Well, I have a 2-climate garden. In my front yard, I have open southeast exposure where roses just thrive (z5b). In my back yard, I have northwest exposure, with mostly full shade and some dappled light (z5b). At any time of the year, there's a 10-15 degree temperature difference between the front and the back. In the backyard I have ferns. For my front yard roses I regularly use alfafa meal (very popular on the Gardenweb's Roses Forum), which is fantastic for the roses. It's a mulch, it keeps the soil from drying out, and it's a mild fertilizer too. Since I have to buy alfafa meal in 50-lb. bags, I have plenty of it. Can I spread it around the ferns too?