Ferns are a favorite shade perennial which can add texture and color to a dark spot in your landscape. While they can tolerate wet or damp areas, many cultivars will also handle drier areas.
Autumn Fern – 1 1/2′ – 2′. Dwarf evergreen ferns with a coppery bronze color on the young fronds which mature to deep green. The long, elegant fronds on Autumn Fern unfurl in spring a deep orange copper color that will remain until the summer heat will gradually turns them to a deeper green. In fall the color of Autumn Ferns changes to a bright burnished copper once more. Easy to grow shade loving perennial. Semi evergreen in warm winters. A gardeners favorite.
Japanese Holly Fern – 1′ – 3′. Evergreen. Unique leathery green fronds develop lovely brown spores on the underside offers a different look. The unusual stiff, erect, shiny fronds of Japanese Holly Fern are holly like in texture and have coarsely fringed margins which can bring a unique look to a perennial garden as an accent. They can also add excellent texture when used in a container planting. Japanese Holly Ferns may also be planted as edging or used as a groundcover. Evergreen in warm winters. Shade tolerant perennial for Georgia.
Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea – 2′ – 3′ native. Low maintenance perennial, tolerant of heavy shade.Typically grows in clumps to 2-3′ tall, but if planted in an areas that has continuous moisture Cinnamon Fern can grow to 5′ in height. The common name of this plant is refers to the cinnamon colored fibers near the frond bases.
Ghost Painted Fern – A stunning hybrid between our native southern lady fern and a Japanese Painted Fern. Ghost fern has a distinctive upright habit with a chalky white, bright color which stands out woodland and shade gardens. The stipes on Ghost Fern are a light, bright shade in a pinkish red as opposed to the burgundy stipe of a Japanese Painted Fern.
Japanese Painted Fern – 18″ – 2′. Dramatic silver purple foliage tinted with green. Japanese Painted Fern has dark, blue green central rib on each frond which takes on a purple cast. The blue green fades to a delicate silver along the edges. It is a great shade perennial for Georgia gardens. Japanese Painted Fern has a low, spreading form which makes it a great pick for as foreground foliage in a perennial garden or for planting in pots.
Japanese Painted Fern ‘Red Beauty’ Athyrium niponicum – red stemmed painted fern. It would be difficult not to love Japanese Painted Fern with its purple – silver frond and vigorous growing habit, and ‘Red Beauty’ just gives you more to like. The fronds have added burgundy highlight and can really shine when planted with lighter colored shade plants.
Lady in Red Fern – A 3′ native plant with light green, finely textured foliage on vividly contrasting red stems. Lady in Red has an upright habit and vase form. The bright color and unique stems will stand out in your shady garden.
Maidenhair Fern – 1 1/2 – 2′. A pretty North American native fern with distinguishing lacy fan shaped fronds and attractive, shiny black stems. Plant Maidenhair Ferns in moist, bright shady areas where it will spread quickly. Maidenhair Fern adds a delicate touch to a perennial bed.
Ostrich Fern Matteuccia struthiopteris – 3′ – 6′. Ostrich fern is an upright arching, clump-forming, deciduous fern which spreads by rhizomes and can typically growing 2-3′ tall in cultivation. If planted in a damp, shaded area, Ostrich Fern may reach 6′ tall. The medium green fern fronds are showy and finely dissected, which, as the common name suggests, resemble the feathery look of long ostrich plumes. Best for a dramatic showing. Easy care.
Shiny Bristle Fern Arachniodes davalliaeformis – 18″. A handsome, upright fern variety for southern landscape plans with fronds so shiny they look like plastic. Shiny Bristle Fern is deciduous but will hold its leaves well into the fall season.
Tassel Fern – 2′. Lush looking, shiny green color. Low, spreading habit. New fronds emerge stiff, then droop backwards to resemble a tassel. Beautiful when planted in mass as a groundcover on a shaded bank or when used under flowering shrubs. Tassel Fern can be evergreen during warm winters.
Fern varieties for sale in our plant nursery garden center are subject to change.