Planting In A Hollow Tree Stump

CostumedVole

I've been renovating a border and discovered a low, flat silver birch tree stump at the back of it when I'd cleared it. It's been there for years and half of it has rotted so it is now hollow. It's about 30 -35 cm in diameter. It's in front of a laurel hedge and shaded by a copper beech, so it doesn't get much light. I was wondering if it'd be possible to plant bulbs in it, snowdrops perhaps, or possibly a fern. It's not an eyesore and the new planting I'm putting in will hide it again eventually, but I wondered if it could be put to decorative use in the meantime.

WillowBark

I would think a fern would be your best bet, as (to the best of my limited knowledge) they can survive on fairly small amounts of soil, but bulbs, if they are going to repeat their flowering year after year, need quite deep soil and also need room to spread as they produce offset bulbs. So maybe a fern of some kind inside the stump itself, but then plant bulbs around it? Hopefully someone can offer some more / better advice.

CostumedVole

Thanks for your reply. Ferns certainly get by on virtually nothing at all in our garden, so this is a good point.

Busy-Lizzie

Yes, good idea. The garden at Arundel Castle has a stumpery with plants, ferns, I think, planted in tree stumps. I think a fern with a few snowdrops would be fine.

CostumedVole

Sounds like a plan, then. We get lots of self-seeded ferns in the garden, although I rarely succeed in transplanting them to where I actually want them. I have four in a strawberry planter which I have tried to get out to put elsewhere and I will have to smash the pot to do it, but they might be my best bet for transplantation, I guess.