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| There's an area of the yard that's in deep shade. To the west, it is blocked by the house. The light is blocked overhead by a very large Deciduous tree. The tree covers a large area. It's dark enough that weeds don't even grow there except may be for a dandelion or two.
Would fern grow in such a deep shade? Paul |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| The problem for a fern may be drought from the tree roots rather than the dense shade. What kind of tree is it? If weeds don't even grow there, it's not likely anything else will. |
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| The right kind of fern could work. I don't know which ones you have available but it needs to be one which will cope in dry shade, rather than moist shade. I have Asplenium scolopendrium, Hart's Tongue fern, in dry shade under a birch. It is very hardy and evergreen. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 25, 11 at 11:01
| the key is picking the right fern ... and the drought is the issue. .. and providing enough water ... for them to get established.. so that when mature.. they can deal with the drought they were chosen for.. if its a norway maple.. dont bother ... i agree tree ID is where you start .. ken |
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| I live in six acres of native woods. A mix of Oak, bay and Douglas fir. Our ferns are native and are scattered through the woods, most in deep shade. When I want one for the garden, I simply dig it up and move it in the winter. Al |
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| Dryopteris types will do well in drier soil. I have Sweet Autumn ferns under maples and they perform exceptionally well. Like someone mentioned, even if you choose a fern that tolerates drier soil, for a time you'll have to provide supplemental watering until it gets well established and can hold its own. |
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| How far does the tree root reached? The tree is 20 feet away from the spot? I don't notice any tree roots when I am digging. I think in this case it's probably just too dark being trapped under canopy of the tree next to the house and blocked by the house across the street (which also have trees). I think the tree is a maple (not sure what kind), which tend to be a problem. It can't be too bad though, since Lily of the valleys are growing underneath the tree. That's probably one thing we can try, but Lily of the valley are quite short and aren't really visible until you get real close. Paul |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 25, 11 at 13:57
| presume a tree is twice as big underground as above.. though basically in a flat shape within a few inches or feet of the surface ... the only way to get an answer.. is to go dig a hole.. and see whats there ... under 'bad' trees ... it will be entirely void of any moisture to a significant depth [not that you need to dig deep] .. and highly compacted .. hard to dig in ... do the same after a slight rain.. and see if the rain actually wets more than the surface of the soil ... you want answers that we are not going to be able to give you.. dig holes.. lol ... besides.. the heat of summer is not the time to be planting.. so gather all your info for fall planting ... not unlike al .. all my first ferns.. were liberated from forests or friends .. its a great way to get natives ... that will gladly grow in your zone ... but of course.. get permission ... you arent really supposed to liberate them from state or federal parks ... lol .. i also begged a few from garden friends.. if it lives.. anyone who plants ever planted one.. will .. a few years later.. have many hundred to share ... ken |
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- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 25, 11 at 16:33
| Plain old ostrich ferns are extremely adaptable if my yard is any example. The first few were taken from "the farm" - old undeveloped wooded acreage my Grandfather got in settlement of a bar tab back in the 40's. The rest is history. I have many colonies now; in dense shade, in full sun, under spruce, in close proximity to a large maple and they all do well. The main patch (pretty much in full sun) is a sight - most are 4-5 feet tall and just starting to arch over now. Almost prehistoric looking. The down side - and this may be true of all ferns - they start to yellow out by late August and it's not long before I get antsy to cut them down. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 26, 11 at 10:08
| Since there are dozens of fern genera, it's hard to make any concrete observations :-) Some require shade, even very dense shade, some prefer brighter locations. Some even grow in full sun and under very dry, almost xeric conditions (Cheilanthes) and are suitable for rock gardens! Some are very drought tolerant, some prefer consistently moist soil conditions. And some are fully evergreen while others do die back in winter. It's just a matter of picking the right fern for your spot. Since many ferns grow naturally in close competition with larger trees, roots are generally not much of an issue other than being able to dig a good enough hole for planting ;-) I'd look at Dryopteris felix-mas (male fern), Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn fern), Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern), Osmunda claytonia (Interrupted fern) and Polystichum munitum (Western sword fern). And Japanese painted fern is considered to be quite drought tolerant but may require a bit more light to develop best coloring. |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Sun, Jun 26, 11 at 10:37
| I wouldn't add Autumn Fern to my particular garden because of it's reputation for spreading fast. I have used Japanese Painted Fern in every dark corner of my garden and although it hasn't grown into huge sizes there so far, it has performed well and is so drought tolerant to manage at the base of a mature Maple. |
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| Autumn fern has not been a spreader for me - has formed nice clumps over the years, but never travelled anywhere. I do have in close proximity to tree roots, though (maple, redbud), so perhaps the drier conditions are keeping them in bounds - ?. |
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| No Autumn Fern is not aggressive. That would be Ostrich fern. Everyone has said that is a problem but I like it. It is a good fern for difficult areas. I have a area that is bone dry even when we had pouring rain all month in May. To get my ferns established I dug my planting hole laid a piece of plastic filled the hole with some of my clay soil, compost, leaves and some of the moisture crystals. That is how I got my Ostrich ferns to get established in the area. I am not home enough to keep them moist. It worked very good. |
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| Hi, I took a look at the area again and don't notice any roots and is now covered with weeds. The plan is to plan to some Ostrich ferns, which can have some aggressive tendency to spread, but that would be welcomed because not much is growing there. In fact, if it pops up in the middle of a bed of Lily of the valley, so much the better to give it some variety in texture. If it shows up in the lawn, it'll just be mowed. To keep the area moist, I may try to install a soaker hose. Thank you everyone for your help. Paul |
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