I'm in zone 5B central Ohio, and my Autumn Ferns are out of the ground with some full red fronds. Autumn Ferns are slower to come out than a lot of other ferns thou, later than average. Yes, ferns like acidic soil, but you may have had too much fertilizer, since you added two types of processed fertilizer, and it may have stressed the plants. That is only a guess, but in any event I would not use much fertilizer and just mix in peat moss or humas into the soil. If the plants are really weak and you want big plants soon, you may just want to buy more and try again.

Thanks, kathyannd, that's pretty much the way I've been thinking. I went ahead and moved it this morning - egged on by the fact that I bought another Autumn Fern a few days ago and wanted to get it planted and out of its pot. So I now have four ferns in a grouping still under the pine, but with a little space for the turkeys to hang out (and land). Now I just have to worry about the five little wintergreens I planted under the pine in June. No turkey damage so far. I've also been watching a miniature hosta (Change of Heart) that was doing reasonable well until a few weeks ago. Something, probably a turkey although it could be a skunk, has been scratching at its roots. I potted the poor hosta up and it's now on the deck with the houseplants for now. If it recovers I'll plant it in an area where nothing bigger than a Song Sparrow visits. Claire

i'm looking for the answer to this question also however mine have been in 6 inch pots since i brought them home about 3 months ago they've tripled in size and look great but will they still look great next year? or do they need to be in the ground????

I am looking to find out if anyone has Autumn Fern and what it looks like in our area, in different seasons.