Ferns and other non-flowering plants (fern allies) offer subtle charm to shaded perennial gardens. Perfect companions to hostas, most of the hardy ferns and fern allies thrive in the same conditions.
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Plant Delights has one of the largest and most diverse hardy garden fern selections of any plant shop on-line, including Adiantum (maidenhair ferns) to Woodsia (wood fern), so when you are ready to buy ferns for your garden, check out our on-line list of ferns for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
Adiantum 'Bermuda Run' represents our 2000 wild collection of this wide-ranging species from Bermuda, where we found it growing on a rock wall near the Royal Dockyards. Although we were skeptical about winter hardiness, it has easily survived 6 degrees F so far. Adiantum 'Bermuda Run' is composed of light green pinnae (fern leaves) held along a 1' long black arching stipe and forms a spreading mat to 10" tall x 4' wide in 10 years. For us, this selection is more compact than most other clones that we have grown. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Arachniodes pseudoaristata) This little-known fern hails from the southern part of the Japanese islands where it forms a slowly spreading clump of upright 2' long stipes ending in stiff triangular fronds. The dark green foliage feels as though it is made from a shredded piece of hard plastic...a far cry from what we typically think of as a fern. I'd like to see a slug try and take a bite out of this one! Arachniodes davalliaeformis makes a unique, albeit slow growing specimen for the woodland garden. If you manage to kill yours, please remember to use the plastic recycling bin. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Arachniodes miqueliana is an easy-to-grow favorite of fern guru Dr. John Mickel, who generously shared spores from his home garden. Arachniodes miqueliana is similar in form to the beloved Arachniodes standishii with 2' long, arching, finely cut, lacy fronds that are extraordinarily wide at the base. The slowly creeping (not weedy) rhizomes form a superb patch. Just as with its relative Arachniodes standishii, Arachniodes miqueliana is very late to drop its foliage for the winter. We find Arachniodes miqueliana simply a superb hardy fern that should be in all woodland gardens! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This fabulous 18" tall x 18" wide evergreen fern features a wide streak of yellow down the center of each plastic-textured leaf. It is reliably hardy in Zone 7, although the new growth emerges very late (reports indicate success in parts of Zone 6). This is the one plant that visitors to your woodland garden will absolutely drool on, so invite a crowd of folks over if you're having a drought. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Finally! After walking through acres of Arachniodes standishii on Korea's Uulong Island, I understand why it is probably the most sought-after fern by gardeners worldwide. The lacy, cutleaf 18" fronds rise from a thick, slowly creeping rhizome. Our 18-year-old clumps are only 3-4' wide. Unfortunately, it is one of the least-available ferns in commerce due to reproductive issues. After 16 years of intensive sex therapy, our plant finally set a few viable spores. We're not sure how long it will stay in the mood, so get 'em while they last. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We have grown this splendid South African native asparagus fern in the garden since 2000 and would have shared it by now if it wasn't for the paucity of seed production. The thin upright stalks emerge as a 1' wide clump, producing very stiff dark green "fronds" that fill a 4' tall x 4' wide space. The stems are so durable that the plant acts like a punching bag that bounces back to an upright position if the plant is punched, kicked, or hit with an errant small vehicle (all of which are illegal in states with asparagus hate crime statutes). Asparagus africanus makes a superb textural contrast against bold foliage plants. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Asparagus denudatus A1SA-124) I nearly jumped out of the van when I first saw this cool asparagus fern near the town of Rhodes at the southern end of South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains. I returned home to delightedly find I had already overwintered a small plant in the garden. The species name, "denudatus," is nothing more than a fancy Latin word for "nekkid." The upright, glaucous-green, stiff, wiry stems sans leaves compose this 4' deciduous clumper. The glaucous foliage color doesn't show up until the second growing season. In fall, the clumps are adorned with small red berries. Asparagus denudatus makes a stunning textural combination plant that has immeasurable possibilities in the garden. I love this plant! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Imagine an asparagus that behaves like a twining vine to 15' tall, has glossy green foliage covered in fragrant white flowers in late spring, and is smothered with 1/2" bright red berries in late summer. Did I mention it's hardy to Zone 3? Would you believe it? Well, it's true, and we are pleased to be able to share one of the most bizarre plants we have encountered. The original seed came from the old DeGiorgio Seed Company via Harlan Hamernik, who also adores this plant in his Nebraska garden. The foliage stays green into the mid-20s F, serving as a perfect foil for the red berries. Any sturdy trellis, old junked pickup, or stationary highway worker is perfect for support...stand back and watch it grow. Fruiting should take about 3 years from potted plants...very cool! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This South African broom fern really swept me off my feet with its garden performance. Asparagus virgatus is a wonderful winter-hardy garden addition where an airy texture in sun is needed. The 3' tall upright spikes open into a soft, thread-like, green "broom." Each 2' wide drought-tolerant clump can be used for a textural contrast in the garden, for a long-lasting filler in floral arrangements, or to treat syphilis and intestinal worms. You gotta love those multi-use plants. In September the foliage is adorned with a multitude (catalog lingo for more than one) of small red berries. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From a volunteer at The New England Wildflower Society comes a hot new selection of our deer-resistant native lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum forma rubellum) that's all the rage. The lacy, light green foliage is held upright on dark, brilliant red-violet stipes (fern stems). Each plant of this slowly spreading fern should spread to 3' in 5 years. This deciduous, easy-to-grow fern makes a great blending plant for hosta and other bold-leaf plants in the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Considered the "Queen of Ferns," this exquisite selection of the deciduous, deer-resistant lady fern was the pride and joy of the Victorian fern craze. The narrow pinnae are like little green boomerangs. As they are attached to each side of the stem, the effect is a three-dimensional stunner. At the end of each pinna, the fronds are crested, adding to the exquisite beauty. For us, it forms an 18" tall x 18" wide clump. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Visitors to our garden have waited for years to be able to get their hands on this tremendous new fern from the Virginia garden of the late Nancy Swell. This vigorous and easy-to-grow deer-resistant hybrid between Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum') x Southern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) combines the best features of both parents. The result is a rigidly upright fern to 2-3' tall with the silvery grey foliage of the Athyrium niponicum. The formal effect of this fern opens up a new array of design possibilities in the woodland garden...superb as a hosta backdrop or the perfect addition to the haunted garden! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We obtained this gem in 1994 from Roger Grounds and Diana Grenfell, former owners of Apple Court Nursery in the UK. This amazing selection of Japanese painted fern not only has lovely purple, silver and green markings, but each leaf is dramatically crested both up the sides and onto the tip. Our specimen in the garden has matured at 1' tall x 2' wide. This is a superb deer-resistant addition to the woodland garden that we were very pleased to have named and introduced to commerce in 2003. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We first saw this amazing selection of the deer-resistant Japanese painted fern on a West Coast trip in 1999 and have been patiently waiting for adequate stock to offer. Actually, "patiently" might not be a good choice of words. Regardless, the new leaves are a stunning purple with silver stripes along the vein lines and tips. As the older leaves mature, they transform into a contrasting silvery green with purple midribs. Athyrium 'Burgundy Lace' forms a truly dazzling clump in the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Oregon's Diana Ballantyne comes this stunning, new, vegetatively-propagated selection of the wonderful deer-resistant Japanese painted fern. Athyrium 'Silver Falls' has long, arching fronds that display an extraordinary amount of silver patterning, highlighted by the dramatic red-purple veining in the leaves. This fern has more abundant and brighter-colored markings than most ladies of the evening...and is a whole lot cheaper! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From North Carolina's own Thurman Maness comes this 2007 introduction...a Japanese painted fern hybrid forming a 3' tall x 2' wide deer-resistant clump with lacy silver-green fronds, each ending with an attractive petticoat...a unique breakthrough...both the fern and Thurman! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
I'll admit it...I've had a severe case of fern envy! Try as we might, we have been unsuccessful at growing the West Coast deer fern, Blechnum spicant, so we were very excited when we finally found a similar species that we can grow. While most blechnums hate our humid summers, Blechnum nipponicum has proven quite reliable. Blechnum nipponicum makes a unique symmetrical evergreen clump of nearly flat, 1' long fronds, appearing as though a testosterone-laden spouse went through the woodland garden with a heavy-duty tractor. Although it's not the easiest fern to cultivate, a well-prepared soil and an open woodland site have worked very well. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This dwarf fern is one of our most treasured members of the family...the fern family. I observed the dryland sun fern, Cheilanthes argentea growing in both mainland China and Taiwan, native to rock outcrops, stone walls, and other such calcareous sites. The top of the star-shaped leaf is a rich green, but underneath (ok...you can look now) is a thick, silvery white coating like that stuff we put on tin roofs to prevent leaks...AWESOME! This cute little deer-resistant dryland lover is a great choice for the rock garden, but good drainage is essential for success. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Japanese nurserymen are known for finding (and creating) odd mutant plants and there is no better example than Coniogramme intermedia 'Yoroi Musha'. The 3' tall x 2' wide fronds emerge from a slowly creeping rhizome (4' wide in 5 years in NC). Each glossy, dark green frond has pinnae that randomly mutate and form odd protrusions, ensuring that no two fronds are exactly alike. We find that these easy-to-grow coniogrammes are equally at home in dry or moist soils. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(Cyrtomium caryotideum T-459/05) This Asian/US native fern looks completely different from Cyrtomium falcatum...in fact, it looks like a caryota palm leaf. The olive drab foliage consists of very large pinnae (leaflets to the taxonomically disadvantaged) with five or so attached to each side of the stem ("rachis" to you enlightened folks). The end leaflet on each stem has a cool three-lobed look...sort of like an amur maple. Each clump of this evergreen and deer-resistant fern will eventually make a lovely 3' wide mound. Cyrtomium 'Go Fish' represents Chinese genetics from a particularly vigorous individual in our garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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