Will ferns grow under these conditions?
My small front and sloped garden produces zero growth to plants in general. There is a huge ugly pine tree planted that cannot be removed. None of the plants seem to grow at all and many have died. Petunias and others look as if they have just been planted. The soil is terrible despite my using many bags of fertilizer. This year I used black cedar chips on top. The water does not appear to penetrate. I am willing to install a barrier or anything else advised.
Attached are photos recently taken.
Thank you for your assistance.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners. Generally ferns prefer shade or partial shade. Does this garden bed receive morning or afternoon sun? Afternoon sun produces more heat in the garden so if your garden receives afternoon sun, it might be too hot for ferns. Ferns would grow better in a bed with morning sun. There are several ferns that are somewhat drought tolerant. Two types of ferns you might consider are Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern) and Dryopteris filix-mas (Male fern). To ensure these ferns survive under your tree water them deeply once a week and amend your soil regularly with organic matter such as compost.