WELCOME TO THE STUMPERY!

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (RSBG) features the world’s largest public stumpery, with ferns spilling over 140 stumps and logs in a magical half-acre across the path from the Pond Garden. This artistic arrangement of woody material is planted alongside an amazing collection of ferns and unique plants from around the world.

A stumpery is an intentional arrangement of woody material like old stumps and tree trunks.  The goal of a stumpery is the creation of habitats especially for ferns and other shade-loving plants; secondarily comes the sense of accomplishment from the arrangements of the arresting architecture of the roots, or any other things that you can find on or in re-purposed wood.

The structure is important beyond its immediate aesthetic value.  It’s efficient for growing ferns and other woodland plants because of its vertical use of space. The unique topography of the piles creates dozens of pockets with conditions suitable for plants with very different needs.  Deep shade?  Wet soil? Epiphytic?  Fast­ draining soil?  Full sun?  These conditions are not typically found near each other, but in the stumpery, it’s possible to have a wide variety of growing conditions right next to each other in a very small space.

The slow breakdown of the wood returns useful compounds back to the soil. This decay provides suitable environments for the succession of insects and small mammals that will live in and on the wood, and in the soil immediately beneath it. Look for telltale piles of Douglas fir cone scales below perfect perching places. They’re evidence of our native Douglas squirrels, who efficiently strip cones apart to access their rich nutrients. Voles? Look for bedraggled frond bits protruding from tiny burrows near stumps. These are small examples of the labors of these little creatures who are busy creating soft liners for their chambers.

The first known stumpery was in 1856.  It was the brainstorm of Edward William Cooke, an artist and gardener. At that time, land clearing left large debris piles that begged a solution. Cooke looked at them and saw something different. At Biddulph Grange, the estate of James Batemen, he turned some of the chaotic piles into ten-foot tall walls on either side of a path, and planted them out in ferns.  The structure was quickly repeated across Britain, ready for the new species of ferns that the fern-crazed Victorians were discovering.

At present, stumperies are enjoying a resur­gence. Prince Charles created a private one at Highgrove House in 1980, using sweet chestnut roots. The Hardy Fern Foundation stumpery at the RSBG is constructed primarily with Douglas fir and is the largest public stumpery in the world.  So come on in and acquaint yourself with this horticultural concept, and see ferns in new places!