Woodland Fern Garden

The Ralph Archer Woodland Garden at Whitehall showcases an extensive collection of more than 330 hardy ferns. 

The garden is designed using a Victorian stumpery theme. Logs and stumps of osage orange, black locust, mulberry, and eastern red cedar are natural sculptures highlighting and contrasting with the luxuriousness of ferns and the delicacies of woodland companion plants. 

The woodland garden dates back to 1998 when Ralph Archer, the area’s foremost fern expert, moved his own collection of ferns to Whitehall. Archer provided the inspiration and expertise to expand the garden into a regional jewel. In 2002 the garden was designated a Hardy Fern Foundation display and test garden. The HFF provides ferns, often rare and unusual, to be tested and evaluated for the climatic conditions of Louisville.