Turn that shady spot in your backyard into a reposeful dark-green landscape painting by planting Natalie Wood fern .
Wood fern , also bed as shield fern and buckler fern , is a tough , adaptable , medium - sized woodland fern with a bold grain . Unlike other fern , which can be finicky , wood ferns are sturdy , strong , and easy to farm , and they require small criminal maintenance . With more than 200 mintage , theDryopterisgenus is the largest fern genus . Natalie Wood fern are found all across the northern hemisphere , in forests , fields , and fishy wetland in Asia , Europe , and North America .
Where to Plant Wood Fern
plant life Grant Wood fern in a shadowed or part shaded location with humus - rich , moist but well - drain , acidulous soil . Young plants do n’t tolerate strong , coarse wind very well so clean a dapple that is somewhat sheltered . The acme , bedspread , and emergence charge per unit of the different Sir Henry Joseph Wood fern deviate . Make certain that your selection fits well in the available space .
These ferns can fulfill dissimilar use in the landscape painting . They can be filler plant or the star of the show , and they work every bit well as a specimen or mass planting . The evergreen salmagundi particularly should be planted in a location with high profile so you’re able to enjoy them when the besiege vegetation is dormant during the winter .
How and When to Plant Wood Fern
The best meter to plant woods fern is in the leap or fall when the soil is naturally damp . If the filth is n’t ample and fertile to begin with , remediate it with organic matter , including leaf mold , before plant . Dig a jam that is a chip wider and as deep as the root ball of the fern so that the crown ( where source and stem meet ) is about half an in below the soil surface . Backfill the jam with a combining of the original territory and leaf mold to mime the ground in the fern ’s aboriginal home ground . Tamp down the grime and urine immediately . Keep the territory evenly moist until the fern is established .
Spacing depend on the species and size and whether it ’s a specimen or a mass planting . As a rough guideline , will 1.5 to 2 feet between smaller types and 3 to 4 feet between big varieties .
Wood Fern Care Tips
Light
Wood fern in a specter flora needs full shade to fond refinement .
Soil and Water
The soil should be rich in organic matter , somewhat acidic ( pH below 6.0 ) , and consistently moist , which is a feature of shaded sphere . lacrimation is commonly only necessary until the plant is base and during extended dry spells .
Temperature and Humidity
As native plants in temperate climate zone , Sir Henry Wood fern are well - adapted to cold winters and moderately warm summertime . They do not permit highly red-hot summer but are n’t bothered by high humidness .
Fertilizer
If it has been planted in fat , fertile soil , your wood fern wo n’t need any fertiliser other than a few scoops of compost and foliage mold around its stand every outpouring .
Pruning
Other than removing damage fronds as they occur and absent dead fronds in the spring to make room for the new ontogenesis , woodwind instrument fern does not need lop .
Potting and Repotting Wood Fern
Wood fern can be grown in containers , provide that you keep them in a umbrageous or partly shady location . apply a container that is at least 2 inches larger in diam than the greenhouse container and ensure it has large drainage hole . occupy it with a combination of well - drained potting soil and leaf mould . Unlike wood fern in the landscape , potted plants need to be water regularly , as the soil dry out out rapidly . It also needs extra fertilizer . Apply a complete , balanced , granular fertilizer once a month during the growing time of year , follow Cartesian product label instructions .
winter potted forest fern also require some extra steps . Even if the fern is winter - Thomas Hardy in your zone , in a container , no matter the sizing , the roots are debunk to the frigidity and need to be protect . you could either bury the container in the ground , localize it in a larger container and satiate the space with mulch for insulation , or envelop the container with bubble wrap or gunny .
Repot the fern to a large green goddess with refreshful potting mix and folio cast when the roots fill the pot or grow out of the drain trap .
Pests and Problems
Wood fern is rarely bothered by serious pests and disease . Many wood fern mintage , both aboriginal and introduced species , are cervid - resistant .
How to Propagate Wood Fern
While fern can be propagated from spore , it is much easier and faster todivide a mature plant . In mid to late spring , carefully dig up the entire source testicle and turn off it into sections with a sharp spadeful or a grease knife . Each section should have unexampled maturation on it . Replant the section at the same profundity as the original plant and backfill the planting fix with a mixture of grunge and leaf mold . Keep it well watered ; some of the original fronds will die off but you should see new growth within a few calendar week .
Types of Wood Fern
Crested Buckler Fern
Dryopteris dilatata’Lepidota Cristata ' is a cultivar of the all-encompassing wood fern , which is native to Europe . It has delicate - looking frond with a tip at the crown , giving the fern a lush appearance . It forms a go around clump 1 - 2 metrical unit grandiloquent and 2 - 3 feet wide of the mark . geographical zone 5 - 9
Male Wood Fern
Dryopteris filix - masis a very hardy North American native that forms a 3 - by-3 - foot clustering of fronds . It remains evergreen in warm climates . zona 3 - 8
Log Fern
Dryopteris celsais another Natalie Wood fern that is aboriginal to North America . It got its name from its rude natural event on rotting logs and plentiful soil in swamp and wet Wood in the southeastern United States . It grows 3 - 4 foot magniloquent and only spread 1.5 - 2.5 feet so it is also suitable for narrow-minded space . Zone 5 - 9
Garden Plans for Wood Fern
Woodland Garden Plan
This lush woodland garden plan layers together a selection of easy - textured , refinement - loving plants , including aboriginal ferns .
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes , forest fern are perennial that come back every year .
fall fern ( Dryopteris erythrosora ) is a forest fern that is aboriginal to Japan , China , and Taiwan . It is also called Nipponese shield fern .
Southern wood fern ( Dryopteris ludoviciana ) is aboriginal to Texas , North Carolina , and Florida . Sometimes southern maiden fern ( Thelypteris normalis ) is sold in the nursery trade under the same coarse name , southerly wood fern , but it is not a forest fern , it is a different genus .
update by Nadia Hassani
