Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

 

Name  Image  Description 

Adiantum aleuticum 'Miss Sharples' 

 

A hardy Maidenhair fern. Deciduous growing to 45cm with imbricated pinnae fingered on stalks.  Prefers shade but not dry shade. 

Adiantum pedatum 'Imbricatum' 

 

‘Ibricatum’ is a deciduous dwarf fern, to 20cm tall, with black stems and fan-shaped pale blueish-greenish fronds composed of leaf segments close to the midrib. Prefers partial or full shade with lots of Exposure.  

Adiantum venustum 

 

A venestum is a deciduous fern, almost evergreen in mild areas, with a thin, creeping rhizome, forming a mat to 25cm in height, with ovate fronds composed of many small segments, often turning a rusty-brown in autumn and winter Partial shade or full shade with shade or exposure. 

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Angustifolia' 

 

The Narrow Hart’s Tongue fern is an evergreen fern forms a rosette of arching, rich green, strap-shaped fronds 30-75cm in length. They are perfectly suited for the edge of streams, ditches, waterfalls, walls and woodland areas in dappled shade. Partial shade or full shade with shade or exposure. 

Asplenium Ceterach 

 

Commonly known as Rustyback it is characterised by a short rhizome which gives rise to several green fronds, length 9cm, that have a pinnated lamina. Prefers plenty of shade and low humidity. 

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Furcata' 

 

Characterised by a readily forking stipe and fronds with light crisping at the tips.Readily grows in dry stone walls or living walls. Prefers to be well-drained in soil in full or semi-shade. 

Asplenium scolopendrium 'Undulata' 

 

Evergreen, hardy fern forms an attractive rosette of rich green fronds, all of which have an intriguing and slightly haphazard appearance, with undulating margins. Prefers full to semi-shade and moist soil. 

Asplenium trichomanes 

 

Compact evergreen fern forming a rosette of blackish-stemmed, pinnate fronds with small, rounded or oblong segments; well-suited to planting in a dry wall. Prefers full or partial shade, exposed or sheltered. 

Athyrium filix-femina 

 

Athyrium filix-femina is a vigorous deciduous fern to 80cm or more, forming a clump of fresh-green, lacy, bipinnate, lance-shaped fronds, the segments with toothed margins. In some plants the midrib is red, in others green. Prefers full or partial shade in moist neutral soil. 

Athyrium filix-femina 'Frizelliae' 

 

A. filix-femina is a vigorous deciduous fern to 80cm or more, forming a clump of fresh-green, lacy, bipinnate, lance-shaped fronds, the segments with toothed margins. In some plants the midrib is red, in others green. Prefers to be sheltered in full shade or exposure.  

Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red' 

 

Overall the fronds are delicate in texture and poses that lovely 'ferny smell' when brushed. Needs constant access to moisture to grow at its best, achieving 90cm in height.  Prefers part shade to partial shade.  

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Athyrium ‘Silver falls’ 

 

'Silver Falls' is a deciduous fern with creeping rhizomes. The deeply divided, grey-green fronds have purple-red midribs, and are heavily overlaid with silver and with a central, purplish flush. Prefers shade or partial shade in moist well drained soil. 

Athyrium niponicum ‘Burgundy Lace 

 

Burgundy Lace is a cool metallic looking fern with spectacular burgundy infused foliage. These striking deciduous perennials known as Japanese 'painted lady ferns' are particularly shade tolerant and are easy to grow.  Prefer shade in moist, fertile soil.  

Athyrium niponicum ‘Metallicum’ 

 

‘Metallicum’ is an elegant deciduous fern, forming a pretty rosette of strikingly refined fronds.The fronds are silvery grey, almost metallic, with green highlights and burgundy veination. 

Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’ 

 

A striking deciduous fern with a shortly-creeping rhizome and lance-shaped, bipinnate fronds, grey, with paler midribs to the pinnae, and a red-purple zone along the centre. Prefers shade or partial shade in moist well drained soil. 

Athyrium niponicum ‘Silver Falls’ 

 

'Silver Falls' is a deciduous fern with creeping rhizomes. The deeply divided, grey-green fronds have purple-red midribs, and are heavily overlaid with silver and with a central, purplish flush that develops. Prefers shade or partial shade in moist well drained soil. 

Athyrium ‘Ursula’s Red’ 

 

Deciduous fern has rich purple-bronzed tones, sprinkled with silver dust. works well when used as low planting in a large pot and placed on a shady terrace.  Prefers moist soil in full or partial shade. 

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Athyrium ‘Vidalii’ 

 

Vidalli produces golden yellow leaves with striking red stems. These deciduous Japanese perennials known as 'painted lady ferns' are easy to grow and particularly shade tolerant the leaves will be much brighter grown in shade or semi-shade.  

Blechnum penna-marina 

 

Penna-marina is an evergreen fern forming a mat of spreading, simply pinnate, dark green sterile fronds to 15cm in length, with narrower, erect fertile fronds, the young fronds often reddish. Prefers full or partial shade. 

Blechnum spicant 

 

Blechnum spicant is a neat, tufted evergreen fern to 50cm, with spreading, narrow, dark green, simply pinnate sterile fronds and erect fertile fronds with linear pinnae.   

Cheilanthes lanosa 

 

Beautiful pale grey fronds provide year round interest to shady parts of the garden. Forms a low, tufted clump of finely divided fronds, covered on both sides with soft rust-brown hairs.  Prefers full sun in well-drained soil. 

Cyrtomium falcatum 

 

Has leaves exceeding 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) in length made up of six to ten pairs of shiny bright green leaflets. Each leathery leaflet has a flat to wavy to slightly toothed margin and a netlike pattern of veining.  Prefers light to deep shade in average soil.  

Cyrtomium macrophyllum 

 

This shade loving fern has bold and bright matte-green leaves that give a fresh look throughout the spring and summer. The leathery foliageworks well combined with fine textured ferns.  

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Dryopteris affinis 'Crispa congesta' 

 

Dryopteris crispa congesta is a small clump forming fern with tight dark green glossy fronds that are slightly twisted. Evergreen and will grow to 25cm in height its best in part shade and moist soil but will tolerate drier spots. 

Dryopteris crassirhizoma 

 

Dryopteris crassirhizoma tall, vase-shaped fern that usually forms a solitary crown. The thick textured fronds give it a very tropical appearance in the garden. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil 

Dryopteris erythrosora  

 

Dryopteris erythrosora is a semi-evergreen fern to 75cm, forming a compact clump of broadly ovate, pinnate fronds, often coppery-pink when young. Spore-heaps also often pink. Prefers full sun, partial shade, or full shade with free-draining rich soil in a sheltered position.   

Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ 

 

'Brilliance' is an evergreen fern with bronze-coloured new fronds in spring and particularly bright orange-red ripe spores on the undersides of the leaves in autumn. Prefers partial or full shade in sheltered moist soil. 

Dryopteris lepidopoda 

 

The evergreen sunset fern from the Himalayas, the Dryopteris, upright in habit but with pink/red new flush to the glossy foliage.  Grow in a loamy soil in a shaded area.  

Phyllitis scolopendrium 

 

Phyllitis scolopendrium (Hart’s tongue) is an evergreen fern forming a rosette of arching, rich green, strap-shaped fronds 30-75cm in length, the margins often undulate. Spores borne in conspicuous transverse stripes beneath the fronds. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil. 

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Polystichum makinoi 

 

A medium to large-sized fern, this evergreen species performs well in a wide range of climate regions. It forms a tidy non-spreading mound of arching, triangular fronds that are dark green and glossy. Ideal for use as a woodland specimen or for massing as a groundcover. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil. 

Polystichum setiferum  ‘Congestum’ 

 

Dense, upright fronds, overlapping pinnae. A good dwarf form for the rock garden. Evergreen. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil.  

Polystichum setiferum ‘Herrenhausen’ 

 

'Herrenhausen' is a semi-evergreen fern. The new foliage uncurls in spring to show long, intricately-divided fronds up to 1m in height. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil. 

Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumoso-densum’ 

 

Soft, narrow, dark green fronds arranged in a distinctive shuttlecock-like shape. This handsome evergreen fern is perfect for a shady border with fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil.  Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil. 

Polystichum setiferum 

 

Polystichum setiferum is a tufted evergreen fern to 1.2m in height, with rosettes of soft textured, lance-shaped mid-green fronds, the stalks with prominent orange-brown scales. Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil.  

Ground ferns Plant list - Season 2019  

Polystichum tsussimense 

 

Polystichum tsussimense (Korean rock fern) is a small tufted evergreen fern to 45cm, with erect, narrowly lance-shaped, bipinnate fronds, with slender-pointed apex and pinnae Prefers partial shade or full shade in well drained soil.