Are you looking to add beauty and elegance to your home with plants but need help figuring out where to start? Landscaping with native fern plants is a great way to start, as they are one of the easiest plants to grow.
With their distinctive fronds providing texture and color in all areas, from living rooms to porches, these ancient plants can easily enliven any space. In this article, we’ll explore ten easy-to-grow fern varieties perfect for adding lushness even if you don’t consider yourself an expert gardener. Stay tuned!
Table of Contents
Glade Ferns
This is a native species of North America, originating in the United States and Canada. It could also be identified with two other names:
* Narrow-leaf spleenwort
* Spleenwort with narrow-leaved
* Narrow-leaved glade fern
According to the name, the genus originated in clearings or forest glades in the forest that usually have little or no sun. The name indicates that you must plant it within a shaded or partially shaded portion of your garden.
CHRISTMAS FERN
The Christmas fern takes its name because of its perennial green color, which remains unapologetically lush even after most perennial plants have gone into winter dormancy.
The Christmas fern leaves are dark green and lighter green. The heads of ferns are green and are covered with silvery-white scales. They let loose when opened.
Christmas Ferns with sterile fronds is green all winter long, but they grow the most during the summer months of June to August. The plants cover the ground in winter and offer some color to snow-covered regions. Songbirds frequently collect the frilly hairs that form on the underside of the fronds of their nests.
Sterile plants are not reproducing; however, they grow yearly. The clumps of the fern can be divided in spring, which allows gardeners to extend their options or stop the plant from growing more significantly than they would like to.
Harts Tongue Fern
Asplenium Rhizobium, which many gardeners prefer to refer to as walking fern, is a native of regions of the Appalachian and Ozark mountains within North America.
In its native habitat, early explorers of eastern mountains noticed its growth in clumps on limestone ledges, fallen tree trunks, and boggy and wild areas. This can help you understand just how easy a fern it is! There is nothing you can do but water the fern in dry spells.
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis, also known as Royal Fern, is an easy-care perennial prized by its vibrant green leaves and ability to flourish in nearly every soil.
The fern is native to North America, stretching from northern Florida to New England. While it is found in the wild throughout the eastern United States, gardeners in the west can quickly cultivate the fern for pleasure.
LADY FERN
Lady fern is a gorgeous hue of green that is light, making it an ideal choice for any area of your garden where a slow-growing and low-maintenance ground cover is required. The leaves are tiny and round. They usually feature a dark-colored line in the middle.
Lady fern can be described as a famous native plant used for its ground cover in moist soils or as a border plant in a shadier area. It thrives in places with some shade and soil that is moist.
The leaves are small and round. Typically include a dark-colored line across its center and pink or white flowers that appear in the spring and summer. It’s a straightforward ground cover that requires no fertilizer or watering and is easily maintained by removing plants that are not needed.
Fiddlehead Fern
Fiddlehead Fern Oncoclea struthioptersis, also known as the fiddlehead fern, is an annual North American native species that is an excellent choice for shaded or semi-shaded acidic and humid soil. It is a favorite in every United States growing zone if you have shade.
Fiddlehead is a deciduous fern that can grow as tall as a tall six-footer in a shady and comfortable space, but most max at around five feet. The roots form large clumps, which then produce plants very quickly.
Maidenhair Fern
Typically, the plant is cultivated to enhance the look of its fronds; the cascade Maidenhair fern is a great choice, the perfect plant for your home. The incredibly delicate fronds grow in clusters. Each frond is divided into tiny, curvy-edged pinnules attached to a tangled central rachis. When the fern is cultivated in a pot hanging from the ceiling, the fronds gracefully curve across the edges before pointing downwards.
If you plan to cultivate this fern indoors, place it in a space where temperatures stay at or above 12°C (54@F) throughout the year. The fronds must be surrounded by filters or indirect, bright sunlight to keep the desired growth rate. A high humidity level and adequate ventilation are required to prevent the spread of disease and pests at bay.
Hay Scented Fern
This low-maintenance, easy-to-cultivate plant is a native plant from the east of the United States. However, it is successful throughout the climates of the USDA zones of growth.
They can flourish in all types of soils that range from dry woods and rocky forests to moist woods that are dense and thick. The most important thing to consider is not soil type but water quality. Like all ferns, the scent of hay is that it likes to remain moist and not get too wet or dry.
The gorgeous golden-brown stems effortlessly hold the spring-like, fresh green fronds that form the triangular shape. Each frond is adorned with bright leaflets that are large at the bottom and become sharper at the top. The frond’s texture gives it an appealing hair-like, attractive appearance.
NEW YORK FERN
It is a perennial plant that is a native species of forests of New York state and has distinct fringes. It has a triangular blade-like appearance that is the largest in the middle and is narrower at the ends.
The fronds of the plant are lance-shaped and have an elongated tip. It can grow up to 2 feet in width. The leaflets are tiny and are located near the base at the base of the leaf. It grows to an average height of two to three feet upon its peak.
The top that forms the root structure of the fern can be seen, and the leaves are dark brown. The leaflets are arranged in groups of glossy, bright green.
OSTRICH FERN
Ostrich ferns can be stunning plants that can cover the empty spaces in your garden. They are immune to common gardening problems and are easy to take care of.
You can enjoy a clean, lively garden with gorgeous leaf elements and little maintenance. Ostrich ferns can get quite tall. The plants typically grow up to 5 feet tall. However, the largest measured size for the species was six feet.
