13 Landscaping With Ferns Ideas: Beautifying Your Garden

Landscaping with ferns is easy when you select the right type of fern that you should grow – examples include ostrich ferns and the holly fern.

Different ferns have different uses and growth requirements, so you must consider a lot of things before selecting the right fern for landscaping.

Don’t worry, this article will guide you to make the right choice, as we have listed the best ferns that you can use for landscaping.

A Collection of Species for Landscaping With Ferns

1. Christmas Ferns

Just in case you are looking for a native fern for your landscaping project, here’s the perfect fern for you. You can use Christmas ferns in your shade garden as well, as they can tolerate low light.

These ferns are native to the coastal parts of the Eastern United States and something cool about them is that they stay green, even in winter. Well, they are slow-growing, so the best time to start growing them is now 

Even though these ferns grow very slowly, they tend to live long. If you want to plant them, ensure that the soil is well-drained and a bit acidic. Ensure that the soil never runs dry, as ferns grow very slowly in moisture-depleted soil.

2. Ostrich Ferns

Here’s another native fern that you can grow. This fern is clump-forming though it can grow 6 feet or more in width.

The fern gets its name from its infertile fronds that look like an ostrich. They are lacy, long, and emerge from the base of the fern. This fern, however, has fertile fronds that are dark and brown. They grow in summer and you can easily see them at the center of the other fronds.

While most ferns need moist soil, these creeping ferns prefer soil with slightly less moisture. Note that it needs a lot of room to spread out, so be sure to space the ferns from each other and other plants properly. Also, it grows best in a shaded location.

3. Ghost Ferns

The name of this beautiful fern is inspired by its silvery gray fronds. This fern is a hybrid made from the Japanese painted Fern and the lady fern which is native to America.

To give your landscape design a touch of gray or silver, this is the plant for you. It makes a good landscape fern, as it grows in either full sun or partial shade. This means that you can plant it wherever you want.

Even though it tolerates a wide range of light exposure, it does not tolerate dry soil. The soil must stay consistently moist if you want the ghost to grow and stay gray and beautiful in the winter months.

4. Lady in Red Fern

Here is one of the parents of the fern above. The lady in red Fern which is simply called “lady” is native to the central and eastern parts of the United States.

The “red” in its name is inspired by the showy red color of the fern’s stems. The stem becomes brighter as the fern matures. The fronds, however, are green and match the color of the stem to give your yard a very beautiful look.

You can grow this fern in full sun or partial shade, so it is suitable to grow in any part of your home.

Asides from its use for landscaping, you can use it as a ground cover plant, as it limits the growth of weeds in your yard. What’s more, the fern stays beautiful in winter, so your home design and beauty will show throughout the year when you landscape with this fern.

5. Leatherwood Fern

Another name for this beautiful fern is the “Marginal shield fern.” If you’d love to grow a fern that does not grow so tall nor spreads far, this is the plant for you.

It can grow compacted with other ferns and plants, so you can plant it in spaces left by other plants that you used for landscaping. It has leathery dark green fronds that look bluish, so it makes a good background plant for other plants in the yard.

This fern prefers to grow in shaded areas where the water does not evaporate from the soil quickly. So long as you are growing in the suitable USDA hardiness zones, this fern can easily grow without any active care from you.

6. Holly Fern

This is one awesome fern that you want to grow, as it has very hardy fronds that can stay throughout the winter.

The fronds remain very fresh and beautiful in winter, so people used them often for Christmas decorations and that is how it got its name. Like many other native ferns, this beautiful species originates from the eastern parts of the United States.

This is a very hardy fern that will give you no trouble so long as you are in the right USDA hardiness zone. To maintain the beauty of this fern, prune off the old fronds from last year so that the beauty of the new fronds can show without any obstruction.

7. Hay-Scented Fern

The thing about the eastern parts of the United States is that most of the beautiful ferns from America originate from that region.

Here’s another beautiful fern that you can use for landscaping. Do you know how freshly mowed or chopped hay smells? That is the exact scent of this fern and the inspiration behind its name. This fern has very beautiful fronds that can help it to act as a ground cover 

It grows very quickly, so a lot of people use it as ground cover to prevent weeds from spoiling the look of their carefully arranged yard or garden. Like other ferns, this fern will not give you any trouble so long as the soil stays moist and you are growing it in the right zones.

8. Western Sword Fern

Just in case you intend to add a pool or pond to your yard, here’s one perfect fern for you, as this fern prefers a coastal setting. It produces shiny (glossy) fronds and can grow tall and wide. Its fronds are long and look like a blade, hence its name. Note that a single plant can grow around 100 fronds.

Even though this fern is very beautiful, it only needs minimal care. So long as the soil and atmosphere are suitable, you only need to worry about pruning the fern regularly. Note that without regular pruning, this fern might cover other plants in the yard.

9. Maidenhair Fern

Just in case you are looking for a fern that you can easily grow in pots, here’s a good one for you.

This fern gets its name from the arrangement of its fronds and leaflets, as they give it an umbrella look. Even though the fronds can grow in every direction, this fern is non-invasive, so you can plant it wherever you want in your garden without any problems.

It can grow in full sun though it prefers partial shade. Also, you want to make sure that the pot of your potted ferns is well-drained, as the ferns can grow very slowly in waterlogged soil. Prune the blackish stems regularly to maintain the beauty of this fern.

10. Japanese Tassel Fern

This is one beautiful fern that you can use to protect your landscaping plants from weeds. As a low-growing fern that does not need a lot of light exposure, you can plant the fern below shrubs and other plants in your garden to prevent weeds from attacking the plants. The fern is not a heavy feeder, so it will not compete with your plants for nutrients.

The ferns do not spread very wide, so you’ll need to plant many of them if you want them to be effective. As long as the soil stays moist and the atmosphere is not too hot in the winter months, your tassels will grow easily.

11. Wood Fern

Wood ferns are different types of ferns that are hardy yet very beautiful. Their fronds usually change from green to orange or copper according to the season. They are evergreen, so you get to see a display of colors in your yard in the winter months. The ferns are very beautiful so long as you continue to care for them.

The beauty of these ferns fades if you do not prune them. Every two or three years, divide the ferns’ clumps to maintain symmetry. Also, ensure that you only grow the ferns in suitable zones so that they can have a speedy growth and are hardy for winter. 

12. Osmunda Fern

Just in case you are a fan of large ferns, here is one of the largest clumping ferns that you can grow.

This beautiful fern resembles a group of flowers when you look at it from the top, so it is nicknamed the “flowering fern.” Unlike other ferns, the fronds of this fern fall in winter, so you can only enjoy its beauty in its growing season.

The fern is native to Mississippi and other regions to the East. According to the variety that you want to grow, you can grow osmundas in USDA zones 3-9. One cool feature of this fern is that it tolerates very wet soils, so if your yard is waterlogged, this is a good fern that you can grow.

13. Boston Ferns

This is perhaps the most popular type of fern. As a plant that can grow in shade, most people grow this fern indoors or in shade gardens.

However, it is suitable for landscaping so long as you grow it in shaded locations. Also, ensure that you remove dead fronds immediately, as they can hide the beauty of the fern.

Conclusion

Ferns are suitable landscaping plants, as you’ve seen. Here’s a recap of this article:

• Some ferns that you should consider growing are ostrich, Christmas, holly, and Boston ferns.
• Note that some ferns spread wide and others do not. Always consider how wide a fern can spread.
• To help you grow ferns easily, consider starting with native plants, as they are super easy to grow.
• Some ferns prefer full sun while others can grow in partial shade. You should take the growing condition of the fern into consideration.
• While ferns are easy to grow, note that they can house a lot of pests. You will need pesticides to repel these pests.

Remember that even if you are already using other plants for landscaping, you can always plant ferns between the plants or keep the ferns as background plants. Check out some other fern types that you can use in your garden!

• Author
• Recent Posts

Evergreen Seeds

If you are looking for help gardening you’ve come to the right place! We love gardening and we want to share this love with you. Join our dynamic garden community.

Latest posts by Evergreen Seeds (see all)

• Grow Mango Tree Indoors: Best Tips and Tricks For You - September 21, 2023
• Are Lilacs Deer Resistant? 10 Other Deer Resistant Plants - September 19, 2023
• 7 Plants With Red Stems To Add Color to Your Garden - September 18, 2023