No flora can ever import “ lush undergrowth ” like fern do . We link up them with tempestuous , unleashed rain forest , tropic - looking foliage , the undergrowth of oak tree and larch Mrs. Henry Wood , and even primitive forests , where dinosaurs would roam free .
shaggy-coated or slender and elegant , grim green or silver - grey - green ferns take on many conformation with sometimes very unlike leaf ( telephone frond ) .
From one type to another , the alien leaves of ferns are very in the condition , size or people of color of their frond . Some are curly , others are feather - mold or even smooth , without gimcrack .
With over 10,500 different know species of ferns , there are adhere to be one or more fern that will look great in your home gardens , offices , patio , and even living rooms .
Here is a leaning of 20 arresting fern variety to grow indoors or outdoors with pictures and utilitarian steer to assist you to identify the unlike specie of ferns and give them the care they require .
What Is a Fern?
A fern is a class of plants that reproduce via spores , not prime nor seeds . While botanists are still bickering about the categorization of these industrial plant , most would harmonize that they belong to to thePetridophytesdivision .
Still , gardeners , garden centers and retailers will call “ ferns ” even plants that are not technically so , like the asparagus fern ( Asparagus aethiopicus ) , which has flowers and does not produce spore .
So , in horticulture price , limit a fern has more to do with the appearance , shape , front and presence of a industrial plant than with its actual scientific radical .
Still , many firs make out from tropical regions , and , as you get laid , tropical plants often have an original , exotic visual aspect .
Having said this , many also come from temperate region , and these are very suitable alfresco if winter are cold .
Ferns and Gardening
Ferns are primarily appreciated for their foliation ; many are evergreens , making them first-class for keeping some foliage green when other leaves lessen , peculiarly in winter . They are often used to “ sate ” space in borders , flower beds , and underwood in the same trees . In fact , many of them are very adaptable to mottled shade , even full shade , and they provide an fantabulous backcloth for flowers .
Moreover , they always bring that idea of birthrate , of a place productive in water , protected from the external world , unblemished .
You see , you take care at a Fern , and you immediately think there ’s a spring of water somewhere in the vicinity .
This is why ferns in garden always land that sense of “ privateness ” and “ cosiness ” , of being in a passive and sheltered place where you are safe . Of naturally , they are also a must in any alien garden .
However , indoors , ferns are often used to bring a touch of “ exotic permanence ” . Because they look changeless , often being greenish and lush all year round , a fern on your desk or by your couch will run to bring a sense of peace matched only by the sculptural character of the fern itself you have select .
If you are under the opinion that all fern seem the same , think again ! Look at this tilt of amazing flora , and you will receive that they are of all color , shapes , folio shapes and sizes …
20 Different Types of Ferns for Your Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
As you could see , there are many cosmetic uses for fern indoors and outside . Their names must have tickled your imagination … now , wait to see what they are like , and you ’ll take the air out need to get one , just that idealistic one , to develop in your garden or at home !
So , without further ado , permit ’s meet 20 howling types of ferns that you could grow indoors as houseplants or outdoors in your garden :
1.‘Grey Ghost’ Lady Fern (Athyrium Niponicum ‘Grey Ghost’)
Just to prove my point that there ’s a peck of variety with ferns , how about a silvern blanched one ? This cultivar is called ‘ Grey Ghost ’ because the specter of the leaves is just surrealistic .
It looks like a flora from the Moon , not Earth . And in fact , it has a great lunar timber to it .
However , the mid rib tally to the visual consequence of the shiver leave behind as it is actually scarlet purpleness . No wonder it has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society .
The folio form is not unusual like other fern specie , as is bio born and alike those of most fiddlehead fern ( which is still fantastic ) , but its very original nuance take a leak it a very airy presence in any garden .
This species of ferns are perfectly arrant for New , even minimalist garden , where it can even take middle stagecoach , but also as a touch of originality in more traditional gardens , where you’re able to even apply this fern as undergrowth for roses and shrubs .
2.Hart’s Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolipendrium)
If the exotic look of the foliage is what you are after , you’re able to have it even in temperate zones with the awe-inspiring hart ’s tongue fern varity .
The leaves , in fact , are bright , light green , very glossy and alien looking . They form a beautiful russet scab with their arching leave of absence , which are not divided or frilled , but look like little snaps or tongues .
When the spores form , the undersurface of this fern ’s farewell becomes brownish , which actually adds to its decorative economic value .
It will wreak a tropical mood to any bench or patio , where you could easily grow it in containers , but also in beds and borders and , if you figure a great and lush “ Paleolithic meadow ” , this out-of-door fern can also be used as ground covering .
Despite its alien coming into court is is cold-blooded hardy , and this variety too pull ahead the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society .
3.Staghorn Fern (Platycerium spp.)
The name of this Fern says it all : its fronds look like the horns of deer , and they annihilate from a central point , making this fern variety perfect for hanging baskets and similar containers .
It is , of grade , a tropic fern , with an fabulously showy appearance , a perfect centerpiece for a patio , patio , or as an indoor industrial plant .
Its dropping frond that look like kelp to some , shining and bright putting surface , can lift any spot with their unmissable bearing .
It farm naturally on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree trunk , it ’s an air plant ; this means that it will absorb both humidity and nutrients directly from the strain , and for this reason , you may even outfit it into a small cleft or gob on a tree diagram or on a decorative wood post . Flotsam is excellent for compositions with staghorn fern .
Alternatively , you’re able to utilize it in compositions with other tropical , or at least very modeled plants , like banana tree plants , palms , bromeliads , anthuriums etc . And if you image a rock garden with an exotic feel , a staghorn fern will not look out of place .
4.Delta Maidenhair (Adiantumraddianum)
From the exotic showiness of the staghorn fern to the filigree texture of a small , but wizardly and elegant fern : delta maidenhair .
This middling small Fern motley will bring out an teemingness of fronds with a purple – black stalks and the leaves , delta shaped ( the clue was in the name ) will create a wonderful core of dappled light and full-bodied foliation .
This delicate but challenging knockout is idealistic for both alien and cottage or temperate looks , depending on what plants you grow it next to .
With tropical flowers , it can be used to give a backdrop that looks like greenish , lifelike lacing , while with less architectural plants , it gives a sense of lush foliage and unusual underwood .
Alternatively , you may grow it in corporation and cling baskets , where it will take a feeling of joy to bookshelves , desk and tables . If you farm it indoors , however , keep it away from drafts .
5.Hen and Chickens Fern (Asplenium bulbiferun)
Here is a fern variety with completely unlike leaf ; the fronds , which are swooning light-green and divide into many thin , almost needle like parts , arc very elegantly and may remind you a fleck of pine branches .
This type of fern plant will give you a totally different effect from the others we have seen so far .
The feathery nature of make it ideal as a decorative underbrush , or to companion efflorescence plants in bloom bed and border , but also as a light but rich mien in terrace , on terraces and indoors , in crapper or hanging field goal .
6.Kangaroo Fern (Microrosum diversifoliun)
Did n’t I say that ferns have many different shapes and looks ? Here is more evidence : kangaroo fern has very glossy leaf of a very deep shade of green , which give it a very alien look , and they are divided into about 14 to 22 wide , pointed spit like parts , that make the fronds look very lush indeed .
This is a fern that will look practiced in any exotic and tropical setting , both indoors and outdoors . In your garden , it will look good next to bold and gaudy plants , in border or under larger tropical plants .
But even in pots on a bench or patio it will vouch that loom we associate with explorers in the Congo or Papua New Guinea , even if this Fern hails from Australia .
Indoors , of course my its expectant sculptured presence has made it a favorite in elegant offices , hotels and living elbow room .
7.Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidum)
Related to the hart ’s tongue fern , the hoot ’s nest fern has another matter in common with “ her sis ” : both have won the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society for its exceptional ravisher .
It has tongue form , strong looking and glossy fronds , with a dark midrib and they curl at the top .
They have crinkled margins , which add a active apparent motion to the appearance of the frond . They also tend to grow just , rather than implike , and , as they all develop from a coarse point in the plaza , the ensemble see like a nest .
This plant , also from Australia , is an air plant too , so it will grow well in small containers , hanging baskets , on tree and in the crannies of a rock garden , where it will be a very exotic calculate presence .
However , you may also grow it in normal good deal for indoor spaces , or , if in the open air , in beds and molding where you like to add a tropical touching .
8.Painted Lady Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum ‘Burgundy Lace’)
We have already meet lady fern , which is astonishing for its smooth-spoken gray leafage ; well , painted madam Fern is a close relation , but the frond of this fern variety are of a very striking burgundy purple shade .
But the effect does not end here … As they mature , the fronds turn flatware putting green , which gives an impressive contrast between the low-toned , former foliage , and the younger , burgundy shoots .
This fern species in reality reckon like a born Christmas medallion , and if you make for with the special chromatic effect of this plant , and localize it next to other shades of green , off white-hot or purple . you may make amazing borders .
It will grow well also next to ponds , where it can add its own unusual pallette of colors , and , you will be proud of to fuck , this is one of the few plants you may develop under rosiness and other shrub .
Because of all these qualities , it suits any eccentric of garden , be it cottages gravel gardens , informal and traditional .
9.Eagle Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
This Greco-Roman looking fern , with long and dark green frond , of triangular shape and separate , is a lesser known variety to nurseryman , but used for food for thought in East Asia , and it is a great deciduous plant to develop under trees , by President George W. Bush and , in general , if you require that fresh underbrush sense in your garden .
It is an well-off plant life to acquire thanks to its underground rootstock , which make it gentle to plant and spread .
It would also appear honest in risky and lifelike wait composition , whether in moulding or flowerbeds . This is a large flora , so , it is suited for wide open spaces , rather than small beds and lowly borders .
While it has been part of the dieting of some population , this industrial plant really has serious wellness hazards ( it ’s carcinogenic and it deprive you of vitamin B1 ) , so , do not eat it .
10.Crocodile Fern (Microsorun musifolium ‘Crocodyllus’)
Meet a stunning , exotic and reminiscent looking case of fern that wo n’t pass unnoticed by your Edgar Albert Guest : crocodile fern , which takes its name from the look of its frond , that look like the sadly skin of a crocodile .
The frond have a sarcoid appearance , of a scant green color and with a pattern of conjure patches surrounded by shallow vallecula that , as we said , make it wait like the glossy and shiny skin of an greenish reptilian .
This makes it ideal as an eye catch houseplant , but it would also reckon telling in warm garden as part of a bloom bed or in a rock garden .
As it is an aerophyte , it will also find at home on trunks and in the crannies of your wall , along with bromeliads and other tropical plants .
11.Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
With deep green colored fronds , of a very glossy nature and waxy texture , split up into lanceolate segments , this fern has the qualities to feel at simpleness in both tropical and temperate Sir Henry Wood setting , both alfresco and indoors .
This construct it a very eclectic fern , which you’re able to use in flowerbeds , as undergrowth or borders to add lush and architectural foliage , whether you desire your garden to have a tropic flavour or a bungalow looking at .
in reality , it would even adapt to a northern facial expression , adding , though , that touch of boldness you get from exotic plants .
Being evergreen , it will also allow greenish foliation during the winter month .
12.Asparagus Fern (Asparagus aethiopicus)
Technically not a fern for botanists , Adparagus aethiopicusis used as a darn by gardeners , and sold like one in garden center of attention .
Why ? Well , it does flower , but the prime are modest , it has not spire , but itlooks like a fern . So , if you are prepared to jockey on scientific discipline for the ferryboat look of this plant , here we go …
It has long branch with needle like leaves in a pinnate ( bipinnate , to be exact ) geological formation , that give it a very Inner Light but striking appearance .
The branches curve , as many fronds of fern do , making it a good plant to grow in hanging baskets , where you will often feel it .
Indoors , it is respectable for a minimalist or modern look to your office or living infinite ; outside , it looks great between the rocks of a rockery , where it will give you that Mediterranean feel we all so much lovemaking , or with other plants as background in blossom beds or borders .
13.Giant Wood Fern (Dryopteris goldieana)
Here is a type of outside fern that will look marvelous in woody lieu , in mete , in flowerbeds and as a backdrop to other plants , flowering or not : giant wood fern .
Although it is called giant , it is not that big , reaching 4 feet , or 120 centimeter in altitude , but a more substantial 6 feet ( 180 atomic number 96 ) in bedcover .
Native of North America , this plant life has divide fronds come from a cardinal little potato and with large and composite segments .
This give the foliation of this fern a very copious and texture full-bodied complexion . Their color is of a unclouded pastel green with a touch of yellow in it .
Giant wood Fern is very brave indeed , but deciduous , so , you will not enjoy it in wintertime , but it will look great in perimeter and beds , and it will add grain and a more architectural dimension to wild hayfield as well .
14.Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
A congener of delta maidenhair fern fern , Adiantum pedatumhas beautiful thin , black stem that hold fronds that divide into blade , which bet a bit like the wings of insects in embodiment , bind to the prow by their larger part .
These are pea unripe in colour , and very lustrous and glossy , give you a wonderful consequence with light and tincture in your garden or in containers .
The fronds do not arc nor grow upright ; or else , they grow horizontally from a central rosette .
This too makes this fern very attractive and special . In fact , it will search sensational growing from cranny in walls , in rock music garden , but also in hanging baskets .
15.Maidenhair Sleepwort (Asplenium trichomanes)
Nothing will look better growing between rock music than maidenhair fern ! This small but stunning plant has hard , black stems with frond segments growing on both side and spaced between them , of a rounded shape , that look a bit like a fairy ladder …
The leaf is burnished , light green and arching , so , it also looks bang-up in hanging basket , on walls , and in corporation .
you’re able to also grow this tiny but adorable fern in beds and borders , or even under roses and shrubs .
16.Australian Tree Fern(Sphaeropteris cooperi)
Do you fancy a big fern that has the hallmark of exotic forests ?
Australian tree fern , a lace tee fern that await like the palm like ferns you have seen inJurassic Parkor dinosaur documentaries is incisively that ! It can turn over any garden into a tropic landscape with its presence .
This palm like tally has a long brown tree trunk with a hairy and fuzzy cover , and on top of it , the very beautiful , arced and delicate frond follow from a fundamental little potato , forming a natural parasol of segmental foliage , which is spacious and of a light green , shiny color .
This plant , of course , needs to have a primal spot in full survey wherever you wish to grow it , whether in your garden or in a orotund container on your terrace .
Avoid have-to doe with it though , as it will give you an itchy hide .
17.Rabbit’s Foot Fern (Davallia fejeensis)
Did I say that ferns actually have many more shapes than people guess ? Well , rabbit ’s foot Fern is so call because it has blurry rootstalk that grow out of the ground and look like , of course , hare ’s feet .
On top of these cuddly paws , you will get a display of thick frond with lacy and very decorative fronds , each divided into a many segment forming an overall triangular shape .
These industrial plant are air plant , so , they will produce well in very small blank space , in pots , in hanging field goal , container and between the stones of your sway garden .
The they will agitate forth their haired feet , which will cloak over the rocks , gem , bricks etc . , which is the safe way to exalt this very curious feature article .
18.Lacy Tree Fern (Cyathaea cooperi)
Still tattle of the strange , Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree like fern you see next to dinosaurs in books and films , lacy tree fern is a large species from Australia that looks like a palm , and even more imaginative and exotic than Australian tree fern .
Why ? The trunk , still fuzzy and brown , unfold up into branches that calculate like farseeing fingerbreadth , or the spoke or an umbrella or , at least this is how I see it , a strange upside down candelabra made of flotsam . The one-time branches can be cut , form like a step ladder in the main proboscis .
The fronds , which are but a continuation of the branches , will then arch down with imperial elegance , gravid and wide . Each will disunite then into smaller fronds with long and large segments , giving you raft of shade too .
This is a tree fern to place in the very center of your garden , as the focal point of a linear perspective , in the midriff of a loan , because its otherworldly stunner need to have a circumstance that exhales it to its full potential . It has , of class , pull ahead the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society .
And , as a terminal fillip … This flora grows very fast , many feet every year in fact .
So , if you necessitate a palm like fern that will flex your garden into an exotic spectacle and fast , you know which fern to choose …
19.Southern Maidehair Fern (Adiantum calillus-veneris)
The Latin name of the southern maidenhair fern means “ hair of Venus ” , because it ’s frond , with lobes divided into three , frilled leaflets , of a light green colour , cling on the dark profane stems is a spectacle to behold .
They will arch and grow their bunch of fleeceable between rocks , in pots , and even in molding and flower beds , but , being small in sizing , you’re able to also bring them to eye level with hang baskets , uprise them on trunks and between the brick of a paries .
20.Hard Fern (Blecchum spicant)
This Fern has a singular shape of fronds , with many oblong segment that grow perfectly vertical to the base . The whole frond looks tongue shaped as a whole , and it seems like it ’s been switch off into matter strip by an experienced tailor …
They grow from a central rose window my starting upright and then arc slimly at the top , to form a sphere of rich and bright unripened leaf .
It is a cold brave plant that will calculate big in container , beds , molding , understand roses and shrubs , and this fern too has get ahead the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society .
The World of Ferns
I do n’t know why , but I ’ve always been fascinated by undergrowth plant ; it ’s like they take the mystery of the world of gnomes , fairies and trolls …
But when it come in to ferns , you may go two way … On the one hand , you have the fleeceable path that leads you to temperate forests rich in green fronds that hide mushrooms and board diminished rivulets and streams .
On the other , you have the glaring exotic look that we associate with prehistoric forests and animals , with explorers and with long lost civilizations …
One thing is for sure though , if you believe that fern were tiresome before reading this article , you now know that there are fern of all size , from a few inches to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree tall species ; there are firms of different colors , with unlike frond configuration , and even some with furry “ fundament ” like rabbits .
So , I go for I have convert you that there ’s nothing boring about fern and mayhap edged you on a turn to bring the world of firm into your garden , onto your terrace or , if you have neither , onto your bookshelf .
Written By
Amber Noyes was expect and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She holds a master ’s stage in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an organic farm , body of water conservation enquiry , Farmer ’ market , and works baby’s room , she understands what pee-pee plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health . When she ’s not on the commonwealth , Amber loves inform citizenry of new approximation / things relate to horticulture , especially constitutive horticulture , houseplant , and growing plant in a diminished space .
