A Fern Lover's Story

Ferns—unusual, mysterious, majestic, primitive. These unique plants that carpet the shady woodlands have been on earth, in some form, for nearly 400 million years. But does their wild beauty transpose well into the home garden? Chicago Illinois, Hyde Park resident and fern-enthusiast Steven Loevy thinks so. Loevy grows more than 25 different ferns in his shade-rich yard. “My fern collection started because I bought this house in 1984, and we had a silver maple in the yard, and a syca- more next door that leafs out in late June. By the 4th of July there is absolutely no sunlight. I realized that you take the light you’ve got, and you go to work with it,” says Loevy. For Loevy’s shady yard, ferns were a perfect fit. Anyone with an outdoor space that has full or partial shade will find a unique garden muse in the majestic fern. And as Loevy’s yard clearly indicates, there is a wide variety of fern species available. There is the delicate, graceful maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) with its black lacquered stems and horizontal fronds, the cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinna momea) with its erect stalk of honey-brown spores in spring, the lush and primitive sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), and the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) with its rich wine-colored fiddleheads and impressive posture. In all, there are about 1,200 different species of ferns in the world (and they can be found nearly everywhere on the planet). But only 15% of these grow in temperate environments. For obvious reasons, the best choice when choosing a fern for the garden is one of the many wonderful fern spe- cies that are native to Illinois (although there are a few non-native species that are good choices as well). Of his many ferns, Loevy’s favorite is an impressive border of native maidenhair that thrives under a canopy of coto- neaster. “They get almost no sunlight except in the early morning. They pick up the slightest breeze, and in the afternoon when the sun is filtering through the shrubs, they
Pink impatiens introduce a touch of brilliant color to this combination of royal fern (Osmunda regalis) and mayapples. just whisper to you. They’re so beautiful you can barely stand it,” he reflects. Loevy started his collection with the native ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), “My friend and fellow gardener Sue Nohigren said [ostrich ferns] grow big and they’ll grow in anything, and they do,” says Loevy. “They’re the perfect starter fern.” Joe Sable, director of production at Cantigny Gardens, agrees that the ostrich fern is not difficult to grow; however, he warns of certain challenges that come with growing this species. “[Ostrich fern] definitely requires a shady spot, uniformly moist soil, large amounts of organic matter, and slightly acidic soil, which can be hard to achieve in our naturally alkaline northern Illinois soils, You will [also] need
“[The maidenhair ferns] get almost no sun- light except in the early morning. They pick up the slightest breeze, and in the afternoon when the sun is filtering through the shrubs, they just whisper to you. They’re so beautiful you can barely stand it.”
Plan the right location for this plant in your garden because it can easily reach up to 7 feet in height and diameter,” says Sable. Loevy notes that “with the right con- ditions, ostrich fern can be invasive,” He buries 1- by 8-inch boards to contain its aggressive stolons. Caring for Ferns Like the ostrich fern, most other ferns are not hard to grow, but they require relatively specific growing conditions. “If a gardener understands the soil requirements of ferns, growing them is not difficult,” says Charlotte Thayer, horticulturist at The Natural Gardens in St. Charles. To grow most ferns Thayer suggests adding peat moss and/or rich organic matter if the soil is alkaline (pH of 6 or higher), She says that mulch assists in maintaining moisture consistency Ferns Native to Illinois • Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) • Lady Fern (Athyrium fihix-femina)
• Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) • Christmas Fern (Polystichurn acrostichoides) • Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
• Hay-Scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
• Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis)
• Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis)
Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Spin ulose wood fern (Dryopteris carthusiana), Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponi- cum ‘Pictum’), Sensitive fern (Onodea sensibilis), Western lady fern (Athyrium fihix-femina var. cyclosorum) and works on the soil to create the more acidic growing requirements that many ferns require. Besides being relatively easy to care for, ferns also have very few pest and disease problems. “Slugs can be a problem but usually confine their feeding to material close to the ground and don’t cause significant aesthetic damage. Slug baits and traps, liberally used, will usually keep them under control,” says Joe Sable, According to Loevy, slugs have been a persistent problem with some of his ferns, “These maidenhair ferns are the result of ten years of work mostly fighting slugs,” says Loevy. “It takes constant vigilance and finding slug bait that actu- ally works.” He buys Sluggo in 25-pound bags and does broadcast applications three or four times a year. There are only a few other threats. Fungal disease can cause problems on occasion, but taking the proper precau- tions should help prevent this, says Sable, “Planting in loca- tions with plenty of air circulation and keeping the garden clean of organic litter and dead leaves will greatly reduce the danger of fungal problems.” The only other threat to your ferns may be wild- life. “Rabbits and deer tend to browse them,” says J.E. Armstrong, head curator of Vasey Herbarium and professor The young fronds of autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) are a blend of pale green with touches of bronze and red. Fern Advice from the Trail One of the ways Loevy has learned to accommodate the needs of his many different ferns is through his experience as a backpacker. Through careful observation and consideration for each fern’s natural growing environment, Loevy has found interesting ways to make most of his ferns feel right at home. While kayaking off of Vancouver Island, he made an inter- esting observation about Sword ferns (Polystichum munitum). “I realized that whenever you see Sword ferns, they’re on slopes, often at the base of trees and base of rocks,” says Loevy. “They either like the constant draining of minerals or they don’t like their feet wet. So I lifted mine and sort of crammed it up against a rock, and you can see it’s doing beautifully.” To accommodate the needs of his moisture-loving royal fern, a species he observed in the wilds of northern Michigan, Loevy placed a deep plastic flower pot tray about a foot deep, directly under the rootball. This helps the soil hold moisture and it keeps its roots wet. “That gives it a swampy environ- ment, just like home,” says Loevy. “These ferns are used to the northern pine forest swamps.” Fern Reproduction Caring for ferns may be no mystery but for a long time their reproductive cycle was. People who understood plant Good Neighbors Plants that Grow Well with Ferns “Ferns blend well with each other and many other shade-loving plants—shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, and annuals,” says Joe Sable. Here are some of the plants that complement ferns: ~ottlebrush Buckeyes (Aesculus parviflora)
Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) • Dogwoods (Cornus spp.) Summersweet Clethra (Clethra alnifolia) Viburnums (Viburnum spp.) Astilbe (Astilbe spp.) • Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.) • Begonias (Begonia spp.) • Hostas (Hosta spp.) • Impatiens (Impatiens spp.)
One of Loevy’s prize possessions is his moosewood or striped maple (Acer pensyl van icum) An understory tree of eastern forests, it is valued both for its shade tolerance and its striped bark. A clump of holly fern tom~uo~tun~\ ~(O’N~ ~tts~ ~c~tu~ ~~t\w~ reproduction in terms of flowers and seeds were baffled by this flowerless, seedless plant. How was it reproducing? Was it magic? Hardly, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. “As non-seed plants, ferns must be propagated by division or by growing spores into a small sexual stage,” says Armstrong. Essentially ferns reproduce by releasing spores which, if they land in a good spot (moist and shady), will eventually turn into gametophytes, or plant sex cells, The gametophytes then develop both the ferns’ male (antheridia) and female (archegonia) sexual reproductive organs. Each female organ (for every gametophyte has numerous female and male organs), holds one egg which is ready and waiting to be fertil- ized. After the gametophyte has reached full sexual maturity, the male organs will come into contact with water and open, releasing sperm. If everything goes according to plan, the sperm will swim into the female organ and fertilize the egg. Even though the mystery of fern reproduction has been solved, there is still an air of magic behind ferns. To our knowledge, they are among the oldest kinds of plants on the earth, even older than the dinosaurs, When used in a garden, they create an effect that is both beautiful and ~t~m~t~ve, tu~tic an~3. eXegant. They give arw garden a natu- ta~o~ lus~c~ kook, anX theN offer an~ gardener the wonder and excitement of gardening with such primordial plants.

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