How To Best Use Lady Fern In A Shade Garden

Lady Fern

Athyrium filix-femina

Description & Overview

Lady Fern is a Wisconsin native, clump-forming perennial with long upright-arching fronds and light green stalks that contrast beautifully in a shade environment. As a low-maintenance perennial, Lady Fern is also deer-resistant and can tolerate drier conditions than most ferns. Grow in mass or spread along a wood-line, this hardy fern will be a staple among the other low native and taller flowering plants in the dappled sunlight.

Core Characteristics

Mature Height: 2-3ft

Mature Spread: 2ft

Growth Rate: Moderate

Growth Form: Arching, clump-forming

Light Requirements: Partial Shade

Site Requirements: Prefers acidic, moist well-drained soil

Flower: Not a flowering plant, reproduces by spores

Bloom Period: Spores usually released late Summer to Fall

Foliage: Deciduous, bright green fronds with leaflets.

Fall Color: Not significant

Fruit Notes: Reproduces by spores

Suggested Uses:

The best site for Lady Fern is in moist soil where it receives no more than 4 hours of sunlight a day. The area can have the potential for a short dry-spell, usually between rocks or along the edge of foundations, but it prefers the soil to be moist year round. Adiantum filix-femina is typically found along deciduous woodlands where it receives root protection from fallen leaves and dappled sunlight from the canopy of the trees above.

Lady Fern is a taller clump-forming ground cover that will spread moderately by shallow rhizomes underground. The bright green foliage will provide visual interest in areas that are often dark. It can tolerate more sunlight than an average fern; however, the soil must stay moist during hotter days.

lady fern athyrium filix-femina wisconsin native ferns at johnson's nursery menomonee falls

Salable size #1 container. Picture taken June 1.

lady fern athyrium filix-femina wisconsin native perennial ferns

Wildlife Value:

Lady Fern provides value to smaller mammals on the landscape floor by creating protection from overhead predators. The spent stalks of the fern can be used by birds for nesting materials. Although, the wildlife benefits seem minuscule in comparison to other native plants, Lady Fern aids many of our native mammals, amphibians and insects who need shelter in the summer months from the heat and predators.

Maintenance Tips:

Lady Fern is a low-maintenance addition to shady landscapes. No fall clean-up work is necessary for it to revive next spring. The overdue fronds may be disposed of after the first frost if it seems unsightly. Dividing the clumps in spring and replanting at soil level may be necessary after multiple years to accommodate for the plant sinking into the soil. Signs and symptoms of stress are generally easy to read on the Lady fern and can be displayed as browning, curling fronds and discoloration. The most important aspects of care to consider are the amount of light the plant is receiving and the amount of water. The more light the fern receives, the more water it needs, otherwise, it risks drying out.

lady fern athyrium filix-femina wisconsin native perennial shade plants

Pests/Problems:

Lady Fern has no serious insect or disease problems. The humid environment that the plant is adapted to may cause fungal issues as a result of high humidity. This will usually be seen as a white powdery mildew; in which case, the best form of remedy is allowing the area to dry out. Some insects, such as aphids and moth larvae will feed on the young leaves, but this won't affect the health of the plant.

Adiantum filix-femina has been proven to be deer resistant and rabbit tolerant.

Leaf Lore:

The taxonomy of ferns has roots from long-held ideals of what is determined to be a mans' or a woman' trait. There is a 'male fern' (Dryopteris spp) which is often thicker and more abrasive with hairs or scales on their stems. As opposed to the Lady fern, which has soft-textured stems that tend to break more easily in high-winds. With that being said, many 'lady' and 'male' ferns don't always completely match their disposition, which emphasizes the modern principle of choosing a plant for the site, regardless of its gender!

Companion Plants:

Lady Fern can be a great mix to share with Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Wild Bergemot (Monarda fistulosa), Anise-Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) and plenty of other dominant native perennials. Lady Fern can be mixed with shrubs, such as Goatsbeard (Aruncus spp.), Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), Snakeroot (Actaea spp) and shade-loving hydrangeas.