Maidenhair fern is an exceptional plant for the woodland garden. Its unique shape makes it a valuable plant. It adds a touch of class to the garden. The bright green fronds are arranged into a horse shoe pattern around the stem. The fronds emerge from the soil in May. They are red in color and slowly open to reveal a fern that has great texture and style.

Maidenhair fern is the perfect fern to add to a garden with a lot of spring flowering plants. When the early spring flowering plants such as trillium, toothwort, bloodroot, and dutchman's breeches are done flowering, Maidenhair fern fills in, adding classic beauty to your garden.

Maidenhair fern need moist, rich, well drained soil. In the wild you quite often see it on banks. If it is happy, it spreads by shallow rhizomes to make an excellent ground cover. Prefers bright shade, but grows well in full shade. Propagation can be done by division but is quite easily done from spores.