Shade Garden Ferns

Today Southern Gardening is back at Coach's Cedar Creek Farm in Lucedale, MS checking out their beautiful shade garden ferns. We can grow many different types of ferns in hanging baskets and containers throughout Mississippi, but when it comes to planting ferns in the ground, the list is much shorter. Let’s take a look at some ferns growing here in the greenhouses that would make great additions to a shade garden. One of my favorite ferns, Autumn fern, is a bold and beautiful choice for a shade garden. It is a low-growing frilly fern. The fronds of the Autumn fern start out as a green coppery color, maturing to a deep green color in the summer and fall. The Japanese Holly fern is a lush and attractive evergreen fern that is a popular choice among gardeners and landscapers due to its distinctive glossy, dark green fronds that resemble the leaves of holly plants. Another great shade garden fern grown here is the Southern Wood fern. The bright, light green fronds have a delicate, lacy appearance and are supported by a woody stem. The leaflets of the fronds are arranged in pairs along the main stem of the frond. Each leaflet is lance-shaped and has a serrated or toothed edge. The leaflets become smaller as they move up the frond. These three ferns would make a great addition to any shade garden. Consider adding them to yours! I am Eddie Smith, and I will see you next time on Southern Gardening.