Himalayan maidenhair fern
Adiantum venustum ·
A low, slowly spreading carpet of lacy, triangular fronds on black stems. New growth is bronze-pink in spring, and the fronds stay green through most winters.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Himalayan maidenhair fern
The planner designed this bed around Himalayan maidenhair fern when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Himalayan maidenhair fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Himalayan maidenhair fern × 5, green leaves
- 2 Wherry's foamflower × 8, white
- 3 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
- 4 Autumn monkshood × 3, blue
- 5 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 6 Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' × 3, white
- 7 Hardy cyclamen × 12, pink
- 8 Fumewort × 12, purple
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 58% of the edge.
- 5 plants in 2 runs (3 and 2). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 12 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Blue, pink, purple, white and tan make a cool, restful scheme. White is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Autumn monkshood is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Himalayan maidenhair 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: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The delicacy of a maidenhair in a plant that is evergreen and makes groundcover. It is slow at first, then knits into a carpet as fine as lace.
- Evergreen groundcover with fine texture
- Under shrubs and beside paths
- Small shady gardens
What to plant with Himalayan maidenhair fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears': spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- European wild ginger: happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its fine ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about Himalayan maidenhair fern
Does Himalayan maidenhair fern need sun or shade?
Himalayan maidenhair fern grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Himalayan maidenhair 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 Himalayan maidenhair fern be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 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 Himalayan maidenhair fern plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used five in two groups.
Is there a native plant like Himalayan maidenhair fern?
Himalayan maidenhair fern is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Common polypody: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, medium leaves, not fine.
- Lingonberry: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to mid June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does Himalayan maidenhair fern look like in winter?
Himalayan maidenhair fern keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Adiantum
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum
- Southern maidenhair fern Adiantum capillus-veneris
- Western maidenhair fern Adiantum aleuticum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern (groundcover)
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.