To return the Fernery to its original Victorian essence, the Arboretum completed a meticulous restoration in 1994, funded by board member Dorrance H. Hamilton and other donors who responded to a major matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Other repairs included replacing the electrical and heating systems as well as restoring the waterfalls, pools and stone walls. The rustic wooden bridge was replaced with a new structure hewn from Arboretum cypresses. In front of the Fernery, an elegant bluestone plaza now welcomes visitors. A fern is a green plant with stems, roots and leaves but without flower, fruit or seeds.
Ferns reproduce from spores contained in tiny brown patches on the underside of fern fronds.
Ferns alternate between sexual and asexual generation. Spores are eventually released into the air as fine dust. If a spore lands in a moist habitat it develops a prothalium , a multi-celled structure with male and female reproductive features. In the presence of a film of water, the sperm swims to the eggs and fertilizes them. The fertilized egg then begins to divide and grows into a spore-producing fern.