Do you use ferns in your garden? If you don’t you don’t know what you’re missing. They make idea spots of greenery is shaded corners of your garden. A nice resting place for the eye. They are adaptable plants, and make ideal ground cover and even boarder plantings in the landscape and you may not realize this but they can make ideal potted plants in the home.

Ferns are an ancient type of vegetation which occupied the world long before the evolution of seed producing plants. They are strictly foliage plants, since they reproduce without flowering.

Ferns produce long fronds which are similar to the leaves of seed producing plants. Fronds arise directly from the ground with no central stem. The small brown spots on the underside of the leaves contain spores which serve the same purpose as seeds in reproducing the plant.

Most ferns used in landscapes are shade loving woodland types, although there are sun tolerant ferns available through gardening catalogs. They will thrive best if located near trees, or on the east or north side of a building, where they will receive partial shade. Woodland ferns may grow quite poorly if subjected to hot afternoon sun.

Ferns start growth very early in the spring, and retain their delicate leafy foliage until several light frosts freeze them back in the fall. They are quite free from disease or insect pests, and thus are easy to grow in the native gardens or border plantings around the home.

Woodland ferns grow best in a soil which has a high humus content, almost pure leaf mold is ideal. The average garden soil may be made suitable for ferns by adding liberal quantities of peat moss or compost. An abundant supply of water is also needed throughout the season to promote vigorous growth.

The best time to transplant ferns is in the spring about a month before the average last frost date, or in the fall a couple weeks after the average first frost date. Keep the roots covered with a protective ball of moist soil or peat moss at all times. Apply water as needed after transplanting to maintain a high moisture content in the soil.

If you are gathering ferns from wild sources you need permission from the land owner prior to digging up the plants. Only dig a few plants leaving several behind to maintain the original natural collection. Although ferns grow abundantly in moist woodlands, care should be taken in digging up the plants for landscaping your home. They spread rather slowly from underground rootstocks. They also reproduce from spores, but several years are required to produce a mature plant in this way.

Nursery or garden centers may have ferns, or they may be willing to secure plants for you. This may be a more practical way to start than to collect them from the wild. Make sure that the plants you buy are hardy woodland ferns and not tropical plants that would die outdoors during the winter.

The ferns in your landscape planting may serve as a source for potted plants for use in the home. Maidenhair ferns and spleenworts are particularly suitable. These smaller woodland ferns are easy to grow as house plants. The key to growing outdoor ferns indoors is humidity. This can be provided by placing the pots on pebbles or crushed stone in a tray of water. The pots should not stand in the water. The atmosphere provided in a terrarium or bottle garden is ideal. Use a high humus potting soil and ample drainage material in the bottom of the pot. Ferns are attractive only when making vigorous green growth. Therefore, apply a soluble house plant fertilizer regularly. In the winter, locate ferns in bright light, but never in a hot sunny window.

The following is a list of ferns suggested for indoor and outdoor planting.
Outdoor Ferns: (hardy)

* Japanese silver-painted fern –Athyrium goeringianum ‘Pictum’
* Cinnamon fern –Osmunda cinnamomea
* Christmas fern –Polystichum acrostichoides
* Maidenhair fern –Adiantum pedatum
* Hay-scented fern –Dennstaedtia punctilobula
* Ostrich fern –Matteuccia struthiopteris

Indoor Ferns (non-hardy):

* Boston fern — Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’
* Bird’s-nest fern– Asplenium nidus
* Staghorn fern– Platycerium bifurcatum
* Rabbit’s-foot fern– Davallia fejeenisis ‘Plumosa’
* Button fern– Pellaea rotundifolia
* Strawberry fern– Hemionitis palmata

Either Indoor or Outdoor:

* Maidenhair fern — Adiantum pedatum
* Walking fern– Camptosorus rhizophyllus
* Sspleenwort– Asplenium sp.
* Squirrel -foot fern — Devallia mariesii
* Felt fern– Pyrrosia sp.