10 Hardy Ferns

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10 Hardy Ferns

Fern expert George Sanko extols the virtues of 10 hardy fern types, which will be among those for sale at Georgia Perimeter College's "Fern Madness" sale this Saturday, Sept. 20 on the college's Decatur campus.

Cool fall weather make this an ideal time to plant hardy ferns. Need help selecting one? George Sanko, director of Georgia Perimeter College's Native Plant Garden, offers 10 fern favorites:

1. Dryopteris erythrosora, 'Autumn' fern; Type: exotic, evergreen Height: 2-3 feetGrowth pattern: clumper Special features: Pink fiddleheads add colorful flair. Extremely hardy in both flood and drought, as well as full sun. "It's the everything fern, " according to Sanko, director of Georgia Perimeter College's Native Plant Garden. "The best fern for the Southern garden."

2. Matteuccia struthiopteris, 'Ostrich' fern; Type: native, deciduousHeight: 3-3 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: clumperSpecial features: Has two types of fronds. The sterile frond is large and leafy, while the fertile frond looks like rosemary or feathers and produces spores. Though a clumper, the 'Ostrich' fern sends out a runner that produces an entirely new plant.

3. Dryopteris ludoviciana, 'Florida wood' fern;Type: native, semi-evergreenHeight: 2-3 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: slow creeperSpecial features: Large tall center fronds are fertile; bottom fronds are sterile. In winter, fronds will fall flat to the ground.

4. Dryopteris cycadina, 'Shaggy shield' fern;Type: exotic, semi-evergreen Height: 1 1/2-3 feetGrowth pattern: clumperSpecial features: Extremely weather-hardy. Even after flooding, this one bounced back to normal. Robust is how George Sanko describes it. He's director of Georgia Perimeter College's Native Plant Garden.

5. Dryopteris x australis, 'Dixie wood' fern; Type: native, semi-evergreenHeight: 4-5 feetGrowth pattern: slow creeperSpecial features: With a height up to 5 feet, it's the garden's tallest native fern. "If you want big, this is it, " Sanko says. Large fronds will fall flat in winter.

6. Polystichum acrostichoides, 'Christmas' fern; Type: native, evergreenHeight: 1-1 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: clumperSpecial features: Fronds will flatten in winter, but keep color. More drought-tolerant than average.

7. Thelypteris kunthii, 'Southern wood' fern; Type: native, deciduousHeight: 2 1/2-3 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: fast creeperSpecial features: Good for containers. Likes morning sun and filtered light. (Heavy sun will turn fronds dark and coarse.)

8. Dryopteris celsa, 'Log' fern; Type: native, semi-evergreenHeight: 3-3 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: slow creeperSpecial features: Fronds flop in winter, but keeps rich green color.

9. Osmunda cinnamomea, 'Cinnamon' fern;Type: native, deciduous Height: 1-1 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: clumperSpecial features: Great for wet areas. In spring, look for fuzzy gray fiddleheads that resemble "E.T." Sanko says. Fertile fronds later turn a deep cinnamon color.

10. Adiantum pedatum, 'Northern Maidenhair' fern;Type: native, deciduous; Height: 1-2 1/2 feetGrowth pattern: fast creeperSpecial features: Fern expert Robert Sanko has found these beauties can be finicky and seem to prefer to be planted by rocks.

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Cool fall weather make this an ideal time to plant hardy ferns. Need help selecting one? George Sanko, director of Georgia Perimeter College's Native Plant Garden, offers 10 fern favorites:

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