Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern

Sizes available: 2 quart

Basics: zones 4-8, 1-2.5' x 1-2.5', part to full shade, very happy in full shade, wiry and delicate-looking stems topped with a fan shape of lacy fronds, medium water needs in moist, humus-rich and acidic soil. Not at all drought tolerant.

Common names: Northern Maidenhair Fern

Family: Pteridaceae

Origin/Distribution: Quebec, Ontario, and Alaska south to Georgia and Oklahoma, west to Central California. Also present in Asia. Native to Maine.

Habitat: damp, cool woodlands, bottoms of shady ravines and slopes with moderate moisture, northern exposures, often found near seeps and springs

More: Incredibly ornamental, slow to get going, cool shelter for amphibians and invertebrates, beautiful airy texture for the shady border and the vase. The strong black stems have been used in basketry. This plant has been used medicinally.

Why grow ferns? How about admiration for a group of plants that has been present on earth for over 360 million years, providing beautiful, leafy textures and ecological services? All ferns provide much needed cool, shady cover for toads, frogs, salamanders, and small mammals.

Source: Van Berkum

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons