Browse Plants

Ferns are perfect plants for providing light, airy texture to shady areas. Many ferns are grown and loved in our gardens, but one of the best is the southern maidenhair fern. This beautiful fern has fluffy, airy, elegant foliage, which works equally well in containers or in open ground.

Northern maidenhair fern spreads slowly by branching rhizomes and forms large colonies. The gracefully curved fronds have wiry black stems, which wave in the wind. Adequate moisture is needed to keep the frilly fronds in perfect shape during the growing season. Its delicate texture looks most beautiful when paired with broad-leaved plants.

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This wild ginger is an evergreen groundcover with heart-shaped, shiny leaves that are often marbled. Its interesting brown-purple flowers hide beneath the foliage.

This striking, richly-textured, deciduous ground cover has heart-shaped leaves that turn mauve in autumn. Purple, blue, or white flowers appear in late summer to early fall.

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This fern has cool, grey-green, almost silvery, foliage and reddish-purple stalks that are useful for brightening dark spots in borders. It is deciduous, and although it reaches only 8 to 12 inches in height, it is easy to grow, prolific, and easily divided.

Easy-to-grow Japanese painted ferns are tolerant of clay soils, hot summers, and frigid winters. 'Burgundy Lace' sports a vivid color not previously seen in painted ferns. The low-growing clumps of stunning purple-bronze fronds frosted with shimmering silver offer dramatic contrast in shady borders and containers. It's perfect for edging pathways and is especially brilliant planted in groups. 'Burgundy Lace' thrives in humus-rich, moist soil but adapts to less-than-ideal conditions.

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All painted fern varieties have broad silvery leaves, but ‘Ursula’s Red’ differs in that the centers of its leaves have a wide, showy burgundy band in spring. Spreading from rhizomes, it quickly doubles its size in one growing season. Though deer do like it, it can quickly produce more fronds and may show no lasting ill effects.

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This woodland plant is valued for its flowers and groundcovering leaves. Terminal clusters of delicate blue flowers appear in spring. 

Moist, rich, well-drained soil This is the only brunnera cultivar that has a true silvery tone to its leaves. Delicate blue flowers emerge in spring on top of heartshaped leaves, which are mostly evergreen. Drought tolerant once established, ‘Looking Glass’ brunnera requires minimal watering and is fairly resistant to pests.

The silvery leaves of 'Looking Glass' brunnera light up a shady area. Often, very little green shows at all. Blue flowers that resemble forget-me-nots (Myosotis) bloom in spring. This cultivar grows to a little more than a foot tall and almost as wide. Use it in a woodland or shade garden, in a container, or at waterside.

This sedge is one of the most adaptable of the ground-cover grasses. Its ability to look the same in sun or shade makes it a valuable asset in plantings that go in and out of full sun. Berkeley sedge is a good solution for areas under stress where lawn grasses often fail. The flowers are not particularly noteworthy.

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Lily of the valley's bell-shaped, sweetly scented flowers bloom in early spring. It likes partial to full shade and is perfect for a woodland garden. It may not be the best choice for your beds and borders because it tends to spread, but it is a perfect ground cover if you have a large shady spot under some trees.

A spreading subshrub, Cornus canadensis has whorls of leathery mid-green leaves that turn purple in the winter. Green and white, sometimes pink-flushed flowers emerge in late spring and early summer, followed by clusters of scarlet berries.

Darmera's flower stalks emerge from the ground on naked stems in spring, and are followed by cupped, rounded but indented leaves up to 24 inches across. The foliage forms a lovely, vase-like clump, 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The flower clusters are composed of many 5-petaled, starry, pink or white florets with conspicuous stamens. This native of the western U.S. is found growing along woodland stream banks, and helps to add a tropical look to temperate gardens. Darmera makes a distinct and long-lasting foliage statement in moist conditions, and exhibits autumn color also. 

This fern's lacy foliage smells of freshly mown grass and carpets the woodland or a moist, partially sunny site. The green lushness turns golden in the fall. It is a good choice for rapid naturalizing. Use in a woodland garden or near water features.

This is a handsome and lush, semi-evergreen vase-shaped fern with thickly textured leaves that is suitable for specimen treatment. It reaches 3.5 feet tall. Grow in a woodland or moist shade garden.

Tokyo wood fern's ladderlike, upright fronds provide a strong vertical accent to its surroundings. The vase-shaped clumps grow to 18 to 36 inches tall. Grow in a woodland or shade garden.

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Shade gardeners who prefer a refined effect invariably include red epimedium in their designs. It looks lovely along a path, where its delicate foliage and tiny spring flowers can be admired up close. The paper-thin, heart-shaped leaves have a red tinge early in the season and turn bronze in autumn. Cut back the old foliage in late winter to make room for new growth.

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'Wudang Star' is a clump-forming, evergreen perennial with spiny, glossy foliage. New leaves emerge with bronzy pink edges before turning green in summer. Loose spikes of star-shaped white flowers, borne in spring, have prominent yellow stamens.

This evergreen foliage plant has large, leathery leaves and daisy-like yellow flowers. It looks great in the border or in containers.