How to grow fern according to the variety

Fans of shade, ferns seduce with their refreshing greenery, especially in summer. They gracefully populate deprived corners without requiring special care. Some so-called “arborescent” are mistaken for shrubs and exhibit an exotic-looking trunk or stipe. Others will do well in pots or containers.

Cultivation conditions

Ferns are plants without flowers whose reproduction is very particular (see “seedlings”). Their leaves, deciduous or persistent, are called fronds, their seeds spores. Most of them offer the spectacle of their young slingshots unfolding in a stick. They have in common to appreciate the shade and the freshness. They are of great use to dress the foot of trees or shrubs, undergrowth or gardens embedded between buildings.

How to sow ferns

The reproduction of these primary plants is very particular. Indeed, the seeds are distributed on the obverse of the fronds or on specific fronds, arranged in the center of the tufts. Brown to golden, they require high humidity and hygrometry to germinate.
Sprinkle on the surface of a terrine, on a bed of river sand. Do not pack or cover. Put a glass on the whole. Then a prothallus is formed, a sort of undifferentiated green mass. Only after some time do real seedlings appear on its surface. Individualize them by transplanting them separately.closevolume_off

When and how to plant ferns

In the South or in very drained soil, prefer an autumn planting. Preferably operate in spring elsewhere. If necessary, incorporate a lot of potting soil or compost to enrich the soil and improve its texture and structure.

How to water ferns

Water copiously until complete recovery, then periodically in the event of summer drought or very draining soil.

How to fertilize ferns

Add compost and / or half a handful of organic lawn fertilizer per plant in the fall .

How to successfully maintain ferns

Weed the surrounding area and spread an organic mulch in the fall, on soft, cool soil. Renew it every year.

Diseases and pests

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How to prune ferns

Remove dry deciduous fronds in winter, evergreen leaves from last year at the end of winter.

How to multiply ferns

Divide the stumps. Collect bulbils for some proliferating varieties.

The classic varieties of ferns

• Asplenium scolopendrium = Phyllitis scolopendrium or “stag’s tongue fern” is satisfied with little. Entire fronds leathery, rather erect, persistent, pointed, of a solid green. ‘Undulatum’, with wavy edges, ‘Crispum’, with crisp edges, ‘Furcatum’, with split ends. From 30 to 50 cm.
• Athyrium filix-femina or “female fern” is common in the woods and has given rise to many attractive forms for light shade location. The fronds, very green and divided twice, have the appearance of feathers and are deciduous, withering in early autumn. It grows in ordinary soil, rather humus, on slopes or near bodies of water; in ‘Frizelliae’ the fronds are composed of short rounded and curly pinnae, aligned on either side of the frail main vein, 35 cm; ‘Victoriae’ is original with its fronds with leaflets that intersect in pairs, 80 cm. 
• Athyrium nipponicum is prized for its painted double-divided leaves. ‘Pictum’ is the most common, variegated with silvery gray and veined with purple brown, 45 cm; ‘Ghost’ , more uniform gray in color, 60 cm; on ‘Ursula’s Red’ the center of the silver fronds is marked with burgundy; ‘Ocean’s Flurry’ combines silvery foliage and curly fronds.
• Blechnum spicant has tough, evergreen foliage. The tufts are compact with sterile, dark green, glossy, rather flattened fronds. The new fertile summer fronds are erect. Nice effect all year round. For rather acidic soil, 45 cm. 
• Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata’ or ‘The King’   exhibits semi-evergreen fronds, doubly divided and curled at the tip. The spring stocks are golden, 1.20 m. ‘Pinderi’ with a divergent habit and narrow fronds, with golden reflections, 1.10 m.
• Dryopteris dilatata ‘Crispa Whiteside’, deciduous fronds, light green then dark green, curly like parsley. Superb in a pot, 50 cm; ‘Lepidota Crispa Cristata’ is a dwarf version with delicately divided fronds and twitched in a single plane. Any soil, for rock garden or pot, 40 cm. 
• Dryopteris erythrosora is splendid with its young orange or salmon colored fronds. Evergreen foliage, sheltered location and very humus soil, 70 cm.
• Dryopteris filix-mas or male fern is native and very accommodating, it tolerates dryness, limestone, clay and even the sun in wet soil. Large elegant green-yellow fronds. ‘Cristata’ offers fronds ending in a ruffled crest, 50 cm; ‘Linearis Polydactylon’, with the fronds, aerial, almost devoid of blade and the tips of the pinnae are curly. Grayish appearance, 90 cm. 
• Dryopteris wallichiana is distinguished by a short, black trunk. The young fronds, in spring, are enhanced by a rachis furnished with very dark scales. Vigorous, semi-persistent, spectacular plant, with an erect habit, 1 m.
• Polystichum aculeatum . Rustic and vigorous native fern with leathery fronds, yellowish in spring then dark green, shiny and persistent, arranged in a cone, 80 cm. 
• Polystichum braunii . Species with leathery, hairy, deciduous fronds, erect and sometimes exposing buds at the end of the fronds. Silver gray reflections at the lacrosse stage in spring then to the rough feel in season, 60 cm.
• Polystichum polyblepharum . Supple, elegant habit with its broad, brilliant green fronds, with tight leaflets, 60 cm in all directions: superb ground-covering effect. Supports clay soil, but not soggy. 
• Polystichum setiferum. Accommodating and of great beauty. It grows in a compact tuft. Its persistent fronds deploy in spring butts garnished with golden scales. The fronds are broad and very indented, yellowish-green. For shade and freshness, but good drought tolerance. Great longevity of the tufts. ‘Herrenhausen’, with long, erect fronds, 90 cm; ‘Plumosum Densum’, fronds several times cut and entangled, for a muslin effect; ‘Proliferum’ exhibits fronds carrying proliferation (small fronds in formation), 1 m.

Ferns enduring heat and drought

• Asplenium trichomanes . The “false capillary” is a reviviscent plant. It is able to dry out during the summer and then turn green again as soon as the rains in the fall. This small persistent fern is a follower of walls and cracks in our countryside and cities. Compact tufts of fronds divided into round pinnae, petioles black, 20 cm.
• Ceterach officinarum , another native, shows the same ability to regrow. Even more compact, its fronds are tight, divided and more leathery, with beige reverse, 10 cm. 
• Cheilanthes lanosa is very suitable for sun and drought. Its narrow foliage is hairy and silvery to bluish, with a woolly appearance. In earth, even limestone, but humus, 25 cm in all directions.
• Polypodium vulgare or “liquorice of the woods” is able to survive hanging on the fork of trees in oceanic climate or between rocks. Rather calcareous soils. Rhizomatous strain, spreading out as a perfect ground cover. Late bud break in spring. Persistent fronds cut into deep lobes, leathery, dark green, 30 cm. ‘Cambricum’ and ‘Cornubiense’ with deeply divided leaflets. 

Exotic-looking ferns

• Adiantum pedatum or capillary. Thin and elegant leaves, like palmate and plurifoliolate arranged on a plane, horizontally, like “bird’s foot”. Stems slender, black, robust, 25 cm.
• Adiantum capilus-veneris or “hair of Venus” shows a more compact form, the fronds spreading out one above the other for a green waterfall effect. They are elongated and not palmate, with irregular leaflets, 25 cm. Less hardy than the previous species. The adiantum scarcely tolerate windy situations and appreciate good atmospheric hygrometry. Install them near a waterfall, for example, or even in a shaded wall or the wall of a cavity.
• Cyrtomium falcatum has attractive evergreen foliage, green and glossy, spreading and sparsely divided. Scythe-shaped leaflets. Quite rustic, it will find its place in pots or in the garden, in cool dry soil. Protect the stump with a mattress of dead leaves, 60 cm. 
• Cyrtomium fortunei is similar to the previous one with less thick, leathery and rather dull, light green and wavy foliage. On the other hand, it is more vigorous, 70 cm .
• C. f. clivicola , flexible port, ideal for filling an embankment.
• Dicksonia antarctica is the species most commonly used as a “tree fern”. It produces a spongy trunk (stipe) at the top of which develops a crown of large and broad evergreen leaves, very indented, green and shiny, sometimes 2.50 m long. Install in a container or on a patio, in a place protected from cold winds and late frosts. During the growth, high humidity recommended thanks to frequent bathing or misting. If necessary, installdrip irrigationin the crown. Withstands down to – 7 ° C. If necessary, protect by tying the crown and wrapping everything in a protective veil. Up to 3.50 m. NOT’ 
• Dryopteris cycadina . Its fronds are persistent, tall and light, evoking the leaves of the cycad. Easy to grow in cool, rather acidic soil. Protect the stump in winter, 70 cm.
• Lygodium japonicum is a rare climbing fern. Protected by a thick mattress of dead leaves, its stock is hardy in the Paris region. Slow growth, 2 m. 
• Woodwardia unigemmata surprises with its vigor, robustness and the size of its fronds. It is however rustic in the Paris region, with a well protected place and a protective mulch against the stump and roots. Young reddish fronds and spreading by underground suckers. Spectacular effect, 80 cm, hardiness – 8 ° C.

Ferns adapted to humid soils

• Matteucia struthiopteris or “ostrich feather fern”. Early to grow in spring, its fronds are assembled in a narrow, light green cone. Grows in compact colonies in neutral soil, rich in humus and always moist. Avoid drying winds. Up to 1.50 m.
• Onoclea Sensitis is a perennial with roots with creeping rhizomes that forms dense colonies. The fronds are short, split twice, renewing in summer, light green assuming splendid coppery colors in autumn. Ideal for bank retention, supports temporary or continuous immersion of less than 10 cm. Humus soil, rather acidic, 70 cm. 
• Osmunda regalis , “royal osmonde”, is a protected plant in our country. It is the most imposing rustic fern in our region. Sterile fronds erect, broad and divided. Fertile fronds in summer, less spectacular. It can form “turrets” and thus rise above the water level. Beautiful spring crosses and fall colors. Spores borne at the tips of fertile fronds. Slow growth, up to 2.50 m. ‘Purpurascens’, with young shoots and bronze petioles.

Indoor ferns to grow in pots

There are varieties of ferns that are grown in pots like houseplants. To learn more about caring for indoor ferns, repotting and growing them:

• Indoor ferns
• The crocodile fern
• Nephrolepsis
• Caring for the Boston fern
• 30 indoor plants with depolluting properties

Where to plant a tree fern and which soil to use?

A semi-shaded situation will be perfect. Choose a place protected from the winds by walls or hedges because the very long fronds break easily. The quality of the soil is of little importance because the tree fern has few underground roots .