What is a stumpery? Popularized by the Victorians and adored by plant collectors and royalty alike, these intriguing features celebrate the natural beauty of the shadier side of gardening. Hostas, ferns and other low-light loving perennials and bulbs nestle amongst upturned tree stumps - complete with exposed, sinuous roots - to create areas with a distinct, calming and other-worldly atmosphere. The perfect way to optimize a in a spot where little else will thrive, it’s also quietly addictive with continual planting pockets calling out to be filled with new leafy treasures.
Besides offering a fun and decorative , they are also the perfect solution for a notoriously tricky area as well as helping to significantly increase a yard’s biodiversity. Here experts share their ideas on how a stumpery can enrich your garden and provide a . Partly born out of a Victorian fascination with ferns – coined as pteridomania – and a quest for more striking and exotic garden features, stumperies first appeared in the UK during the 1850’s.
Described as a ‘rustic root garden’, the first example was created by James Bateman at Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire and included the exposed roots of majestic oak trees piled up to heights of 8 to 10 feet either side of a winding path. Intermingled with scrambling ivy, virginia creeper, cotoneaster, and pockets of spring bulbs, hellebores and cyclamen, it proved a mesmerizing spectacle. Popular reviews led to other interpretations - including t.
