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Our Plants

Botanical Name     Common Name
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Adiantum pedatum

northern maidenhair

Dainty, bright green fronds are held aloft on shiny black stems, creating a light, airy texture in the woodland garden. In rich soil and bright shade it will spread by shallow rhizomes to form a dense groundcover. Found in the humus-rich woodlands and moist woods of Eastern North America. Easy to grow as long as the soil is loose and rich.

Adiantum pedatum '' northern maidenhair from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium 'Godzilla'

Japanese painted fern

An introduction by Plant Delights Nursery in 2009, this Japanese painted fern is a monster! Growing up to 3' tall and spreading up to 6' wide, 'Godzilla' has the appearance of 'Picta' with the punch of an ostrich fern. 'Godzilla' is great in shady locations in moist soil to dry shade.  

Athyrium 'Godzilla' Japanese painted fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium angustum forma rubellum 'Lady in Red'

lady fern

Strong-growing and dependable, the lady ferns are great garden plants. This selection from the New England Wildflower Society features red stems, making it a great choice to combine with purple-leaved plants. Tough and easy to grow, this beauty is the right choice for perennial borders and woodlands alike. A breathtaking flush of new fronds appears in the spring, with new leaves appearing throughout the season for a continuously fresh look.

Athyrium angustum forma rubellum 'Lady in Red' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium filix-femina

lady fern

Handsome crowns of feathery fronds are typical of this genus. Delicate and lacy with arching fronds and dark red stems at maturity. Strong-growing and dependable, lady ferns are great garden plants. Tough and easy to grow, this beauty is the right choice for perennial borders and woodlands alike. A breathtaking flush of new fronds appears in the spring, with new leaves appearing throughout the season for a continuously fresh look. Found in swamps, thickets and damp woods east of the Rockies.

Athyrium filix-femina '' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae'

lady fern

"This is the most spectacular of all cultivars in its magnificent frond architecture. It is really the Queen of Green", according to Dr. John Mickel, former curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden and author of "Ferns for American Gardens". As with other forms of lady ferns there is so much variability with spore production that it is necessary to produce this form in tissue culture, so its clones are identical to the parent. This superb selection has fronds whose pinnae (leaflets) crisscross to form x's and has crested pinnae tips. Another superior cultivar in the Mickel Collection™.

Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium niponicum 'Regal Red'

Japanese painted fern

Handsome and ruffled, this high-color selection has been a much requested Japanese Painted Fern. The dark violet red interior of each 'Regal Red' frond is contrasted by bright silver edges making each leaflet distinct and creating an overall tapestry effect. The pinnules also twist a little giving the frond a "fluffed" up look. 'Regal Red' combines beautifully with red-purple Heuchera such as 'Plum Pudding' and blue sedges like Carex platyphylla. The fronds work well in cut flower arrangements, providing lasting color and soft texture. Unique and beautiful!

Athyrium niponicum 'Regal Red' Japanese painted fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum

Japanese painted fern

The most colorful fern around with subtle shades of green, purple and red on a grey-blue background. The color is more intense with some direct sun, preferably morning or late afternoon. Strong-growing and dependable, the lady ferns are great garden plants.

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum '' Japanese painted fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium × 'Ghost'

lady fern

From the garden of Virginia's Nancy Swell comes this stunning lady fern with silver-white fronds and a decidedly upright habit. Leaves age to light green with new fronds appearing throughout the season. Upright with a beautiful formal appearance that really stands out in the shady garden. This fern really prefers shade and will stand up with all fronds perpendicular to the ground in full sun.

Athyrium × 'Ghost' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries

Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'

autumn fern

Autumn fern is a colorful groundcover with pink fiddleheads that turn coppery orange as they unfurl. Fronds age to a lustrous dark green and remain well into winter. New growth continues through the season, giving a colorful tapestry effect of copper and green from spring to late fall.

Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' autumn fern from North Creek Nurseries

Dryopteris goldiana

Goldie's woodfern

This is the largest of the native wood ferns, reaching 4' in ideal conditions. It is a stately and slowly spreading groundcover, forming large clusters of graceful arching fronds. Named for Scottish botanist John Goldie, its fronds are green without a hint of gold. Dryopteris goldiana is native to seepage slopes and moist woods from Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Minnesota and Arkansas.

Dryopteris goldiana '' Goldie's woodfern from North Creek Nurseries

Dryopteris marginalis

eastern woodfern

The leathery leaves of Dryopteris marginalis are a beautiful addition to the woodland garden and can form a lovely and easy to maintain groundcover. A sturdy east coast native, it forms a tidy clump that will not spread and is very tolerant of dry shade conditions once it has established. Marginal wood fern is often found in shaded crevices of rocky ledges and bluffs from Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and Minnesota.

Dryopteris marginalis '' eastern woodfern from North Creek Nurseries

Dryopteris × australis

southern woodfern

Dryopteris x australis is a natural hybrid (D. celsa x ludoviciana) found in wild populations from Louisiana to Virginia, but is a superb garden plant as far north as Zone 5. It is taller than either parent and a formidable addition to the garden.

Dryopteris × australis '' southern woodfern from North Creek Nurseries

Matteuccia struthiopteris

ostrich fern
Large, lustrous, dark green fronds arch gracefully and give the tropical feel of a palm. Happiest in a cool moist site, it will tolerate more sun at the side of a stream or pond. Emerging fiddleheads are delectable sautéed in a bit of oil.
Matteuccia struthiopteris '' ostrich fern from North Creek Nurseries

Onoclea sensibilis

sensitive fern
A freely running, deciduous fern with broad, deeply pinnatifid, smooth leaves. It spreads in moist soil and stays low to the ground, usually not more than 12-18", though heights of up to 3' are possible in ideal conditions. Very effective as a moist shade groundcover.
Onoclea sensibilis '' sensitive fern from North Creek Nurseries

Osmunda cinnamomea

cinnamon fern
Brilliant green lacy fronds gracefully arch outward in stately vase-shaped clumps. In early summer narrow fronds emerge as vertical spikes of cinnamon red brown in the center. Especially striking when planted in groups. Prefers a moist shady site, but tolerates more sun in cooler zones.
Osmunda cinnamomea '' cinnamon fern from North Creek Nurseries

Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis

royal fern
Royal fern is truly one of the most distinctive and spectacular bold-textured deciduous native ferns with its light green, leathery leaves and graceful architectural stature. With adequate moisture, royal fern can reach 6' tall and create a lush, tropical feel along a stream or beside a pond.
Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis '' royal fern from North Creek Nurseries

Phegopteris decursive-pinnata

Japanese beech fern

Japanese Beech Fern is one of the best landscape ferns we've tried over the years. It also behaves very well in pot culture and it travels well with minimal breakage. It has been in the trade for some time, but is still underutilized since it hasn't been readily available. No more! Phegopteris decursive-pinnata is a vigorous spreader and an excellent choice for a groundcover. Beautiful, with graceful fronds, it produces large colonies in moist or average shade. Its vigorous growth is produced on short runners so it is easily controlled if necessary. Arching fronds are a lustrous dark green and have a lighter green underside for a unique display. Japanese Beech Fern appreciates a little extra moisture in the soil to perform best, although it is not necessary for plant health and appearance. It may be evergreen in warmer zones and is fully perennial to zone 4.

Phegopteris decursive-pinnata '' Japanese beech fern from North Creek Nurseries

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas fern

While not as showy as some others, this fern makes up for it with its neat habit, easy culture, and its lustrous, nearly evergreen leaves. Often used in Christmas floral arrangements because it is still attractive in December. It is a wonderful companion for spring blooming bulbs. Found in acidic to neutral soils on shaded slopes and well drained flats.

Polystichum acrostichoides '' Christmas fern from North Creek Nurseries

Polystichum polyblepharum

Korean tasselfern

Meaning "many eyelashes," polyblepharum describes the fuzzy stems of this glossy deep green garden fern. Dependable and hardy, it lends elegance to the shade border and combines well with Carex, Heuchera, and other ferns. Evergreen in warmer zones.

Polystichum polyblepharum '' Korean tasselfern from North Creek Nurseries
Botanical Name     Common Name
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