Hairy lip fern
Myriopteris lanosa · Pteridaceae
Small, lacy, grey-green fronds covered in rusty hairs. In drought they curl up and look dead, and they unroll again with rain.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around hairy lip fern
The planner designed this bed around hairy lip fern when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why hairy lip fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hairy lip fern × 10, grey-green leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 19, pink
- 3 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 4 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 5 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 6 Chives × 5, purple
- 7 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 8 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 64% of the edge.
- 10 plants in 3 runs (5, 3 and 2). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' is planted in five places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hairy lip fern goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A fern for sun and dry rock: it grows on ledges and outcrops across the eastern states. Plant it in a crevice or gravel with the sedums.
- Rock crevices in sun
- Gravel gardens
- A fern for dry places
What to plant with hairy lip fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hens and chicks: low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Angelina': low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Eastern prickly pear: adds the flowers, mid June to early July; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about hairy lip fern
Does hairy lip fern need sun or shade?
Hairy lip fern grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does hairy lip fern grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should hairy lip fern be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hairy lip fern plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used 10 in three groups.
Is hairy lip fern poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat hairy lip fern?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does hairy lip fern look like in winter?
Hairy lip fern holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is hairy lip fern good for bees and butterflies?
Hairy lip fern is visited by songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; grey-green
- Shape
- Arching, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Pteridaceae
- Comes from
- Central and southeastern U.S.A
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.