While some industries look forward to the strong Holiday Season sales, those of us in the plant business have our eyes on Spring! Our young plants are available in 72 trays during March, April and May.

Most gardeners appreciate ferns for their delicate downy-textured contribution to shade and Oriental gardens. They compliment more showy plants and spread their fronds to take up space between both flower plantings and ornamental trees. As with most ferns, these are generally deer resistant that everyone should trial.

The Asian Saber Fern / Polystichum Neolobatum is just getting established here on the West Coast. With it’s glossy dark-green leathery fronds reaching 18″ to 24″ in length, this plant will do well across the US and all along the East Coast, from Maine to Florida. The fronds are held stiffly from the base and can stand up to inclement weather, including heavy rain and snow showers, and can, in fact, stay green throughout the winter months, and will tolerate drought conditions, once established. It’s unusual growth habit make it eye-catching as a single specimen or when planted en masse. The mature Asian Saber Holly will form a rosette having huge, shimmering, reddish-gold scales along the stipes.

ZONE: 5A – 8B  |  SOIL: Acid

SIZE: 4″ / 1 gallon container

SUN: Partial/Full Shade  |  SIZE: H 18″-24″ / W 24″-30″

The Lace Fern / Microlepia Strigosa is ideal for oriental, woodland and shade gardens. Don’t let it’s delicate looks fool you, this sturdy medium-sized fern can dip down to 20F. The Lace Fern forms dense clumps that expand slowly by rhizomes. The blade color starts as a light green and ages to a medium arching frond that becomes bipinnate. It is native to the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia to Japan and Polynesia  A lover of morning sun and afternoon shade, Can be used as a groundcover or as a background to spring bloomers.

ZONE: 6-10, Hardy to 20F |  SOIL: enriched, evenly moist soil

SIZE: 4″ / 1 gallon container

SUN: Partial/Full Shade  |

SIZE: H 24″-36″ / W 24″-36″

The Scouler’s Polypod Fern / Polypodium Scouleri A San Francisco Bay Area native, the deciduous evergreen Scouler’s Polypod can be found on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Southern California, this elegant fern can be found nestled in the hollows of fallen spruce and in the crevices of rocks. Thriving in full shade, with moist, well-drained soil, the deeply lobed, polished deep green leathery fronds grow slowly on creeping rhizomes. The smallest of the three mentioned here, it does well in containers, hanging baskets and in rock walls.

ZONE: 7-9  |  SOIL: moist, well-drained, rich

SIZE: 4″ / 1 gallon container

SUN: Partial/Full Shade  |  SIZE: H 8″-10″ / W 12″-14″