Bring a book and a picnic.

If you’re craving a little peace and quiet in a dreamy, shady spot this summer, we’ve got the perfect treat.

Tucked within the Arboretum at Fota House is one of the estate’s most distinctive Victorian garden features. The Victorian Fernery was created during the late 19th century, at a time when a fascination with ferns had become a remarkable cultural phenomenon.

Known as “Pteridomania”, or fern fever, this enthusiasm saw people collect, study, cultivate, and celebrate ferns on an extraordinary scale.

“Arthur Hugh Smith Barry embraced this horticultural trend at Fota, developing a Fernery within the estate around 1888,” the Fota House crew shared.

“Designed to provide the cool, sheltered conditions that ferns require, it combined carefully constructed rockwork with specialist planting to create a landscape unlike any other within the grounds.”

The Victorian enthusiasm for ferns extended far beyond the garden. Books, illustrations, and decorative arts reflected the popularity of these plants, while specialist publications helped fuel interest among gardeners and collectors.

Records suggest that works on ferns were likely among the horticultural books once held in the Library at Fota.

“Today, the Fernery remains a surviving reminder of the horticultural interests that helped shape the estate during the late nineteenth century and offers visitors an opportunity to experience a landscape created during the Smith Barry era,” they added.

Fota House and Gardens is open daily all year round and it’s free to take a stroll.