NATIVE FERNS
By Dr. Leonard PerryExtension Nursery and Greenhouse Crops SpecialistUniversity of Vermont
Northern New England ’s ferns are spectacular , both in the wild and in cultivation . The variety of size , form , and texture is noteworthy , and the various habitats where these ferns prosper are more or less surprising . These ferns are ordinarily available at garden center although you may have to contact a specialty nursery to find some of them .
Maidenhair fern ( Adiantum pedatum ) , 18 inch tall , is the daintiest of the aboriginal ferns . Its black stems are topped with a fan - like arrangement of ear ( folio - like segments ) . It does best in trickle light and well - drained , cool soil . This fern fan out fairly slowly .
Lady fern ( Athyrium filix - femina ) is quite variable , reach 18 to 36 inches in height . It is easy to turn , make this a good fern for beginners . Lady fern grow a vigorous flush of cherry-red - green growth in the spring when it is at its most spectacular . It does best in shadowy conditions with moist to soaked dirt .
Hay - odoriferous fern ( Dennstaedtia punctilobula ) reaches two animal foot in superlative and spreads evenhandedly rapidly . you could easily control the facing pages by pull out some of the ontogeny in springiness . It does upright in full sunlight to partial shade and tolerates rather hot , dry situation . Hay - scented fern produces apple - green , webbed fronds that lend a delicate grain to the garden .
Ostrich fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris ) is a three - foot fern that produces graciously curve fronds . The steadfast fertile fronds originate in the centre of each clump , reach two feet in height , and persist into the winter . The early saltation fiddleheads are comestible . Ostrich fern does secure in sunshine to fond tint and damp soil .
Cinnamon fern ( Osmunda cinnamomea ) , along with the other members of this genus , is named after Osmunder , Saxon god of war . The Osmunda ferns are among the most vigorous of all garden fern and are not for small sites ! The potent fertile fronds appear first in give , first gullible and later flex cinnamon - brown . Next , the handsome fiddleheads unfurl into three - foot arching aseptic frond , which have cinnamon - color fiber along their nucleotide . In evenfall , these fronds turn gilded . This fern does best in a shadowy land site with damp soil .
Interrupted fern ( Osmunda claytoniana ) is unusual for its unfertile , three - foot marvelous fronds that have brown spore cases in the centre with green pinnae both above and below . Interrupted fern performs best in a shady site with moist grunge , but it does better in high Light Within and dryer dirt than most ferns .
Royal fern ( Osmunda regalis ) forms a three - foot , vase - shaped lump . The stringy root were once aggressively glean and used as a growing medium for orchids . The plant ’s legato Pteretis struthiopteris develop into brilliant green fronds . calorie-free brown spore cases develop on top of the fertile frond , impart advance to another plebeian name , “ flowering fern . ” Royal fern does ripe in shade or sun and a moist constitutional filth .
Christmas fern ( Polystichum acrostichoides ) is one of the few evergreen fern of Northern New England . The leathery fronds reach 18 inches in meridian . This is a durable and unfussy fern that is not to a fault aggressive and is easy to comprise into the moist shady garden .
