by Nora, age 9, asks if Christmas ferns spread, about Charleston’s rivers, and its historic district
Dear Santa,
Hi Santa, from Charleston. My name is Nora and I am 9 years old. My grandfather has a small patch of Christmas ferns growing in the shady corner of his garden, and every year it seems to have crept a little further along the fence than the year before.
My first question is: will Christmas ferns actually spread throughout a garden?
My second question is geography: what river runs past Charleston?
My third question is from school: why does Charleston have such a well preserved historic district?
I left you a slice of she-crab soup, small portion, and a piece of cornbread.
Love, Nora, age 9, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Nora, she-crab soup was rich and wonderful, and the cornbread was the perfect companion. Now, to your grandfather’s creeping fern patch, and your other questions.
Will Christmas ferns spread throughout a garden?
Yes, Christmas ferns do gradually spread, though gently rather than aggressively. They grow outward slowly from a central clump and can also release tiny spores that settle nearby and grow into new plants over time, especially in the cool, shady, moist conditions they love best. Unlike some more invasive plants, they tend to stay fairly well behaved, spreading at a slow, manageable pace rather than taking over a whole garden, which is exactly why your grandfather patch has crept a little further each year without becoming a problem.
What river runs past Charleston?
Charleston sits where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean, a location so distinctive that locals sometimes joke the two rivers come together to form the ocean itself.
Why does Charleston have such a well preserved historic district?
Charleston largely avoided the kind of rapid industrial redevelopment that reshaped many other American cities, and its residents have long placed great value on preserving historic homes and buildings, leading to strict local preservation rules that have kept much of its colonial and antebellum architecture intact for visitors to admire today.
Let that fern patch keep creeping along, and I shall see you very soon.
Ho ho ho, Santa
