Quick Description
An excellent choice for adding fine texture to garden beds and borders; features a low growing habit with arching green fronds throughout the season; easy to grow, requiring little to no maintenance; prefers partial to full shaded areas
What Makes it Special?
Lady Fern is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its ferny bipinnately compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.
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Landscape Attributes
Lady Fern is a dense herbaceous fern with a shapely form and gracefully arching fronds. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. Deer don’t particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Planting & Growing
Lady Fern will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division.
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Lady Fern
Click for Plant Facts – Height, Width, Sun, Water, & More!
Height : 18 inches
Spread: 24 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to shade
Water Usage: moist to wet
Landscape Use: Mass Planting, Border Edging, General Garden Use, Groundcover, Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
Flower Color: N/A
Bloom Period:N/A
Foliage Type: deciduous
Foliage Color: Green
Deer Resistant?: Yes
Spread: 24 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to shade
Water Usage: moist to wet
Landscape Use: Mass Planting, Border Edging, General Garden Use, Groundcover, Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
Flower Color: N/A
Bloom Period:N/A
Foliage Type: deciduous
Foliage Color: Green
Deer Resistant?: Yes
Want more info on sizes?
IndyPlants sells landscape size plant material. These often come in black nursery containers and are classified in sizes such as #2, #3, #5, etc. This correlates to the volume of the container, 2 gallon, 3, gallon, 5 gallon, etc. The bigger the number, the larger the pot, and the larger the plant. You’ll also see larger sizes such as 2” BB, 2.5” BB, 3” BB, etc. This stands for ‘Balled & Burlapped’. These plants are usually much larger and are not transported in black nursery pots. The sizing correlates to the diameter of the trunk of the tree.
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