Given enough water, ferns can grow in the sun. It sounds like any of them would be fine, so the question is which would you prefer.

I have Japanese painted ferns growing as volunteers in more sun than that. So it isn't exactly a fern killer.

We have ostrich ferns in places that get quite a lot of afternoon sun, as well as some in shade. While the ones in fuller sun do grow bigger, they tend to burn/brown out more by late summer. Another option might be Boston ferns in pots to fill in the blank spaces. These are really a full sun fern, and can be enjoyed as house plants in the winter (if you have a sunny window).

I agree with what the previous poster said. All of my ferns get part sun, mainly morning and the ostrich ferns I have are only looking slightly burnt out in a few areas by this time. All the rest look fine. I bought a couple Christmas ferns this year and read that they can tolerate more sun than some other ferns. A cool feature is that they are evergreen, so they will provide some winter interest as well, though since they are new for me I can't provide you with much experience as to how well they do. I got some tiny ones in the native plants section at my local nursery.

I really don't have any shady areas, so all my ferns grow in sun. I don't think afternoon sun would be good, but with sufficient moisture and morning sun most should do fine.

Kevin

Hay scented fern is a ground cover fern, unlike most that clump. We have it growing wild in areas that range from mostly shade to mostly sun, but all with adequate moisture without being soggy. If you will tolerate a 1 1/2 foot ground cover, and there aren't smaller plants nearby to get smothered, it may be a good choice. In my garden it plays well with assorted viburnums, rhododendrons, blueberries, and mountain laurels. It will shade out shorter plants, however, and ours seem willing to spread to the edge of mowed areas.

Both male fern and lady fern are clumping ferns. Male fern is probably the largest of the three you are considering. I don't know of any of these growing in sun on our property, but there may be some I haven't noticed. What is best depends some on your particular goals.

I am going to give hay scented fern a go!! Sounds good for my area. It has room to run and the height is a benefit.
Thanks!

Ferns do fine in part sun. Avoid full afternoon sun. The key to lush ferns is moisture. They crisp in dry soil, even in shade.