Quick Facts
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Height at Maturity: 1-3 Feet
Usage: Border Plants
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-8
Product Details
Our maidenhair ferns are Adiantum pedatum, the northern maidenhair, a hardy native fern with fan-shaped fronds on thin black stems. It grows outdoors in shade across zones 3 to 8. Bare-root ferns ship in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for shade gardens, woodland borders and nursery resale.
Maidenhair Fern Size, Zones and Light
Set the crowns about two feet apart in a shaded bed that you have loosened and mixed with leaf mold or compost. The fern expects the acidic, humus-heavy soil of a hardwood forest floor. Dappled light or deep shade both work. Fronds reach 1 to 3 feet, and the plant is hardy in zones 3 to 8. Each spring the rhizomes send up new crowns, and within a few seasons the gaps close.
Maidenhair Fern Fronds and Habit
Each frond splits into a rounded fan of soft, small leaflets that arch from a wiry stem, black to reddish brown and sometimes tinged purple. The fronds die back in winter and return in spring. The fine texture looks best against hostas, wild ginger and other bold shade leaves.
Where to Plant Maidenhair Fern
Woodland borders, shady rock gardens and the north side of a house all suit it, and it also grows in containers. Deer leave it alone, songbirds use the fronds as nesting material, and small animals shelter underneath. Our maidenhair fern care notes cover light, soil and watering in more detail.
Good to Know About Maidenhair Fern
Hot, dry soil browns the fronds. The fern tolerates a mild dry spell, but color holds better with steady moisture and a leaf-mold mulch. Plant the crowns while they are still damp and keep the soil moist through the first season. Our steps for planting bare-root fern crowns walk through it.
Maidenhair Fern Packs and Shipping
Maidenhair ferns ship bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse the rest of our fern plants.