"No other plant, apart from the trees themselves, evoke such a feeling of cool, tranquil woodland. Whether they are in shade or sunlight, there is something mysterious in the fur-backed thrusting stems and the fragility of pale, curled fronds."
This small shade garden is home to hostas, heucheras, lilies, rhododendrons, Mukdenia, violets, moneywort, false garlic, Dutch iris, Alliums, cranesbills, Spigelias, and quite a few other plants... but none of them in early spring excites me near as much as seeing fern fronds beginning to emerge from the soil. And a little later, about now, none of these plants evokes the reaction in me that the sight of a well-developed clump of ferns does.
This small Autumn Fern was planted in early March as a 4 inch pot. It is doing well in this location... within a year or two it should be several times larger than it is now. There are more Autumn Ferns in this garden than any other form... but the beds are now home to Sensitive Fern, Tokyo Wood Fern, 'Parsley' Fern, Japanese Painted Fern, Sunset Fern, Wood Fern [Dryopteris remota], Ghost Fern, Golden-Scaled Male Fern and a Dyce's Holly Fern in a clay pot.
John Mickel, in his encyclopedic "Ferns for American Gardens", lists most, if not all, of these ferns as easy to grow. That is OK with me. The mere fact that ferns grow successfully in Oklahoma City gardens is satisfying enough for me.

Spring among the ferns in my garden:

'Ghost' Fern


Golden-scaled Male Fern


Autumn Fern


Sensitive Fern


Japanese Tassel Fern [personal favorite]


Dyce's Holly Fern


Dyce's.....


Two seasons ago a friend gave me a six inch pot of Adiantum capillus-veneris [Southern Maidenhair Fern]. I planted it in the shade tree bed... thinking to enjoy it for that season. I was amazed when it returned last year and became a delicate, beautiful specimen. After last winter's ice storm and an Arctic freeze for three weeks in February I was ready to bet I would lose several ferns... and many other plants. Fortunately that did not occur.
I lost a lot of that pessimism the day I realized this small fern was returning for a third season. It is still pretty small... but it is hanging tough and I'm impressed.