Ferns’ fine foliage outlasts flowers in the shade garden
While flowers provide color and drama in the garden, most perennial flowers last for only a few weeks. Consider planting more ferns, whose foliage can supply interest in the garden the entire growing season.
From the emerging fiddleheads of early spring, to the grace of fronds unfolding, to fertile seed heads in fall and winter, ferns offer multi-season interest. Ferns’ fine texture also complements simpler leaves such as those of hosta, Siberian bugloss (Brunnera spp.) and Canadian or European ginger
(Asarum canadensis or A. europeum).
Ferns exhibit a wide range of height, texture and color. Most thrive in shade or part-sun and soil that is moist and rich in humus.
Some naturalize well and make terrific companion plants to early spring bulbs or wildflowers. As these plants go dormant, ferns cover the yellowing leaves.
A shady garden comprised of ferns and other perennials can be a cool, calm respite from the heat of midsummer. Ferns are generally deer-resistant and shade gardens with a mix of ferns and easy care groundcovers can be relatively low maintenance, too.
Here are some recommended hardy ferns for our region:
Athyrium
• ‘Lady in Red’ lady fern (A. filixfemina) grows 18-30 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide. Its fine green foliage contrasts beautifully with violet-red stems. Lady ferns combine nicely with large leaf hostas and brightly colored heucheras.
• Victoria lady fern grows 18-24 inches tall and wide and is noted for its magnificent frond architecture. The pinnae, or subdivisions of the fern leaf, criss-cross to form a series of Xs on the fronds.
• Ghost fern (hybrid of A. filixfemina and A. nipponicum). This cross of lady and Japanese painted ferns resulted in silver-white fronds with maroon midribs. It grows 18-24 inches tall by 12-18 inches wide and works well with blue-leaf hostas or barrenwort
(Epimedium spp.).
• ‘Godzilla’ Japanese painted fern grows to 36 inches tall and 60 inches wide. This stunning fern forms a massive, arching clump of silvery fronds with green highlights and dark purple stems. Combine it with large hostas and ‘Sun King’ golden Japanese spikenard (Aralia cordata).
Dryopteris
• Dixie wood fern (Dryopteris x australis) grows 36-48 inches tall by 24-36 inches wide with lustrous, bright green fronds that make a beautiful backdrop in the darker parts of a landscape.
• Log fern (D. celsa) reaches 36-48 inches tall and has deep green fronds that reach 24-36 inches long. It works well under large tree canopies and in narrow side yards.
• ‘Brillance’ autumn fern (D. erythrosora) grows 18-24 inches tall and wide with handsome, copperyred fronds that turn light green and revert back to copper as fall approaches. Pick up its novel color with copper heucheras or plant at the base of paperbark maple.
• Mexican male fern (D.
pseudofilix-mas) grows 48 inches tall by 36 inches wide and forms an upright clump of triangular green fronds. It’s unusual in that it continues to produce new fronds throughout the growing season, but it’s also somewhat finicky. Plant it in a shady spot and keep soil moist at all times.
• Tokyo wood fern (D. tokyoensis) grows 18-36 inches tall and wide and has ladderlike, upright fronds that provide a strong vertical accent. Use as a specimen or a small groupings.
Polystichum
• Christmas fern (P. acrosticoides) grows 12-24 inches tall and wide and has glossy, dark green foliage. It is native to this region and is evergreen.
• Western sword fern (P. munitum) grows 36-72 inches tall and wide. It is a robust and reliable fern that offers superb texture with glossy, leathery, toothed, dark green foliage. Its many long fronds form vigorous clumps.
Steve Piskor is a Penn State Master Gardener and certified horticulturist. This volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension and provides research-based information on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship.