Description
The Maidenhair fern is a phenomenally widespread fern, growing right across southern N.America, through Mexico and on into S. America. In the Old World it grows from W. Ireland right across Europe and Asia and south into the Middle East, central Asia and it apparently reaches parts of Australasia too. In Britain and Ireland it is a rare native and tends to occur as scattered plants found mostly in coastal regions, in humid, sheltered spots there and there.
We grow it as a companion plant for larger, tougher woodsy subjects as Anemone, Ϲalanthe, some Ϲypripedium, Paris, Trillium and Lilium, as it enjoys the same conditions of light shade, humus rich soil and humidity. We do however find it is larger than the other species that we offer and thus it is a better companion for larger dwarf species than it is for dwarf or delicate woodlanders.
It is deciduous but seems to be fully hardy here, despite a bit of a reputation for being perhaps tender, in the long term. Each March tiny shepherds’ crook fronds unroll slowly to make the most wonderful foil of bright green, much divided foliage. In a mixed planting it helps improve humidity and shades the roots of more delicate species.
Like the companion plants above, it seems to dislike over-dry soils and takes full sun badly but it will bear both with good grace if the dryness and sunshine are not too prolonged. It will sulk a little at first and we find it is best moved on point-of-grow, in Spring, then leave to establish, disturbing as little as possible. We have it growing on tufa, in dry limestone screes and in humus-rich soils near moving water (for the humidity) however it seems to ignore classic cultural advice and it grows just as well in exposed dry sites as it does in shaded humid ones. The apparent love of limestone which this species can seem to display in the UK is possibly more to do with humidity and drainage than it is to do with any need for lime, however it tolerates both lime soils and acid soils equally well in the garden.
