Lady Fern
The Attractive Lady Fern Is Easy To Grow
The Lady fern (athyrium filix-femina), also known as the wood fern's wife, is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. In the wild it grows in the lowlands, in moist woods (both evergreen and deciduous) and meadows, and is often found in swampy areas and along streams. It is a fairly large fern, reaching over 5 feet in height under moist conditions, and tends to grow in colonies.
This fern is one of about 12,000 species in existence in the world today. Ferns are very old, having been on the earth several hundreds of millions of years, predating the dinosaur. Ferns are found in every region of the world, except for the polar regions. A majority of existing species are native to tropical regions. A lesser number, including the Lady fern, are found in more temperate zones, and are consequently far easier to grow, more so than many other species, when cultivated in a similar zone.
While the Lady fern is typical of most ferns, as far as a love of moist and shady locations is concerned, there are a few differences. The plant will tolerate much dryer conditions than most other ferns can. It can, for example, do quite nicely in the dry and somewhat neglected ground under the eaves of a house. It will also tolerate direct sun, where other ferns will not. Still, the Lady fern is at its best when grown in a moist area, with light shade or filtered light. Its light green branches make it particularly attractive in shady areas, against a backdrop of much darker green and shade-loving plants.
Good companion plants are the hosta and rhododendron, which will not be overwhelmed by a five-foot fern. The Lady fern tends to expand slowly through the rhizomes in its root system, forming small clumps. It can make a good ground cover, while the single clumps can be very attractive in a rock garden.
Even though it is a showy ornamental plant, this fern is not normally considered for use as a house plant, or container plant, due to its height. It seems most at home in a garden, stream side, or woodland setting. It is usually planted by division of its rhizomes, and is quite easy to grow and maintain when started in the rich moist soil that ferns generally prefer.
To start the plant, a mixture of one-third garden or potting soil, one third peat moss, and one-third sand is best. Adding manure will help get the fern off to a good start. Its permanent location should be a moist area, or around moisture, but nevertheless have good drainage. The fern is one of those plants which dearly loves moisture, but does not like to get its feet overly wet.
The Lady fern is deciduous, and it will drop its foliage at the first hint of frost. It overwinters well in temperate climates, ready to have another go at it the following spring.