'Top 24 Favorite Ferns of Dr. John Mickel'

I am poking around the internet this morning, since it is drizzling here and came across this list of the 'Top 24 Favorite Ferns of Dr. John Mickel' and thought I would share the list.

Five Finger Maidenhair Fern Adiantum pedatum
Japanese Painted Fern Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
Ghost Fern Athyrium x Ghost
Autumn Fern Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'
Dixie Wood Fern Dryopteris x australis
Male Fern Dryopteris filix-mas
Barnes Male Fern Dryopteris filix-mas 'Barnesii'
Crested Male Fern Dryopteris filix-mas ''Grandiceps'
Eastern Wood Fern Dryopteris marginalis
Ostrich Fern Matteuccia struthiopteris
Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea
Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
East Indian Holly Fern Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata'
Lady in Red Fern Athyrium angustum forma rubellum
Japanese Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum (South)
Fortune's Holly Fern Cyrtomium fortunei (North)
Big Brother Fern Deparia pycnosora
Recurved Broad Buckler Fern Dryopteris dilatata 'Recurved Form'
Fancy Fern Dryopteris intermedia
Remote Wood Fern Dryopteris remota
Royal Fern Osmunda regalis
Tassel Fern Polystichum polybelpharum
Japanese Beech Fern Thelypteris decursive-pinnata

This is a TC company, I like this site for a reference: http://www.casaflora.com/Index.htm

I love ferns. I have some shady place in my garden for them. I think I have followings:

Five Finger Maidenhair Fern
Japanese Painted Fern
Ghost Fern
Autumn Fern
Ostrich Fern
Christmas Fern
Lady in Red Fern
Japanese Holly Fern
Tassel Fern

The East Indian Holly Fern died, I guess my 6a zone is too cold for it.

Maybe I will start to collect the rest of the fern on the list next year.

Thanks for sharing the list.

Fang

Fang,
I really have taken a liking to fern the last few years. I figure if someone like Mickel likes a particular fern it must have some really good qualities about it. I would love to be able to grow the East Indian Holly fern. I think it is truly a Z7 plant. I have known others in Z6 who have tried to grow it too, without success. We are Z5b so there is just no way I would even try it.

Do you have a favorite fern?
S

Pardon me, sf, but who is John Mickel? (-:

Is your list in order of popularity or just random?

OK, as of this week I have aquired Dixie Wood Fern, Eastern Wood Fern, 3 kinds of Japanese Painted Ferns, a Tassel, a Maidenhair, and a Remote Wood Fern. All babies, so we will see how I do with them! I have begun to really like them, too. Will plant them with my hostas...

p.s., that Casaflora link is interesting. Can't figure out what that company does...

Will continue to look for interesting ferns. There is a nursery here that is nothing but ferns and I will have to check it out. (I'll bring your list.)

Hi Tabasco.
Aren't you on a roll with the ferns.
Casaflora is a TC lab. They sell wholesale. (like Terra Nova with Heuchera) Look for their plant tags in your fern pots when purchasing. That is how I learned about them.

John Mickel is the auther of Ferns for American Gardens http://davesgarden.com/gbw/c/281/ I have an older version- my book was copyrighted in 1994. There are lots of pictures of ferns. he talks about each specie of fern in general then lists the different varities within each specie and what zone they are hardy in and what the soil and light requirements are, if they are easy, moderate or difficult to grow... I have found the book extremely useful. In the back he has special list of ferns for special conditions like foundation plantings, rock gardens, filling large spaces, sunny spots, wet spots,evergreen ferns, good for beginners... He lists sources for hardy ferns.

I met someone from NY who belongs to their local fern society and has been to John Mickel home since he is a member to that local society, how lucky can one get.

How's your bed coming along?
Shady

This message was edited May 26, 2006 7:06 AM

Oh, that's good to know about. I will look up the book at the Civic Garden Center Library. They have a huge library of horticultural books and nobody seems to borrow them except me! Will go there tomorrow. Yes, I'm getting into the Fern thing. Always have liked them and had some really wonderful ones in my Pasadena garden.

My front part-shade garden is perking along. We have most of the plants in but I have some spaces left for 'just the right hostas' with nice shiny dark green round yet somewhat pointed leaves, large and small versions. Nothing fussy or variegated. Too much fussiness going on now and I need something to 'anchor' the bed.

On the left side where the small tree is--I think I need to replace that with a fountain (uh-huh) to anchor that side. Then I can put in my espalliered pear (yet to be purchased) and I think it will look pretty good next year. Now the garden looks like it went to a bad barber shop and got too close a cut...oh, well...And we put down the worst looking mulch and it basically spoiled the look, but hopefully that will mellow out (or blow away or something).

I'll get some pics tomorrow--hopefully it will rain tonight and give everything a fresh look. It's so dry here. Hate to see the water bill...

Heard you had a little rain up there. That's good.

Happy gardening this weekend. t.

Shady, I like fern so much that I think they should be all on my favorite list. Here are some pictures of them.

One more picture. This one should be at the left side of the prior picture.

Fang,
They're beautiful please ID for us.
I think I see: Athyrium f. -f.'Victoriae',Adiantum pedatum, Polystichum polyblepharum,Athyrium f.-f. Frizelliae, Athyrium 'Ghost',Cyrtomium Fortunei, how am I doing?

Shady,
You are all right except the Ghost fern. I think it is Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'. On the first picture, there are 2 lady in read, lady fern, and Polystichum tsus-simense (just a leaf in the picture of the right side).

Here is the ghost fern.

Adiantum Venustum ((Himalaya maidenhair fern). It is very small. It is not fast growing as the northern maidenhair fern. And it is much shorter.

Fang,
I just got a division of Adiantum Venustum (Himalaya maidenhair fern) last summer, and planted them within hours of being dug.The clump it came from was outstanding I bet it was 4' across. I had a good size chunk and a a tiny piece that broke off from my large chunck. I planted them in difference areas. Both came back but both are small. I talk to them almost everytime I pass them, and hope they are happy in their new home. It's good to know it is a slow grower.
How long have you had your Adiantum Venustum?
How long have you had your Polystichum tsus-simense? Have they done well for you? I see that you are Z6a, we are Z5b-Z6 I have struggled with that fern. They last a couple years and finally die off in a slow death. I came across some good sized one really cheap this past spring, so I had to pick them up. I have them planted in 2 seperate areas that are also different from where they were planted in past years. I will see how they come through winter.

I have really learned to appreciate the different textures of ferns, they are a great for filling in a spot in a bed and a work so well in any setting.

Shady, this is the my Polystichum tsus-simense. I started gardening last year. Polystichum tsus-simense was purchased last year. The Himalaya maidenhair fern was bought this year. So far they look good in this shady garden.

Three years ago, we moved to this house. This is our first house. The owner was renting it out. So everything was overgrowing. At the side of the house which now is my shady garden has lily of valley and sensitive, male fern growing there except they were really overgrown. Last year, I remove most of old plants and started my own garden. Now I have ferns, camellias, epimedium, chinese mayapple, bloodroot, medow rue, two clumping bamboo, twinleaf etc growing there.

There is a 6 feet tall Rhododendron on the side. I am asking my husband to move it so I can have a arbor there.

Here is the picture of the garden last October.

Here is the picture of the garden last October. You can see the Toad lily on the back and Northern Maidenhair fern. They really grow a lot. Especially the Toad Lily which is also in my first picture.

Wow, your bed is really happy, it looks great for one year old.
Sounds like you are getting quite a garden together. I have heard about Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) before but have never seen it for sale around here, and had not heard of camellias either, but after looking up some information on it I see that it is not hardy here. I too love Tricyrtis, as a matter of fact one of my newer varities is blooming, maybe I will run out back and get picture.
S

Shady, I would love to see your pictures. Take some pictures of Tricyrtis and gardens.

Here is Tricyrtis 'Taipei Silk' I just picked this up this spring.

That's so pretty. How tall is it? Last year, my tricyrtis flowered on September. Yours are early.

Fang,
Some varities bloom early for me and others are just setting up buds and will bloom in fall. I would say this plant is about two feet tall.
Here is a picture of the bed were this Tricyrtis is planted.Unfortunately it does not photograph well, in that it is difficult to distinquish individual plants.This is what we call the 'secrete garden'.

OK, everybody! LOL You've motivated me and I got out there (in this heat) and planted a dozen new ferns today. Also received a very nice collection of twelve which Drew from Deep Roots Nursery picked out for me, including some exotics. I am excited about these. I'm sure they'll make my new shade garden really interesting.

Will have to plant my new tricyrtis too this weekend, so I hope it cools down!...

Three (hard to see) new Eastern Wood Ferns with acquilegia and woodland phlox in my remodelled part-shade front garden...

Tabasco, some of my ferns are from Drew. His ferns are really good and healthy. They grow really fast in my garden. Hope yours will do fine. I think it might fill out the whole area by next year.

Fang

Nice Job Tabasco!

Thanks , Shadyfolks, but this is only one little corner of my project and on 'film' it doesn't look like much at all, I'm afraid! I think I am killing my shade plantings with love, watering every day and chanting to the garden gods every morning, but nothing seems to help them 'take off' in this heat!

I am reading "The Complete Shade Gardener" by George Schenk, a rather old book (1984), yet has lots of good shady garden information and recommendations for plant pairings and a nice chapter on fern culture. George has a rather nice way of presenting his subject in a folksy manner, which is kind of fun....it's probably full of outdated information, but still interesting...
Couldn't find Michel's book in the library. Maybe nextime.

Here is a pic of my new 'red veined dock' which is for partial sun (does that mean shade?) planted with two new hostas. The label says 'spectacular' with coral bells, but those are planted out of the picture. We shall see! More ferns go in tomorrow. We aremaking progress. Slow but sure.

Keep cool. t.