze that swept over much of Great Britain as ferns had become highly desirable collector plants at this time.  “Pteridomania,” or the formal name for the Victorian era fern craze, had far reaching consequences for the botanical trade including fern extinction or near extinction due to overcollection (see Vandenboschia speciosa, commonly known as the Killarney Fern), public danger as “fern-hunters” sought to find and collect new species in remote and dangerous locations and skyrocketing prices as demand for ferns soared. During this period, ferns gained widespread popularity in various uses throughout the cultivated garden, as well as in the interior home, art, and literature.

The first stumpery gardens are thought to have been built in response to “Pteridomania” and a desire for collectors to showcase diverse fern collections that required unique growing conditions to thrive. In fact, some of the earliest examples, such as those at the Bateman estate in England and more recently King Charles’ estate at Highgrove, are still in existence and thriving. 

Stumpery gardens feature intentional arrangements of woody materials, such as old stumps and tree trunks, along with mounds of soil used to create habitats, particularly for ferns and other shade-loving plants. Variable planting conditions can be created in a stumpery to accommodate the needs of a diverse planting palette from dry to wet soil or shady to full-sun light exposure. In this way, tremendous plant diversity can be shown in the garden across a relatively small area for planting.

Elements of the new 2025 Fernwood Stumpery Garden Include:

·       1400 ft of mixed hedgerow showcasing 4 seasons of interest and carefully chosen native habitat/food source.

·       Hybrid American Chestnut canopy trees demonstrating canopy regeneration and the importance of developmental disease resistance in nature.

·       Over 2000 linear feet of irrigation plumbing and pathway construction.

·       Approximately 100 old growth stumps showcased in varying stages of decomposition and providing habitat for wildlife and plants.

·       Approximately 100 new plant species of high interest and taxonomic value added to the gardens.

The Stumpery will include multiple teaching spaces within the garden will offer an opportunity for practical hands-on learning experiences aimed to provide a living laboratory of exploration and intrigue where a close examination of the forest’s natural food web, cycle of decomposition, canopy regeneration, and habitat can be closely studied by young students of the natural sciences and guests from all levels, fostering a deeper understanding of nature and environmental stewardship.