It’s very hard to find a foliage as dainty and symmetrical as those of ferns. Since they have no flowers to boast of, the ferns appear to compensate for such shortcoming through their foliage or leaves, more correctly called fronds. These shade lovers tug at a gardener’s heart by showing off unique form and understated beauty. They are not show-offs, but they hold their own by playing the supporting role extremely well, whether in the garden or in a bouquet.
Ferns are said to be one of the prehistoric plants, and the ease with which to grow them perhaps has contributed to their longevity among living things.
With their fine foliage and delicate textures, ferns are actually easy to grow and require little maintenance. Some species are evergreen, giving year-round interest, while others die back in autumn and produce new shoots (also known as croziers) in spring.
Ferns are best known for growing in shade. Most are in the Dryopteris genus, commonly known as woodland ferns. There are several to choose from – each shoot produces what looks a little like a large shuttlecock of often evergreen leaves. These are split into pairs of oppositely arranged leaflets, and repeatedly so to create a dainty green, heavenly staircase. It’s the overall shape of each of these fronds – and then the shape and arrangement of the individual divisions – that creates the individuality of these woodland plants.
My favorites include the Himalayan maiden fern, the painted Japanese fern, Makinoi’s holly fern, the giant ostrich fern, and the Australian tree fern, a giant amongst ferns. The last one is not called a tree for nothing.
For most people, gardeners, or merely those wanting a unique, easy-to-grow house plant, the bird’s nest fern, the asparagus fern, and the staghorn fern are the top picks.
My mother used to have a few of the lukdo (bird’s nest ferns) and the asparagus ferns in my childhood home in the Philippines. So they’re my favorites now even if just for sentimental value. Yet when I was a little boy tasked with watering the plants I hated my chore (and even the plants and gardening in general) since there were a few of those plants to rob me of my play time; definitely little children would rather play than spend hours watering plants that they care very little about. So don’t blame me….
Some woodland ferns feature colorful amber or brown or black scales covering the unfurling fronds. The fronds of others turn attractive autumnal shades at the end of the season.
Some ferns make tight compact specimens, contrasting with the spreading foliage of hostas and bergenias, while others spread into attractive colonies around mature shrubs.
They do best in the shade and moist soil but once established many woodland ferns will tolerate sun and also drought.
In this garden blog, I will feature only my top ten favorite ferns. There are dozens of other desirable ferns, great for home gardens for their symmetrical beauty, ease of care, structural fronds, and as companion or foil plants to big-leafed garden favorites like hostas, rhododendrons, Japanese aralia, and hydrangeas, and to the lacy and airy foliage of Japanese maples, ornamental grasses, and astilbes.
1 – Himalayan Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum venustum)
upfrontDelicate fronds of the Himalayan maidenhair fern look beautiful, especially if seen from above. Each frond looks similar to a branch of kalamungay, except the light green leaflets of this fern are tighter and more, and the fronds go around in orderly concentric pattern instead of erratically along the long stem as do those of the kalamungay.
This graceful fern does well in shade or dappled shade and is surprisingly drought tolerant once established. Its delicate, light green fronds darken with age. Protect from wind to avoid damaging its chocolatey black stem.
This fern could become as common as dandelions on your lawn so to speak, and it would still be underused and desirable. Like the perfect “little black dress,” this elegant evergreen fern looks good with everything.
Height: 22-38 cm
2 – Painted Japanese Fern (Athyrium niponicum)
This is a delicate looking fern, with silver and burgundy leaves setting this apart from most green ferns. It’s an unusual, eye-catching choice with growth more prostrate than upright. This likes moisture. Many pretty cultivars have been hybridized by fern enthusiasts.
This is an all-star performer, uniquely colorful, popular, and adaptable.
Its slowly creeping rootstock sends up multiple fronds with long, wine red stems, and the leaflets have purplish base that turns lavender, then metallic greyish green at the tips.
The division of the leaflets called pinnae are metallic grey green with grey dusting. It truly deserves its common name, painted fern.
Height: 30-38cm
3 – Asplenium scolopendrium Crispum Group
A clear favorite is cultivar of Asplenium scolopendrium, Crispum Group. It has an eye-catching crinkly evergreen fronds that have distinctive wavy edges that become more pronounced as the plant matures.
Crinkly-edged leaves of Asplenium scolopendrium, Crispum Group makes this fern look like its fronds are double ruffled end of a lady’s skirt or the edges of a seductive green petticoat. It’s a lovely plant.
Height: 30-60 cm
4 – MAKINOI’S HOLLY FERN (Polystichum makinoi)
Makinoi’s holly fern looks like a plastic fern because its glossy, deep green, elongated triangular fronds glisten when hit by sunlight like plastic artificial fern that one can buy from dollar stores. The plant looks so perfect to be real. Yet like most ferns, symmetry is a virtue of ferns.
The spreading vase shape of this fern makes it look pretty, compact, and well-behaved. Makinoi’s fern looks more formal than most other ferns.
It thrives best in full shade.
Height: 30 to 90 cm
5 – Shuttlecok Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
The shuttlecock fern, or ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteri sends up bright green “shuttlecocks” in early spring and develops into a handsome plant.
I sometimes imagine it as a tiny green atomic bomb being dropped on the ground. That might be too violent of a description for such a well behaved fern. So we’ll stick with the common name “ostrich fern.”
It prefers moist soil.
Height: 1-1.5 m
6 – Asplenium scolopendrium
Glossy, strong and big leaves make Asplenium scolopendrium very structurally beautiful. It’s commonly called hart’s tongue fern.
It’s evergreen and needs very little care – just a little tidying in spring, and for that, anyone can successfully grow this fern.
It even grows wild in some places. Chances are if you see ferns growing wild in the forest or where you walk into an overgrown, shady area, you’ll see hart’s tongue fern or the ostrich fern. It is that common and ubiquitous.
7 – Dryopteris wallichiana
This deciduous fern unfurls to produce striking fronds that are almost a meter high. This looks best when planted in a group or in drifts
Height: 90cm
8 – Bird’s nest fern
This is an excellent fern for its size, structure, and bulk. The fronds can be over a meter long as it matures and creates a bowl shape as seen from the sides and a bird’s giant nest from the top view.
Most gardeners and landscapers prefer to elevate the whole fern to accentuate its stature and shape. This can hold its own as an accent plant.
This is an extremely popular fern in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries where it originates. In temperate countries, the rootstock must be covered to survive or overwinter in very cold temperatures.
It can grow over two meters in tropical places.
9 – Australian Tree Fern (Cyathea cooperi)
I actually haven’t seen a real Australian Tree Fern, just in pictures. I’ve been looking around for one. But from all the readings I have, this tree fern looks very unique and exceptionally attractive. Allegedly it is easily grown in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil, similar to the conditions in eastern Australia where it originated from.
Would be awesome to have one in my garden. Well, on second thought, maybe not. I don’t think my tiny garden can house this tree fern that can grow 15 to 20 ft tall (5 to 6.5 meters)
and 5 to 6 feet wide (2.5 to 3 meters)
The photo I have included in this blog is by Sue Brown. The fern is found at the University of California in Berkeley Botanical Gardens.
10 – Staghorn fern
It looks very much like deer or elk antlers, hence their unusual name. It is a slow grower but can end up being quite large and impressive once mature. There are 17 species of Platycerium, but only one, the staghorn fern, is truly common in home cultivation.
It is epiphytic, meaning it grows mounted on plaques or other substrates. It has small, flat leaves (known as shield fronds) that cover the root ball structure and take up water and nutrients, and green, pronged antler fronds that shoot out from the base.
In the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries where it originates, Staghorn fern is grown indoor or outdoor hanging from artificial tree trunks or bamboo posts. This meets its aerial planting requirement but also highlights the unique fronds and over-all beauty of the plant.
You might have a different top ferns list, for there are so many great choices. But no matter what, I’m confident that you love ferns in your garden and in your home. The ferns’ delicate, symmetrical, often fan-shaped, and fabulous fronds are simply hard to beat. The fronds get you up indoorsfront. And your love affair with ferns simply blooms even without the blooms.
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