Ferns are a fall favorite

Ferns may not be the brightest, most colorful plants in the garden, but a low profile suits these Pteridophytes just fine. They come in unassuming shades of green, intermixed with the occasional blue, gray or pink, but the true glory of a fern is its texture.

“It’s my favorite plant,” proclaims George Sanko, director of the Georgia Perimeter College Native Plant Garden. “When I go to the woods, the first thing I spot are ferns.”

Though ferns can typically be planted throughout the year, the cool weather of fall is an ideal time to plant hardy ferns along with woody perennials, he advised.

Sanko should know. On the college’s Decatur campus, amid a garden of perennials, shrubs and woody plants managed by volunteers, he has developed one of the world’s most impressive collections of native and exotic ferns. He has raised more than 375 types (nearly 8,500 plants in all), including xerics, a group of desert ferns Sanko is testing for Georgia’s climate. Many of these ferns, along with perennials and shrubs, will be sold this Saturday at the garden’s annual “Fern Madness” plant sale.

Typically, ferns prefer dappled sunlight, well-drained soil and a moist environment. Some are deciduous, while others are evergreen and semi-evergreen. They reproduce by spores, typically found on the underside of a frond, and some varieties creep by producing runners.

Though Sanko doesn’t grow his ferns in pots, he says ferns can thrive in them as long as they’re regularly watered and, most importantly, never “jailed” as indoor plants.

Sanko’s 10 fern favorites, perfect for Atlanta planting, are featured in this photo gallery for those wanting to get in the fern game.