Garden Tools & Supplies

The Wildwood Twist Fern, 'Athyrium 'Wildwood Twist', is a hybrid of the Japanese Painted Fern. It is a deciduous fern which typically grows to 18" tall and features slowly spreading clumps of triangular, smoky gray and green fronds. The fronds twist along the length of the frond. Use this plant in the landscape to add color to shade gardens and in combinations with other perennials. The Wildwood Twist Fern is easily grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. The best site is in sheltered locations. The best frond color is achieved in light shade. The soil must not be allowed to dry out. Use this plant to add color to shade gardens and combinations with other perennials. It blends well with lungwort, foamflower and hostas.

The Brilliance Fern, 'Dryopteris 'Brilliance', is a new colorful and more brilliant form of the Autumn Fern. The young fronds of this cultivars are showy and orange. The fronds hold their glossy green sheen at maturity. The growth habit is identical to the Autumn but as a whole it is dramatically more showy. This fern is a great addition to the fern garden. The Brilliance Fern is an evergreen fern and is slow-spreading. It?s easy to grow and is surprisingly drought tolerant once established in a garden.

The Red Beauty Fern, Athyrium 'Red Beauty', is a very vigorous and attractive relative to the Japanese Painted Fern. The Red Beauty Fern is a quick-growing plant for any partly to fully shaded garden location. The stems and veins remain bright red from spring to frost, while its long, elegant, lacy fronds cast silvery-green shadows in the shade. The upright fronds do not turn green in hot summer weather. You can use this plant as a groundcover because of its broad habit and fast growth. The Red Beauty can be used in containers, borders, and the fronds may be used for indoor arrangements. The deeply-dissected, fern-like, medium green leaves have a strong, somewhat spicy aroma that may persist when used in dried arrangements. Rabbits prefer not to eat on the Red Beauty Fern. Place this plant in moist, well-drained, enriched soil.

The Ghost Fern, 'Athyrium niponicum var. pictum and Athyrium filix-feminais', is a deciduous hybrid fern. The characteristic that is most noteable is it's upright silvery foliage. The silvery foliage is acquired from its Japanese painted fern parent and upright habit from its lady fern parent. It typically grows to 30? tall. The slowly spreading clump of fronds are a soft grayish-green with an overlay of silvery shades. The silver is contrasted by the darker maroon midribs. The fronds become more grayish-green as summers warmer temperatures arrive. The Ghost Fern is easily grown in organically rich, medium wet, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. The best site for this plant is in sheltered location. The Ghost Fern will tolerate more soil dryness than some other ferns, but soils must not be allowed to dry out. This fern is best used in, shade gardens or shaded border fronts, and in shaded areas near streams or ponds.

The American Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum pedatum, is a deciduous, clump-forming fern which typically grows 1.5 to 2' tall and is most frequently found on rich wooded slopes, ravine bottoms and damp shady woods. American Maidenhair Ferns prefer moist, shady conditions, but will grow in sunnier spots if kept moist. Wiry stems are reddish-brown to black. Crosiers (coiled young fiddleheads) emerge pink in spring. The attractive foliage is showcased in container plantings, foundation plantings, and groundcovers.

The Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis, is a large, somewhat coarse deciduous fern which occurs in wet woods and thickets and in moist soils along streams and springs. Sensitive Ferns can grow up to 4' tall. It features long-stalked, deeply pinnatifid, bright green, vegetative (sterile) fronds (2-4' long) with leathery, triangular leaflets (pinnae) which have distinctively netted veins. It is best not to remove dead fronds until spring, because they provide protection for the crowns over the winter.

The Lady fern or Red Stem fern has a feathery textured frond with a red stem. It is a slow spreading fern, which will make a nice mass in a few years. The Southern Lady fern thrives in the garden, given any reasonably good soil and will make a dense stand over time. It prefers to have it's feet wet. This plant is used for container plantings, borders, foundation planting, massing and groundcover. The Southern Lady fern is perennial and is deciduous. This very versatile plant goes well with evergreen shrubs and Hostas.

The uJapanese Painted Fern?, Athyrium niponicum uPictum', is a low maintance, deciduous fern with soft grayish-green and silvery dark maroon foliage. Being the Perennial of the Year for 2004, one can see why. uJapanese Painted Fern? has a plant spread of 24? and a height of 24? and a must to any garden. uJapanese Painted Fern? requires full shade, however, small amounts of afternoon sun give the most vibrant color to its foliage. Best of all, the Japanese Painted Fern can help with erosion control, while presenting minimal wind resistance.

The Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, occurs in both dry and moist wooded slopes, moist banks and ravines. It typically grows in a fountain-like clump to 2' tall and features leathery, lance-shaped, evergreen (green at Christmas time as the common name suggests) fronds. Christmas ferns are asymmetrical with a fine texture and has a moderately dense crown. The evergreen fronds provide good winter interest for the landscape. These plants serve as hosts for butterfly larvae.

The Cinnamon Fern, Osmunda cinnamonea, occurs in moist, boggy ground along streams and on shaded ledges and grows in clumps to 2'-3' tall, but with constant moisture can reach 5' in height. When new fronds appear, they have a cinnamon color. Plant them in a loamy woodland soil in some shade to mimic the natural environment. This fern is used in container plantings, rock gardens, borders, specimen plants and as ground cover. This plant tolerates flooding and will grow in wet submerged soils.

Ebony Spleenwort Fern, Asplenium platyneuron, is an evergreen fern which typically grows to 15" tall and occurs on rocky wooded ledges, rocky slopes and mossy banks. Plant in dry, rocky, shady areas of rock gardens (will grow in rocky crevices), native plant gardens or woodland areas. The ideal planting area would be in a shaded area rich in leaf mulch. This fern is very attractive when planted with wildflowers such as Tillium, Mertensia and columbines.

The Hayscented Fern, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, is very common. It can be identified by its lacy, light-green fronds that feel very slightly sticky to the touch. It often grows in large colonies and appears to be forming a carpet. When the leaves are bruised they smell like fresh mown hay, hence the name. It is an aggressive spreader and is a very popular garden fern. Landscape uses are for borders, massing, specimen and groundcover. This perennial fern grows fast and is deciduous.