ferns are fabulous!

I really love to use ferns in the landscape! They're versatile, abundant, inexpensive, and quite beautiful with their spikes of bright green, grayish-purple and orange. They can grow BIG or small, as with all plants, depending on how much they like their environment!  These are a few of my favs! And here's a few pruning tips! ​

HEALTHY PATCH! Polystichum munitum(Western Sword Fern)

1.  Healthy patch of our native Sword Fern. It's clearly 'picture perfect' and all the dead fronds have been clipped away. 
2.  Here's how mine look in the spring! 
3. First, I look deep inside to the middle of the plant to see if the new fiddleheads are emerging, and I'm careful not to cut them off when I prune. 
4.  Then, I pull back all the OLD fronds even if they are still a little green AND I cut them off all the way to the center. Yes, all of them!
5. This allows light for all the emerging fiddleheads to unfurl! 
6.  It is such a lovely sight to see the tiny little pruned fern transform into a bright green lush plant in the early spring!
DO Experiment with different ferns in your landscape! Some are more sun-tolerant than others, but a good filler plant nonetheless!!
**As always, if you want guidance, Please contact me** ​