Add Some Wildness to Your Shade Garden

Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Not every garden plant must flower to enliven the landscape. Found in bogs, meadows, thickets, swamps, and woodlands, wild native ferns are a great addition to any garden. Their feathery fronds add texture, height, and motion to the garden. In winter, evergreen ferns bring a splash of color to the landscape. They create a backdrop for smaller perennials and wildflowers and provide ground cover and shelter for wildlife. Of course, native ferns should not be dug up in the wild, but purchased from nurseries and garden centers.

Eastern North Carolina has a number of native ferns that will grow well in a variety of soils. The following ferns are perennials that thrive in moist areas of partial to deep shade. All reproduce by leaf spores and some also by rhizomes. None have any serious insect or disease issues.

A partially hydrated stand of the Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis michauxiana, growing on a rock. Scott Zona, CC BY-NC 2.0

Rehydrated Resurrection ferns, Pleopeltis michauxiana, on a tree limb. Joanne K.

Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis michauxiana, is an unusual fern as its name indicates. Once established it's very drought tolerant. However, it goes dormant during dry spells looking very desiccated and can lose up to 97% of its moisture. However, with a little rain, it turns into a lush, vibrant green plant. It grows on rough tree bark or rocks by rhizomes that spread into tree or rock crevices. An epiphyte or air plant, its nutritional needs are taken from the air and rain without hurting the tree.

The bright green frond of the Southern lady fern, Athyrium asplenioides, provides contrast in the shade garden. Jaknouse, Public Domain Mark 1.0

Southern lady fern, Athyrium asplenioides, is deciduous and can be found growing in moist soils in thickets, woods, and meadows. Over time it creates a thick ground cover through underground rhizomes. Its bright green lacy fronds grow 2 to 3 feet high. It's recommended to plant it out of the wind to prevent the fronds from breaking. Later in the summer, when the fronds look ragged, cut them back to encourage fresh new growth. It attracts frogs, but deer and rabbits leave it alone.

These silver fiddleheads of the Cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, will turn green and then cinnamon brown later. Cathy DeWitt, CC BY-NC 4.0

The difference between the Cinnamon fern's fertile and infertile fronds create an unusual accent in the garden. Cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum. Lindley Ashline, CC BY-NC 2.0

Cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, is so named because its spore-bearing fronds which emerge as silver fiddleheads turn green and  then cinnamon brown in early spring. The sterile fronds are yellowish-green turning bright yellow in the fall before dying back for the winter. An easy-to-grow fern, it prefers moist, shady areas where it forms 2- to 3-foot tall clumps. Although slow to settle in, it's a long-lived fern. Birds use the fuzz from the young fiddleheads to build nests but deer avoid it.

The glossy leathery fronds of the Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, provide winter interest in the garden. Suzanne Cadwell, CC BY-NC 2.0

Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, grows in rosettes that form clumps over time. In the spring, new fronds are silver in color. It can be found growing in swamps, thickets, and along stream banks. In the garden, it combats soil erosion when planted on hillsides. In winter, this perennial provides shelter for songbirds who use its fronds for nest building. Deer may nibble on it, but rabbits and squirrels avoid it.

The New York fern, Thelypteris noveboracensis, is a good filler plant in the spring garden. Homer Edward Price, CC BY 4.0

New York fern, Thelypteris noveboracensis, a deciduous native of the eastern U.S. and Canada, is also native to China and the Russian Far East. This soft yellow-green fine-textured fern grows 1-2 feet tall. It spreads through rhizomes creating thick clumps that provide shelter for wildlife. Birds use it to build nests. It's resistant to deer. If it becomes too aggressive in the garden, it can be separated.

For more information about these and other ferns, go to the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox at https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/