These design and care tips and top plant picks will transform your shade garden in no time
In the past three years I have become a firm rooter of ferns . The shuttlecock fern , which egress in leap , are very pernicious and primeval in shape . They draw you back every duo of days to see the progress of the unfurling frond . The variety and size of the ferns we can grow here are less than those of the gargantuan ferns of the tropics , but they are nevertheless quite noteworthy and have several uses in the garden .
Unbeatable textural contrast
I like to use ferns in shade garden plantings where the rough texture can counterpoint with other easygoing colors and textures . Take a smell at the contrast in texture between Chilean hard fern ( Blechnum chilense , Zones 7–9 ) and ‘ Hillside Black Beauty ’ bugbane ( Actaea‘Hillside Black Beauty ’ , Zones 4–8 ) in the pic above . Both of these industrial plant take full to partial shade .
A firm backdrop for bigger stars
Ferns also look great when grouped together in a fern - only garden or as a main part of a tropical or shade garden . I used them as a home in my stream - side garden to contrast with rarefied plants and plants with more colouring material , such as candelabrum primrose ( Primula bulleyana , Zones 5–8 ) and vary petasites ( Petasites japonicus‘Variegata ’ , Zones 5–9 ) .
Top-performing favorites
Here are a few of my favorite fern for the Northwest : rich male fern ( Dryopteris filix - mas‘Undulata Robusta ’ , Zones 4–9 ) make 3 feet tall and can raise in shade or sun . Ostrich fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris , Zones 3–8 ) grows 3 to 6 feet tall and prefers shade and moist soils . bejewel chain fern ( Woodwardia unigemmata , Zones 8–10 ) can grow from 3 to 7 foot wide in shade .
Easy annual maintenance
Many ferns are evergreen , and sometimes the new leaves are disguise by the rough rest leafage . Just like with hellebores ( Helleborusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) and genus Epimedium ( Epimediumspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) , these ferns can be dress back to reveal the next troll of emerging leafage . Several fern can maturate in more sun , with less body of water , as ground covers and can maintain smaller sizes . Explore these amazing flora that can take on many roles in garden design .
control out these articles to pick up more about alone fern metal money :
An update on my fern overwintering project
I ’ve previously written about my attempt to overwinter my marginally intrepid tropical ferns in the ground . For these Tasmanian tree ferns ( Dicksonia antarctica , Zones 9–11 ) , I choose to dig three of them out to overwinter in the greenhouse and entrust three in the ground in my stream - side garden with insulation to protect them . I ’m happy to say that the three in the garden have made it through with flying colors — or should I say unfurl fronds ? I was so excited to see the firm crowns and emerging fiddleheads in March .
My ferns grow in open nicety with in high spirits branch overhead . But without leaves on the deciduous trees , heavy frost can get into the clearing . After winter , several mature fronds were still attached to the plants and look a little ratty but still fleeceable and practicable . I left the ferns wrapped until the novel frond had visible green growth express . The ones in the nursery were put back into the tropical garden in mid - May and are doing well with a good crown of frond . The fern that winter in the glasshouse are a little further along than the overwinter ones in the stream - side garden , but those one are not that far behind .
— Susan Calhoun is the owner of Plantswoman Design in Bainbridge Island , Washington .
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A menagerie of different fern species grow in this shady woodland garden.Photo: Susan Calhoun
Chilean hard fern and ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ bugbane juxtapose color, form, and texture.Photo: Susan Calhoun
Ferns give the perfect structural background for brightly colored summer flowers such as those of candelabra primrose.Photo: Susan Calhoun
Ostrich fern has bright, almost lime green foliage and can reach a whopping 6 feet tall.Photo: Susan Calhoun
Robust male fern has foliage with a delicate texture on a compact plant.Photo: Susan Calhoun
My Tasmanian tree ferns, which are about one or two zones too tender for this area, have successfully overwintered in the ground with several layers of insulation.Photo: Susan Calhoun
