Maidenhair fern is a unique, airy fern with fan-shaped fronds growing around a horseshoe-shaped stem. Maidenhair ferns spread to form dense patches.
- Ground cover
- Deciduous (foliage falls off)
- Chicago area
- North America
- Zone 3
- Zone 4
- Zone 5
- Zone 6
- Zone 7
- Zone 8
- Partial shade (4-6 hrs indirect light daily)
- Full shade (4 hrs or less of light daily)
- Occasional drought
- Alkaline soil
- Clay soil
- Acid soil
- Moist, well-drained soil
- Medium plant (12-24 inches)
- Mixed border
- Mid spring
- Late spring
- Early summer
- Mid summer
- Late summer
1 to 2 feet high and 1 to 1 1/2 feet wide
Tree & Plant Care
Excellent plant for naturalizing and shade garden
Prefers moist, humus-rich soils in full to part shade.
Plants tend to burn in full sun.
Divide clumps when patch gets too crowded.
Disease, pests and problems
No serious insect or disease problems
Native geographic location and habitat
Native to the eastern half of the United States.
Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture
Delicate fronds emerge in spring.
Green, fan-shaped fronds on horseshoe-shaped rachis
Flower arrangement, shape, and size