Ferns evoke a sense of rich mystery in the landscape, like that of a lush woodland. Their fragile appearance belies their toughness. Rather than being difficult to grow, ferns are solution plants for many of the difficult landscape problems that gardeners face. They thrive in shady, moist areas and love acid soil. Plant them around the base of trees, in dark and moist areas around the foundation of your home, behind walls or utility buildings, at the edge of wooded areas. Around my home, and in nearby Savannah, GA, they grow where ever they find a foothold between cobblestones and bricks. They are great for those transitional zones between lawn and wooded areas.

As with any plant, you should prepare the growing site. It should be high in organic matter. If it is not already, amend the soil with compost, chopped leaves, milled sphagnum, peat, or similar material. Work the amendments into the soil with a garden fork. Soggy soils may be amended with sand, or you may add a layer of pot shards or stones at the bottom of the planting holes.

Ferns prefer acid soil; ideally, the pH should test between 5.5 and 6.5. Take a soil sample to your local Cooperative Extension office for analysis. Adjust the pH according to their expert recommendations.

If you are planting a container-grown fern, thoroughly water it before planting. Gently slip it from the pot, retaining as much of the soil as possible. Spread the roots out into the hole. Plant at the same depth as it grew in the nursery container. Water deeply with a fine spray. Too strong a stream of water can damage the foliage.

Many ferns are easily transplanted as bare root plants. These may be available as dormant crowns, mats, or plants in leaf. Dormant crowns are simply bare-root ferns in a dormant state with the dead fronds removed. Mats look like a tangle of roots about the size of a saucer or small plate. Planting them is not much different than planting container-grown ferns. The roots should be kept moist (not soggy) until planting, the soil should be properly prepared, and the plants watered well.

A few, like the Hay-Scented fern, are easily and economically propagated by bare rhizomes, or "root cuttings." These are usually about the length and diameter of a short pencil. Plant by digging a very shallow trench and laying the rhizomes, about 8 inches apart, horizontally in it. Or you may simply lay them atop a prepared planting bed, and cover with a couple of inches of good grade topsoil or professional potting mix. Always water well and make sure that no rhizomes are left exposed.

Ferns seldom need fertilizing. But if they look pale or grow very little, some fertilizing can help. Fish emulsion fertilizer is a favorite with fern growers. You'll find it already prepared in your finest garden centers.

Or you can make your own with the Super-Bass-o-Matic as seen on Saturday Night Live, circa 1976. (I still have mine!)

Dilute the fish emulsion with water at a rate of 1/2 teaspoon of emulsion per quart of water. Apply as a soil drench once in Spring and again in mid-Summer.

Gardeners in the frozen north often take steps to protect their ferns during winter, even if the plants are considered to be cold-hardy. If you choose to do so, leave old fern fronds on the plants as they turn brown in the fall. A light covering of tree leaves spread over a make-do frame of sticks or poultry netting works well. The mulch and frames should be removed right away in the Spring and added to the compost pile (except for the poultry netting and hardware).  Take care that young fresh fronds are not broken in the process. If broken, I understand from my friends in the frozen north that they might be eaten. Check first with your local authorities.

We Southerners think of ourselves as a devil-may-care lot: slashing, burning and rebelling. And we like to perpetuate the myth. But we are not entirely so. Slashing? Yes. Burning? Yes. Rebelling? Usually only in our dreams.

During certain days of Spring, after we have dutifully obtained our permits from various government officials, you may find billowing columns of smoke rising to breathtaking heights. We burn field stubble, volatile debris and invasive non-native species from our woods. Sometimes we even burn our front lawns.  But what do you think are among the first sprouts to emerge from our blackened landscape? FERNS!

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