Southern maidenhair fern
Adiantum capillus-veneris · Pteridaceae
Drooping fronds of tiny, fan-shaped leaflets on shiny black stems as thin as wire. It grows wild on wet limestone cliffs and beside waterfalls.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around southern maidenhair fern
The planner designed this bed around southern maidenhair fern when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 535 that suit those conditions, and says below why southern maidenhair fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Southern maidenhair fern × 3, green leaves
- 2 Strawberry begonia × 19, white
- 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 4 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 5 Foxglove × 3, pink
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
- 8 Hardy cyclamen × 7, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for strawberry begonia. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- At the back. At 14 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and astilbe 'Purple Candles' (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to astilbe 'Purple Candles' (3½ ft) and white bleeding heart (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 47% of the visual weight and the right half 53%. Blue, purple, pink and white make a cool, restful scheme.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where southern maidenhair fern goes in a border
At 14 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The most delicate texture in the garden; it makes everything beside it look bolder. It must never dry out, and likes lime: tuck it among limestone rocks or beside a mortared wall.
- Beside water features and on damp walls
- Delicate texture for warm, humid shade
- Containers
What to plant with southern maidenhair fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Cast iron plant: bold leaves against its fine ones; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
- Strawberry begonia: adds the flowers, mid May to late June; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about southern maidenhair fern
Does southern maidenhair fern need sun or shade?
Southern 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 is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does southern maidenhair fern grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should southern maidenhair fern be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many southern maidenhair fern plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 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 three in one group.
Is southern maidenhair 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.
Is there a native plant like southern maidenhair fern?
Southern maidenhair fern comes from Temperate and tropical regions worldwide. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Bulblet fern: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller.
- Bowles' golden grass: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, medium leaves, not fine.
- Seersucker sedge: the same job in a bed and the same size; medium leaves, not fine, keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat southern maidenhair fern?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does southern maidenhair fern look like in winter?
Southern maidenhair 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.
More Adiantum
- Himalayan maidenhair fern Adiantum venustum
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum
- Western maidenhair fern Adiantum aleuticum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Pteridaceae
- Comes from
- Temperate and tropical regions worldwide
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade
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.