These easy-care ferns are perfect for dark, damp places in your yard.
In all climates, they need protection from afternoon sun to prevent drying and leaf scorch.
Ferns can reach 12 inches to 6 feet tall, depending on the key in and growing conditions.
Ferns can thrive in a variety of environments, including squeezed between large boulders.Credit: Robert Cardillo
Like other perennial plants, you candivide fernsin spring or fall.
Keep the new divisions well-watered until plants are established.
Research the characteristics of each fern before you plant it.
Credit: Andre Baranowski
Otherdeer-resistant companionsincludeastilbe,hellebore,barrenwort, andheart-leaf brunnera.
Holly Fern
Native to the Eastern United States,holly ferns(Polystichumspp.)
get their common name because their tough green leaves often persist through winter and can be cut forChristmas decorations.
Credit: Laurie Black
Clip last year’s leaves off these valuable garden plants in early spring before new growth appears.
Hardy in Zones 3-9.
Hardy in Zones 5-10.
Credit: Denny Schrock
This plant is 18 to 24 inches tall and 10 inches wide anddoes well in containers.
Its fronds emerge stiffly, then droop backward to form a tassel.
Hardy in Zones 6-10.
Credit: Matthew Benson
The plants, 3 feet tall and wide, quickly spread as a groundcover.
Hardy in Zones 3-8.
Lady Fern
Both beautiful and dainty, lady ferns (Athyriumspp.)
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
live up to their name.
These ferns vary greatly in size and structure.
Some are strongly upright; others are spreading.
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Lady ferns are relativelytolerant of sun and dry soiland drop their leaves in fall.
Japanese painted ferns unfurl silver fronds brushed with red and blue tints on burgundy stems.
They reach 12 to 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
Thesilvery foliageachieves its best color when it gets a few hours of morning sunshine.
Hardy in Zones 4-9.
The ‘Ghost’ variety is more upright than the Japanese painted fern but has the same silvery foliage.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
It reaches 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.
Hardy in Zones 3-8.
‘Lady in Red’ lady fern is a cross between Japanese painted fern and Southern lady fern.
Credit: Edmund Barr
It grows with a strongly vertical form, showcasing its brilliant red-violet stems and lacy, light green foliage.
It reaches 20 to 24 inches tall and 3 feet wide.
Hardy in Zones 3-8.
Maidenhair Fern
The delicate, airy look ofmaidenhair ferns(Adiantumspp.)
belies how tough these plants really are.
Each wiry stem holds broad leaflets at the tip of the stem, creating an umbrella-like appearance.
These noninvasive ferns look good planted together in a group.
Hardy in Zones 5-8.
Southern maidenhair fern(A. capillus-venerus)is a native southerner.
Itthrives in heat and humidityand requires consistently moist soil.
Bright green fronds grow on blackish stems 18-24 inches tall.
Hardy in Zones 7-10.
Osmunda Fern
Among the largest ferns home gardeners can plant is varieties ofOsmunda.
These ferns are native to North America and thrive in very moist soil.
Grow these tough deciduous beauties at theedge of pondsor in informal woodlands.
Hardy in Zones 4-9.
At 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide, this large garden presence is deciduous in the fall.
Hardy in Zones 3-6.
The green fronds resemble ostrich plumes.
Don’t plant this fern with well-behaved perennials or other tidy plants; it will quickly bully them.
With space to roam and average to moist soil, they quickly make a junglelike groundcover.
Ostrich ferns tolerate sun as long as the soil never dries.
When soil dries in shady locations, however, fronds burn.
Hardy in Zones 3-8.
Wood Fern
Tough, beautiful, and drought-tolerant once established,wood ferns(Dryopterisspp.)
are great for planting in the garden.
Some types of these medium-size ferns areevergreen plantswhile others drop their leaves in fall.
Divide the clumps every three years or so to maintain their symmetrical forms.
Undivided clumps become large and unattractive.
Consider ‘Brilliance’ for brighter red new growth.
Hardy in Zones 3-8.
