12 Native ferns For Ontario Gardens
Ancient plants with modern garden appeal
Ontario’s native ferns are indispensable in native shade gardens. These low-maintenance plants add delicate, lacy beauty while thriving in shady and moist conditions, with a select few tolerating drier conditions. Many native ferns spread quickly as groundcover, while others make striking specimen plants. Some offer evergreen foliage, and provide winter interest with their attractive fronds. They’re also excellent for supporting wildlife by offering natural cover and erosion control. If you're looking for shade-tolerant, wildlife-friendly plants, native ferns may be the ideal solution for your garden.
12 Native Ferns for Ontario Gardens:
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
Shade to part Shade| 2ft/60cm | organically rich, slightly acidic soils | moist but not wet |
A fern as graceful and elegant as its name suggests, maidenhair fern is highly sought after in native plant gardens for its unique form and desirable texture it lends to the landscape. Bright green fronds are borne on wiry black stems and spread outwards in a fan-shaped pattern.
Easy to grow in shady gardens with even moisture and rich soils. It does not tolerate direct sun or drying out. Will tolerate rocky soil. This is a clump-forming species that plays well with other plants. It will spread slowly by rhizomes to form small colonies.
Walking Fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum)
Shade to part shade | <30cm | Shallow, rocky, alkaline soils | moist to occasionally wet |
A unique and highly sought-after fern but hard to grow due to its very specific growing needs. It is characterized by small tufts of dark-green, lance-shaped leaves. In the wild it typically makes its home on mossy limestone rocks, making it an ideal candidate for shady rock gardens. It prefers abundant moisture and humidity so don’t let it dry out. Tolerates deep shade.
The leaves have an appealing, narrow triangular shape and remain evergreen
Spreads by spores and by rooting in wherever the frond tips touch moist ground.
Hart's Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
Shade to part shade | 30cm | Organically rich alkaline soils | Moist to average |
Hart’s Tongue Fern is a tropical-looking fern with bold, glossy leaves that remain evergreen through the winter months. It is not often grown in gardens due to its specific growing needs.
This fern thrives in specific habitat - moss-covered limestone or dolomite rocks in deciduous shade. You can replicate this in your garden by incorporating limestone chips, rocks or concrete rubble into organically rich soil. If you are fortunate enough to have large limestone rocks then this fern will grow in cracks between them granted there is adequate moisture. It maintains a well-behaved clumping form and thrives in deep shade.
Bulblet Fern (Cystopteris bulbifera)
Part shade to deep shade | 60cm tall/wide | Organically rich soil |Moist & humid sites |
Bulblet fern is a low-growing fern with a soft, elegant feel. It spreads outwards to form a delicate ground-cover with its light green, arching fronds. In the spring, the fronds grow on bright red stems which eventually mature into green.
Easy to grow in consistently moist, organically rich soils. This fern requires sheltered and humid conditions to thrive. It can spread quickly but non-aggressively by rhizomes and bulbils to form a delightful groundcover. Its name stems from the fact that it produces bulbils on the underside of its fronds. These bulbils will detach from the mother plant to form clones. This makes the fern relatively easy to propagate. Great choice for cottage gardens, moist woodland gardens, ponds and streams.
Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
Part shade to deep shade | 60cm tall |Most organically rich soils |Moist to slightly dry |
Hay-scented fern is valued for its light green, arching, fine-textured fronds which smell like freshly cut hay when bruised. It spreads quickly to form an attractive, weed-suppressing ground-cover. This can be a useful trait if you’re seeking to prevent the re-growth of recently removed invasive species.
This native fern is most easily grown in moist, organically rich, acidic soils in full shade where it may grow slightly taller than 60cm. Part sun is tolerated with consistently moist soil. Once established, this fern tolerates dry shade but with reduced vigor and spread. Leaves may brown in hot, dry summers if soil moisture is not sufficient. Hay-scented fern can spread prolifically by rhizomes in rich, moist soils and will form dense colonies. Easily divided and transplanted. Great for naturalizing, woodland gardens and cottage gardens where it has space to roam or can be contained with hard-scaping. Rabbit and deer resistant.
Intermediate Wood Fern (Dryopteris intermedia)
Full shade | 90cm tall | Organically rich soils |moist to average, well-draining soil |
Intermediate wood fern is an easy to grow fern with a wonderful vase-shape form and delicate, lacy fronds. These fronds have a semi-evergreen nature, adding greenery to the garden through the winter months although they will take on a more prostrate form during this time. Beyond aesthetics, it is valued for its non-aggressive nature, forming a clump of fronds rather than spreading by rhizomes. This makes it an ideal companion for a variety of other woodland species.
This native fern is best grown in moist, shady sites with organically rich, acidic soil. It will tolerate short-term dry spells and rocky soil. Mature clumps are easily divided and transplanted.
An ideal choice for woodland gardens, shady rock gardens or semi-dry shade.
Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
Part shade to full shade | 1.8m tall | Organically rich soil | Medium to wet |
Ostrich fern is valued by gardeners for its vase-like form and graceful arching fronds that lend a strong structural presence to the garden. It spreads reliably and quickly by rhizomes to form an attractive, lush groundcover. Very easily grown in medium to wet soils with abundant organic matter and shade to part shade. Ostrich fern can grow up to 1.8m in ideal conditions but will typically max out around 90cm in most gardens. Part sun is tolerated if the soil is consistently moist.
Note that the foliage will go dry and brown by late summer if not enough moist is present in the soil. Fertile fronds arise from the center of the plant in mid-summer and persist through the winter to extend seasonal interest. Very easy to divide and transplant. The unfurled fronds, known as fiddleheads, are edible if picked the right time in the spring. Learn more about growing edible native plants.
Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
Sun to Shade |60-120cm tall | Organically rich soils | Average to wet |
Sensitive fern is a delight to have in the garden with its coarsely textured, chartreuse coloured fronds. These fronds die back as the first frost touches them, hence the name sensitive fern. In late summer, fertile fronds stand upright among the foliage, showing off bead-like spores that and persist into the winter months to extend seasonal interest.
Sensitive fern spreads prolifically by rhizomes in moist, fertile soils, making it ideal for weed suppression and erosion control. It tolerates drier, shadier sites but with reduced vigor. The height of this fern varies based on growing conditions, reaching its maximum height in moist, sunny sites. Easily divided and transplanted by root division.
Grows well as a groundcover in moist, sunny meadows where taller plants can give it some shade.
Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)
Shade to sun | 60-90cm tall |Acidic, organically rich, humusy soils | Moist to wet |
Cinnamon fern is admired for its stately form and ease of growth. Fertile fronds appear in early spring, starting as fuzzy, cinnamon-brown fiddleheads then becoming upright and erect as the sterile fronds (leaves) unfurl around them. The fern has an overall vase-shape form with gently arching, light green fronds. The contrast between fertile and infertile fronds creates a dramatic flair in the native plant garden.
Easily grown in fertile, consistently moist, acidic soils in part shade to full shade where it can reach heights of nearly 1.5m. Tolerates full sun if soil is kept moist. In drier soils it may go dormant by late summer. Spreads vigorously in ideal conditions to form attractive, weed suppressing colonies. Its roots are dense and fibrous, making it an ideal choice for erosion control. Slow to establish but will become a permanent feature in the landscape for years to come.
Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
Part shade to shade | 90-180cm | Most rich, acidic soil types | Average to wet |
Royal fern is a stately plant with unique, pinnate foliage that adds a wonderful texture to the garden. Delicate, bright green fronds are composed of many small leaflets, similar to the leaves of plants from the legume family, giving this fern a unique and desirable look.
Royal fern thrives in average to wet soils in part shade. It prefers organically-rich, acidic soils but will adapt well to lesser conditions. Tolerates standing water. It typically grows up to 90cm tall but can reach up to 180cm tall in moist, rich soils. It grows shorter in alkaline soils compared to acidic soils.
This fern is a slow spreader and will maintain a neat clump that expands over time, making it an ideal accent plant for moist woodland gardens. Easily divided or transplanted.
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Shade to part shade | 60cm tall | Organically rich soils | Average to moist, well-drained |
Christmas fern is valued for its lush, fountain-like clumps of evergreen foliage. The deep green colour of the fronds pairs well with many other woodland species, especially spring ephemerals. In the spring, silvery fiddleheads emerge from the ground to add a unique aesthetic to the garden.
This fern thrives in most organically rich, well-draining soils in shade. Consistent moisture is preferred but crown rot can occur in poorly drained soils. Clay soil is tolerated granted it is well-drained. Deep shade is tolerated. Spreads slowly by rhizomes to form a bigger clump but will not colonize to form a groundcover. Easily propagated by division. Plants appreciate a mulch of fallen leaves around them in the fall.
Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Sun to part shade | 1.2m tall | Sandy, peaty, acidic soils | average moisture |
Bracken fern is the most sun-tolerant fern on this list and an ideal candidate for dry, sandy woodland conditions where fast and reliable cover is needed. Coarse, bright green, triangular fronds rise from deep rootstocks and tilt out horizontally, giving this a fern a distinguishing look. As the weather turns cold in the fall, bracken fern takes on striking shades of yellow and copper. The first frost will cause these fronds to die back completely.
Easy to grow in consistently moist, slightly acidic soils in full sun to part shade. Ideal for sandy sites and under pine trees. Somewhat drought tolerant once established, even tolerating dry shade, but fronds may brown during extended dry periods. Slow to establish but spreads vigorously via deep rhizomes (up to 3.5m deep) once established, making it ideal for erosion control on sandy slopes. Due to its deep roots, it is hard to eradicate once established but this can be an asset in the right conditions.
