Old uses for bracken

[Picidae]

Frost protection:

When we were young, my Mum used to take us out to cut dead Bracken to use for frost cover in the garden. We placed bracken over the base of pruned shrubs and the bedding areas. Come the winter, it provided frost cover. By the time Spring came, the Bracken had mulched (providing enrichment to the garden soil) and healthy plant shoots used to come up under the Bracken.

In my own garden now, I just sweep piles of fallen leaves from the trees from the patio areas straight onto the bedding areas which enrich the soil, protect the plants and makes excellent foraging for the Blackbirds and Thrushes during the winter