Tips For Growing Ferns:

Fe evoke a sense of rich myst in the landscape, like t of a lush woodland. Their fragile appearance belies their toughness. Rather n being difficult to grow, fe are solut plants for many of the difficult landscape problems t gardeners face. They thrive in shady, st as and love acid soil. Plant them around the base of trees, in dark and st as around the foundat of your h, behind ws or utility buildings, at the edge of wooded as. They may grow where r they find a foothold between cobblones and bricks. They are gt for those transital zones between lawn and wooded as.

Fe prefer acid soil; idey, the pH should t between 5.5 and 6.5. Take a soil sample to your local Cooperative Extens Office for analysis. Adjust the pH according to their expert recommendats.

If you are plang a conter-grown fern, thoroughly water it before plang. Gly slip it from the pot, reting as much of the soil as possible. Spd the roots out into the hole. Plant at the same depth as it grew in the nurs conter. Water ply with a fine spray. Too strong a stm of water can damage the foliage.

Many fe are easily transplad as bare root plants. These may be available as dant crowns, s, or plants in leaf. Dant crowns are simply bare-root fe in a dant state with the dead fronds removed. Mats look like a tangle of roots about the size of a saucer or sm plate. Plang them is not much differ n plang conter-grown fe. The roots should be kept st (not soggy) ul plang, the soil should be properly preed, and the plants watered l.
A few, like the Hay-Sced fern, are easily and economicy propaga by bare rhizs, or "root cutgs." These are usuy about the length and diameter of a short pencil. Plant by digging a v show trench and laying the rhizs in it. Or you may simply lay them atop a preed plang bed, and cover with a couple of inches of good gr topsoil or professal potg mix. Always water l and make sure t no rhizs are left exposed.

Fe seldom need felizing. But if they look pale or grow v little, s felizing can help. Fish emuls felizer is a favorite with fern growers.

Dilute the fish emuls with water at a rate of 1/2 teaspoon of emuls per quart of water. Apply as a soil drench once in Spring and ag in mid-Summer.

Gardeners in the frozen north often take steps to protect their fe during wir, n if the plants are considered to be cold-hardy. If you choose to do so, leave old fern fronds on the plants as they n brown in the f. A lt covering of tree leaves spd over a make-do frame of sticks or poultry netg works l. The mulch and frames should be removed rt away in the Spring and added to the compost pile. Take care t young fresh fronds are not broken in the process.

Here are s of my favorite fe for the landscape:

Japanese P Fern (Athyrium niponicum Pictum). This is a gorgeous fern with contrasg foliage colors. New fronds are metic gray with a reddish or purplish blush. The older fronds mt color v l, and contrast nicely with the newer fronds. Its v cold hardy, doing l from A clie zones 4-9. Japanese P Fern grows to 10" and goes dant in wir. Plant in l to l sh. It is r resistant.

Hay-Sced Fern (Dennstaed punctilobula). It is native to the U.S. The leaves are fragrant, as its name suggs. The deciduous, p green fronds are triangle-shaped and heavily divided with lacy leaflets. It is v adaptable, doing quite l in poor soil, and it doesn't care whether the soil is wet or dry. As no before, Hay-Sced Fern is propaga from rhiz cutgs t are about the size of a short pencil. Just pree the soil, lay the rhizs horizonty in show furrows, cover with soil, and water. V easy. Mae het is up to 30". Plant in l to l sh in A clie zones 3-8. It is r resistant.

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris throsora). Burgundy colored fronds emerge in spring and n green as they ure. 'Brilliance' is one of the b. This rgreen fern prefers l-dred soil in A clie zones 5-8. Plant in l to l sh. Mae het is up to 24". It is r resistant.

Southern Shield Fern (Dryopteris ludovichiana). This rgreen native perennial has a v uprt growth habit. The fronds are dark green. It tolerates dry condits, but prefers st soil in A clie zones 6-10. You can plant it in l sun to l sh. Mae het is up to 48". It is r resistant.

Ostrich Fern(Matteuccia struthiopteris). This native fern grows to be a whopper, up to 72". From wir dancy, dark brown fronds emerge erect in the spring, arch outward from the cer and n dark green. Foliage is lance-shaped. This is the fern t produces t elusive delicacy so loved in the northeastern states. Plant in st soil in l to l sh. Though it is said to perf l in A clie zones 2-7, it is only marginy success in zone 7. It is r resistant.

Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnama). Cinnamon fern is widely adaptable from A clie zones 2-10. It is native to the U.S. Emerging from dancy, furry brown fronds unfurl and n lt green. Rust-colored spikes emerge from the cer. Cinnamon fern grows to 60" Plant in st soil in l to l sh. It is r resistant.

Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis). Royal fern produces brt green fronds t are mostly erect. Leaflets are broad and oblong. Rust-colored spikes emerge from the cer. Royal fern often shares the same habitat as Cinnamon fern. It also requires st soil in A clie zones 2-10. Plant in l to l sh. Mae het is up to 60". It is r resistant.

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). It gets its name by the fact t the tough, rgreen fronds were v popular for floral arrangems. Many people used to scour the fors to gather the dark green foliage for themselves or for commercial purposes. Christmas fern has a clump-fing habit. It prefers st soil in A clie zones 3-9. Plant in l to l sh. If it receives more sun, quate water is esseal. It is r resistant.

Variega East Indian Holly Fern (Arachniodes simplicior Variegata). I love plants with variega foliage, so this one is v satisfying. Glossy, rgreen fronds have yellowish variegat along the mid-rib. It grows slowly up to 30". Plant in l to l sh in A clie zones 7-11. Consistly st soil is esseal. It is r resistant.

Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum Rochfordianum). You'll see this bold, semi-rgreen fern over the southeast. It is especiy popular in ks and gardens in such classic cities as Savannah, GA and Charlon, SC. Fronds are p green and glossy with large, holly-like leaflets. It grows to 30". Plant in l to l sh in A clie zones 6-10. It requires rich, l-dred soil. Like other fe, it is r resistant.

Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis). It is also known as Eastern Wood Fern, and is native, as you mt expect, to the eastern U.S. This one is rgreen, growing to 20". It perfs b in A clie zones 2-8. Plant in sh in st, l-dred soil. Deer resistant.

Tassel Fern (Polystichum polyblepharum). This rgreen fern has glossy, dark green fronds and fuzzy stems. Quite unusual looking. Perfs b in A clie zones 2-8. Plant in l sh in st, rich soil. It grows to 24". This, too, is r resistant.

Kon Rock Fern (Polystichum tsus-simense). This lovely rgreen fern can n double as a house plant! It has a v compact habit, growing up to 18" t. Plant in l sh in rich, l-dred soil. Though it prefers sltly st soil, it will tolera periods of dry weather. It is good for xeriscaping. If plang outdoors, it perfs b in A clie zones 6-8. Deer resistant.

Southern Shield Fern (Thelypteris kunthii). It is a native fern t does l in sun or sh, but always requires wet or consistly st soil. Its a gt choice for plang alongside ponds, stms or bog gardens. Deciduous fronds are erect and f large, spding clumps. Perfs b in A clie zones 7-10. Mae het is up to 28". It should c as not surprise t this one is also r resistant.

For more on r resistant plants, check out my blog acle on t topic.