Tuesday, February 3, 2009

I think I'll just give you the basics on these ferns since my time is short this morning and if you want to know more about them, go back to my last post on ferns and follow the link to that wonderful fern site I found.
This first one is Dryopteris dilitata or Broad wood fern. I tis and easy one to grow and hardy in zones 4-8. It's usually about 2-3 feet tall, but can get much larger. There are at least 37 named varieties of this one.
The second one is Dryopteris filix-mas or Male Fern. This one is very common in the woods of northeastern north america. Also zones 4-8 and 2-4 feet tall.

Third is Dryopteris marginalis. I know this as Leather Wood Fern but it is also called Marginal Wood Fern. This one can go colder, all the way to zone 2. It is a little smaller than the previous one, probably not over 2.5 feet tall.


Fourth is Dryopteris platypetala. Not in my fern book, but I'll look it up at lunch time and add to this then.


Last for today is Dryopteris remota, a cross between D. affinis and D. expansa. 2-3 feet tall and hardy in zones 4-8.



Off to take a walk. It's cold outside, but sunny and if I'm careful I won't end up on my butt walking on all of this ice. Every place we took a step while things were melting is now solid ice. There's still plenty of snow on the ground to walk in so I'll just avoid the paths as much as possible. More snow, only a few inches, predicted today. That's what they said last week if I remember correctly!
Jane




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've enjoyed seeing your Dryopteris photos, and reading about them. I grow D. expansa, which is a very nicely shaped fern, and mostly keeps its foliage through the cold in zone 3. I can put it next to other woodland plants, and it doesn't invade their space.