I have a question about red ferns. from what we have been reading it seems there rally is no such fern named "red fern" My daughter is getting ready to read the book and one of her assigments was to reseach red ferns and write 4 facts or interesting thoughts about this fern called red fern. so any thing you can assist on would be helpful. where would this plant grow.. We have seen pictures on of red ferns--or are they?? lady red?? Thanks for your input..

A cultivar of Nephrolepis exaltata. Rgds

I have prowled lots of small specialty nurseries for years (this fern is probably about 10 years old because I planted it when I redid my front landscape). I'm pretty sure it's not something I picked up at one of the larger local garden centers. I do have several plants from Bainbridge Gardens and another much smaller Bainbridge nursery (that may not be open all the time) the name I can't recall. Also Jungle Fever Exotics in Ruston (which has closed, sadly) and xera plants in Portland, OR. We also used to have a small nursery that carried unusual plants in Tumwater, near me, that is also out of business now. So, there is no reason to believe it's not the less available variety. I prowl for the unusual. Not sure how to tell whether it's compact or not...how do you measure a fern? I was thrilled yesterday to see that it had a baby! First one, ever.

Can you take a photo showing the base of a frond or fronds. It might be Lady Fern, but can't tell until I see the shape of an entire frond.