The fern favourite

These plants will be starting to reveal their green fronds as we get further into the season adding a primitive beauty to borders

- DIARMUID GAVIN

AS spring unfurls, so do the ferns. Tight curls unroll into fiddleheads or croziers which then gently open up to reveal fresh green fronds.

Whether these are the giant fronds of the tree ferns or the smaller woodland ferns, there's a freshness and a wonder to this every year.

Ferns are a remarkably diverse group of plants with over 10,000 species ranging from tall to small, deciduous to evergreen and variable in habit, colour and texture. They are also one of the oldest plants, dating back over 360 million years, predating the dinosaurs, where they grew in ancient giant woodlands.

They can look wonderful as a specimen plant, carpeting a woodland floor, or mixed into a shady border among hostas, their lush foliage bringing interest.